May 2004

Briefly speaking: Summer classes held here, abroad

	Summer Sessions students can soak up the sun as they study. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

May's warm weather turns many minds to thoughts of lazy summer afternoons, but UC Davis students can use the summer as an opportunity to get in a few classes.

According to Summer Sessions Director Dan Wick, last year about 10,000 students attended UC Davis during the summer, taking an average of nine course units. There are almost 600 courses offered this summer.

Two principal Summer Sessions are offered on campus. The first runs from June 21 to July 30 and the second from Aug. 2 to Sept. 10. Registration for continuing UC Davis students for Session I continues through July 5, and Session II registration runs through Aug. 15. To enroll, continuing students pay a mandatory registration fee of $172 per session and $127 per unit.

Smaller classes, greater challenges

Wick says students choose to take classes in the summer for a variety of reasons. Many do so to graduate on time or earlier. Some enroll in classes they couldn't get during the regular school year. Others just like the atmosphere.

"Many students prefer the smaller classes," Wick says. "They get to know each other better and, of course, the individual faculty instructors better, too."

However, Wick says, the shorter sessions can be challenging for some students. Each of the sessions is only six weeks long, compared to the 10-week quarter during the regular academic year. Summer Sessions students taking six course units are considered to be full time for the purpose of financial aid.

Students will study on campus, in the region and around the world in hundreds of courses offered through UC Davis this summer. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

Classes around world

There are two other summer study options for UC Davis students. Special Programs are intense, three-day to 10-week courses held throughout California, Nevada and even Hawaii. Courses include Environmental Science and Policy, Introduction to Volcanology, Art Studio, and Women and Gender Studies. Application deadlines vary by course.

With programs in more than a dozen countries, Summer Sessions Abroad offers the excitement of world travel with courses that may be transferred for UC Davis credit. Students can study wine-making in France, landscape and architecture in Japan, literature in Great Britain, and much more. Summer Abroad enrollment generally runs from November through March.

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