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Chancellor's Message

A degree from UC Davis is one that commands respect in graduate schools and the workplace worldwide. As part of our thriving community, you have an incredible opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest professors and students from around the globe.

You're joining a community that's driven by curiosity and motivated to solve the world's greatest problems. Our research and innovations help feed a growing population, sustain our natural resources, advance health worldwide, and better understand how interconnected humanity is.

At UC Davis, you can develop new ways of thinking, seeing, and being. You can challenge limitations and outgrow the expected. The personal touch, engagement, and passion for learning you bring to UC Davis elevate the university as a whole.

I wish you much success in your studies and all your future endeavors.

Gary S. May, Chancellor

Undergraduate Colleges, Graduate Studies, & Professional Schools

UC Davis has four undergraduate colleges, a graduate division, and six graduate/professional schools; each has abundant information on their websites. To find the college or school your area of interest lies in, try using Degree Explorer.

Undergraduate Colleges/School

Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
The College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences offers a diverse program of majors and courses and is committed to education emphasizing a spirit of discovery. Through a wide array of major programs, the college highlights interconnections among the environment, plant and animal sciences, biological sciences and human sciences; prepares high-potential students for advanced studies in diverse disciplines and leadership in such arenas as public policy, research & development, managerial & natural resource economics, agricultural systems, environmental protection, safety & design, human nutrition, health & development, and food industries.
Biological Sciences
The College of Biological Sciences offers undergraduate majors that cover a wide range of topics within the life sciences, including biochemistry, behavior, cell biology, evolution, ecology, genetics, physiology, neurobiology, genomics and bioinformatics. With an emphasis on hands-on learning in research labs, fieldwork, and clinical settings, students apply classroom knowledge directly to the study of microbes, plants, and animals and receive in-depth preparation for diverse careers, graduate study, and pre-med tracks. Graduate education is uniquely interdisciplinary, allowing Master’s and Doctoral students to tailor their degrees with access to a broad coalition of faculty across multiple disciplines. With a strong focus on community, mentorship, and practical learning in research environments, the college equips all students with the skills and mindset to become lifelong learners and innovators in the life sciences.
Engineering
The mission of the College of Engineering at UC Davis is to create a sustainable world through socially responsible engineering, inspiring education and transformative research. The College maintains a long-standing commitment to undergraduate engineering students, preparing them to contribute to the engineering professions and ongoing engineering research. The college produces well-rounded engineering graduates, who value its interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach to teaching and learning. The College of Engineering produces innovative, research-based solutions to complex problems and challenges. At the center of it all is our core value of engineering a better world for all, which infuses our vision to take on grand challenges, prepare tomorrow's engineers, and build a collaborative environment; all with an eye toward equity and a commitment to leave no community behind.
Graduate School of Management
In addition to teaching undergraduate minors in accounting and technology management, the Graduate School of Management at UC Davis launches a new undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Business launches in fall 2025.
Letters & Science
The College of Letters & Science (L&S) is the liberal arts backbone of UC Davis, the University of California’s most comprehensive university. Serving almost half of all UC Davis students, L&S offers among the nation’s most highly ranked programs in a broad array of disciplines including Humanities, Arts, Cultural & Ethnic Studies, Mathematical & Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences. L&S’s true strength stems from its faculty’s commitment to increasing knowledge through research, artistic expression, and other creative endeavors; effectively communicating and applying that knowledge through teaching and public service. The results are an inclusive, supportive environment enabling students to achieve their highest potential.

Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies
Graduate Studies serves a community of nearly 7,000 graduate students (at both the master’s and doctoral levels) and 1,000 postdoctoral scholars across roughly 100 graduate degree programs. UC Davis graduate students can work with and learn from world-class faculty in state-of-the-art research facilities. Graduate students can also pursue many degrees in a collaborative and interdisciplinary curricula through graduate groups; a concept allowing students to engage with faculty in interrelated areas to broaden their intellectual experiences. As a central hub for resources and support, and in partnership with the graduate programs as well as the schools and colleges, Graduate Studies helps ensure the success and well-being of UC Davis graduate students and scholars.

