Excellent student service! I have not taken any class at the UCSD Extended Studies (used to be called Extension) since 2011 and now I am fortunate to get free tuition as I got laid off and currently unemployed. I remember taking my classes by them in the barracks at the UCSD campus, it was fun. Now, my classes are online but I went to this modern building to pick up my books. From the moment I called to the delivery of my books everything was very smooth and I loved interacting with Sequoia. She explained that currently very few classes are on site. I am liking the canva system to interact with the teacher and fellow students too. read more

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Great course selection and I got what I needed in a timely manner. Access was easy, everything was straightforward.

I completed the online Java certificate last year (2019)...if you're looking to break into Java this is not the way. Take live courses at a minimum but honestly, I doubt they're any better than what you get at a city college but at a premium price tag. Online - the videos are a travesty. Recorded years ago, many of the slides still referenced Sun Microsystems who sold Java to Oracle back in 2009 I believe. So you're being taught a version of Java from 2005 or so...nice. And the problem is at all levels: instructors & faculty. "Java hasn't changed that much." That's the common refrain they use to justify not updating their materials or using books that have not been updated since 2005. That will go over well in an interview. It's laziness really. I was so disgusted by the quality of the courses that I removed myself from their mailing list after the third class. I scored straight A's throughout the course but learned very little outside of having a very skeptical opinion of online learning and wanting nothing to do with UCSD AGAIN. I learned more about Java through self study for the OCA exam. If you're just looking to cash in on the UCSD name before the industry realizes it's real worth, the. By all means...have at it. But if you're looking to actually learn Java & not be embarrassed in an interview or on the job...you're better off on your own than with this place. read more

This is a very, very nice complex and it's easy to get to from anywhere in San Diego. There is a large shopping center off of Agee down the street where you can go get coffee, pizza or sushi of some type. A Vons there also. If you are taking a class, they do have parking. I like the building, it is very modern. I had some issues with a teacher for a particular class there, it was a weird experience, he kept picking on me because I was not working for a Government (military) contract and work in the private sector. Anyhow, the class ended up getting canceled due to low turn out. My review is for the building, the classroom setup and the staff who work there. All very, very nice and top notch. Just make sure that the instructor for the class you are taking is professional which except in one case for me, was the A okay. read more

Stay away from UCSD Extension, at least from the Biostatistics class. 1. "Online video lessons" are just the sleepy professor reading slides word for word. Sounds like he recorded it a long time ago and they're just reusing it. 2. No online discussions. No online office hours. 3. Basically just read the book and that's the class. 4. The professor also made a mistake in a slide, and didn't actually fix the slide, he just told us about it. Kind of lazy if you ask me. 5. Oh, and you must withdraw by day 1 of class otherwise you forfeit 50% of your fee + $500. So once you start the class and realize the bill of goods you've been sold, you're already past the point of no return. And you know it costs them next to nothing. read more

Great facilities. I have been taking the marketing certification program and have found to be an excellent way to sharpen my skills. SOme classes are better than others depending on the teachers. I have had some great ones (Michael Baehr teaches advertising strategies and PR, Christopher Foster, Product management) Stay competitive and update your knowledge! Greenwhich location facilities are nice and new read more

This is a fair warning to anyone thinking about the graphic design or web design courses. The Good: in-class courses are worthwhile and the extension campus is a nice facility with free parking. However, actually very few of the courses are on-campus. The Bad: For the price you are paying for each class ($570+) there is no way you are even getting half worth of care and attention from the course/instructors. I took a digital business class that was online and the lecture slides were a sloppy mishmash of information, seemingly copy and pasted from a listed article after a quick Google search. Dismal feedback from instructors. It's Lynda.com with a $600 syllabus. Overall I wished I saved myself a fortune from this scam and had went to a city college instead. read more

I'm taking the marketing introduction class and it is great! It runs from 6-9pm but I feel like it flies by because the material and instructor is so engaging. I highly recommend UCSD extension read more

