Learning - Explore UC Merced

Sure, you could have a perfectly respectable college career attending classes and lectures, studying in your room and sticking close to campus. But you don’t have to. UC Merced has many opportunities for you to leave your comfort zone and learn out in the field.

ucdc

You can combine an internship in your area of academic interest with field research and coursework taught by University of California professors for a semester in Washington, D.C. Network with lawmakers, work in legislative offices, attend debates and hearings, and more.

ucdc.ucmerced.edu

Study Abroad

There are opportunities in 40+ countries through scores of partner institutions for summer, semester and yearlong study, research and training programs.

studyabroad.ucmerced.edu

wildflowers, not white boards

We are quite proud of something that gives us an edge over every other university – proximity to Yosemite National Park. This allows us to offer resources that are truly unique to UC Merced.

YOSEMITE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Regardless of your major or previous outdoor experience, you can gain the skills to lead, advocate for the environment, make informed ethical decisions and create social change during the two-year program.

ylp.ucmerced.edu

YOSEMITE FIELD STATION

The Yosemite Field Station is ideally situated inside the park to support field research projects in Yosemite and the Sierra National Forest, along with workshops, retreats and presentations from artists and writers. It is dedicated to facilitating links between science, art, education and natural resource management.

snrs.ucmerced.edu

UC Merced’s partnership with NASA helps students’ dreams to soar!

Alumna Calista Lum (’22) is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Physics at the University of California, Irvine after receiving her master’s degree in 2024. Her time as an Undergraduate Research Fellow in the Merced nAnomaterials Center for Energy and Sensing (MACES) at UC Merced sparked her passion and opened the door for several internships at NASA, including at the Langley Research Center in Virginia and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. She also published research papers and journal articles.

UC Merced is a place where I have met lifelong friends and gained the support of a passionate and caring community. It is where I have been able to pursue life-changing opportunities that I don’t think I would have been exposed to anywhere else.