Professional Schools

Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing–M.H.S., M.S., Ph.D.
The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis prepares successful leaders in health care. As one of the only graduate nursing schools committed to activating change where it’s needed the most, the School of Nursing goes beyond clinical education with programs that provide graduates with the skills, confidence and vision to advance health care locally, nationally and globally. The school offers degree programs to train future nurses, physician assistants, family nurse practitioners, CRNAs, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, Ph.D.s, professors and researchers.
Graduate School of Management
The Graduate School of Management at UC Davis is focused on preparing the next generation of inspired, innovative and collaborative leaders who are committed to making a positive impact. The school’s nationally and internationally ranked graduate business programs are distinguished by globally visible research faculty, entrepreneurial students and innovative curricula. The school offers a Full-Time M.B.A., Master of Professional Accountancy and Master of Management at the UC Davis campus, Part-Time M.B.A. in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, a Master of Science in Business Analytics in downtown San Francisco, and an Online M.B.A. and online Master of Management that are the first of their kind in the UC system. In addition to teaching undergraduate minors in accounting and technology management, a new undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Business launches in fall 2025. The school is home to the Mike & Renee Child Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
School of Education
The UC Davis School of Education is driven by its mission to confront and eliminate inequities among people and communities through impactful research and the transformative power of education. Offering teaching credential/M.A., Ph.D., and Ed.D. graduate programs, as well as an undergraduate minor, the School prepares students to become teachers, researchers, and educational leaders. Strengthening schools has been a part of UC Davis’s legacy since 1922, when the first teacher-training program was held on the University Farm. Today, the School continues and expands this tradition, equipping graduates to create equitable opportunities and improve outcomes for learners in K-12 schools, higher education, policymaking, and beyond.
School of Law
The University of California Davis School of Law offers a three-year professional curriculum leading to the degree of Juris Doctor. Within a uniquely supportive atmosphere, law students access a comprehensive modern law school curriculum taught by a nationally and internationally distinguished faculty. The School offers a full range of traditional law courses, opportunities for practical experience through clinical programs, and in-depth study of an area of law in an individualized program of classroom work, research, writing, or experience in the community. It further provides professional skills training in interviewing and counseling, negotiation and dispute resolution, and trial practice. The School of Law seeks to promote critical evaluation of law and legal institutions in a broad perspective, integrating non-legal disciplines with professional legal education. The UC Davis Master of Laws (LL.M.) program integrates American and international law students at all levels of study and provides LL.M. candidates with a broad curriculum of many different courses over ten months of study.
School of Medicine
The curriculum for the M.D. degree at the UC Davis School of Medicine is a four-year program providing comprehensive preparation for graduate medical training (internships and residencies) and the practice of medicine. It offers a highly integrated approach to basic science training and clinical experience with opportunities for research. The I-EXPLORE (Integrated Explorative Patient & Learner Oriented Education) curriculum utilizes a competency-based medical education that emphasizes the achievement of knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes through a variety of experiences that span all four years of the program. Competencies are assessed through a variety of methods that include both formative and summative events. Competency-based education is designed in a collaborative and integrative manner that allows students to grow and evolve throughout their educational experience. For more information, see UC Davis School of Medicine M.D. Program.
School of Veterinary Medicine
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is a top-ranked academic medical center with a school, hospital, specialty clinics, research centers and institutes. We are home to approximately 720 of the world's brightest doctors of veterinary medicine (DVM), Ph.D., and M.S. students who are dedicated to becoming the next generation of veterinarians, researchers, and industry professionals. Our premier educational, research, clinical, and public service programs serve to advance the health of animals and people, and the environment we share. Our One Health approach encompasses captive and free-ranging wildlife, livestock, companion animals, exotic animals, birds, aquatic mammals, and fish, and our researchers are at the forefront of discoveries that translate to improved care for humans, as well as animals

Accreditation & Administration

Accreditation

The University of California, Davis has been fully accredited since 1954 by the WASC Senior College & University Commission (WSCUC). For more information, contact the campus Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO).

Individual majors may have programmatic accreditation, which may or may not be published in the catalog program description. For more information regarding the accreditations for their programs, contact the college or school; see above, under Colleges & Schools.

About the General Catalog

Volume 56 | Content Effective: 2025-2026 Academic Year, unless otherwise noted.

General Catalog content is specifically structured to assist a student in acquiring their degree award. Containing the rules, requirements, & policies that apply to a student seeking a UC Davis degree, the catalog also directs students to academic advising & academic support services, campus community life & culture, and health, dining, transportation, & other essential services information.

The General Catalog reflects information as of publication (late-April, yearly). Content is subject to change without notice, unless otherwise noted. All times are local Pacific time zone (PT); unless otherwise stated.

It is the responsibility of the individual student to become familiar with the rules, requirements, and policies contained in this General Catalog.

Programs (majors & minors) are updated for fall term only; once-a-year at the publication.

Courses are updated & published with effective terms, as they are approved. To better understand course descriptions, see About Courses. Courses listed in this catalog are subject to change without notice.

UC Davis provides assistance to the visually impaired regarding the information contained in this catalog; questions should be directed to the office or department concerned.

Randall Maynard, Senior Editor
Office of the University Registrar
3100 Dutton Hall, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8692

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2025-2026; Coming May 15, 2025

2024-2025; published Apr 29, 2024 | 2024-2025; with all courses to Apr 27, 2025

2023-2024; published Apr 24, 2023 | 2023-2024; with all courses to Apr 28, 2024

2022-2023; published Apr 25, 2022 | 2022-2023; with all courses to Apr 24, 2023

2021-2022; published Apr 26, 2021 | 2021-2022; with all courses to Apr 24, 2022

2020-2021; published Apr 27, 2020 | 2020-2021; with all courses to Apr 25, 2021

2019-2020; published Apr 29, 2019 | 2019-2020; with all courses to Apr 26, 2020

2018-2019; published Apr 30, 2018 | 2018-2019; with all courses to Apr 28, 2019

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1946-1947