REVIEWS HAVE BEEN DELETED! LIKE MINE, THESE REVIEWS EXPLAINED THE REALITY OF DAC. doesn't 'ben w.' sound a lot like marketing material? if you are interested in learning web design, do NOT attend UCSD's Digital Arts Center program. one year and approximately $20,000 later each, our class is still trying to figure out how to create a properly functioning website and how to use this 'certificate' to find a job. this is not an inclusive program- it is incredibly topical. this is not a modern web design program- it is taught by teachers of the Old School. by one teacher's admission, we were 'too advanced for his knowledge.' we just started learning web in january. two additional teachers had to be removed due to their poor performances and all of our teachers contradicted each other. modern web designers need to know or at least have knowledge of CSS, XML, ActionScript 3.0, PHP, AJAX, MySQL, Content Management Systems and JavaScript among others. we touched on CSS in Dreamweaver. we touched on ActionScript 3.0 in Flash. we're proficient in neither. the rest, although we asked, was never covered. what we were inconsistently taught, can be learned at lynda.com. lynda.com is $200 a year. you'll learn more web design in six days there than we learned in six months at DAC. SAVE YOUR MONEY - DO NOT ENROLL IN DAC. read more

For the life of me, I cannot understand why so many seemingly former students are giving the UCSD extension campus such negative reviews? Is it possible that these reviews are from shills working for other face-paced high tech schools here in the San Diego area? After looking at many of their Yelp review résumés, my educated guess (pun intended) would be YES! After giving those neg-head Yelper's a second look, I came to understand that many of them have a very unimpressive zero to 8 total reviews here on Yelp, most have been filtered out by Yelp moderators and thankfully so, but they are there if you are looking to see them. Here is my personal experience and what I have to share with everyone: Currently, I am an actively enrolled student here at UCSD Extension campus and I have been since September 2012. My educational experience thus far with UCSD Extension has been nothing short of stellar performance. All of my instructors are top-notch educators of whom some are Professor's over on the UCSD main campus. A good number of my classmate's are currently both grad and undergrad's of UCSD. Also, there are a good number of UCSD, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, San Francisco & San Jose State alumni attending classes as well. Look at "Randy E's." review here on this page. Randy gives this school 1 star while peddling a FREE coupon for San Diego City Colleges, what a chode. I am working on two individual certificate programs, and I can say without any equivocation that today I have a well-built working knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Dreamweaver, WordPress, Drupal and much more. Does this mean that I am fully prepared to go out and apply for a high paying job at Google or Amazon right now? Absolutely not. One of the many things that I have learned here at UCSD is that it is going to take me "YEARS" to gain mastery over the three web coding languages that I have chosen to put as my focus. The three languages being HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript and I challenge anybody to tell me that it does not take years to master these coding languages. It's a continental divide between understanding and having mastery over a subject, today I have a good and solid understanding of those particular coding languages thanks to UCSD and my personal hard work. Two of my former Instructors of whom both are still on staff; Merick Findling and Thomas A. Powell. Both are leaders in their respected fields and have given me so much insight while learning from their instructions. Mr. Powell has written as many as 10 textbooks that are being utilized at many Universities across the world today covering the subjects of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and web development. Don't just take my word for it, go to Amazon.com for yourself and type the name "Thomas A. Powell" into the book section and see for yourself. Does he come across as a third rate educator to you? If you really believe those Yelp reviews where the person leaving a comment has little to "NO" Yelp friends and/or little to "NO" previous Yelp reviews then you have much to learn about Yelp and how it works, my friend. Take a good look at my Yelp profile and you will see that I have been a Yelper for well over 4 years now (Elite for 2) with hundreds of friends and hundreds of reviews as well. In closing, if you pass up on UCSD Extension classes based on the negative reviews here on this page then quite simply, it will be your loss. These days, one has to fully understand what it means to be compliant with W3C standards while steering away from deprecated coding practices. The days of faking it until you make it in this industry are quickly becoming a figment of the past. Cheers and good luck! read more

I'm a recent graduate of the Digital Graphic and Web Design program (DAC 12) (although I've still not received my certificates.) For those not familiar this is a one year, 3 nights a week (Tue/Wed/Thur) from 5:30 - 9:30, $18,000 program! (They say the tuition is $17,500 (which does include a laptop, camera, software and books - we'll get to books in a minute, but they don't tell you about all the little incidentals that add up throughout the year). I secured my funding (through a bank loan), set aside vacations and travel and dedicated my year to this program not missing any classes. What have I gotten in return? At best a mediocre learning experience. Kind of surprising from an institution such as UCSD even if it is Extension. Now, the first half of the program (quarters 1 & 2) were all about learning about design and print. It actually kind of kicked my you know what. Learned a lot of stuff about design and design software. Could there been more time spent on certain topics - sure (i.e. color management), but for the most part it was a tough, but good couple of quarters. There was one skirmish with an instructor who had to be let go, but he needed to be fired. He was a condescending jerk and not fit for a classroom. However, quarters 3 & 4 - what the heck?? The second half of this program was supposed to be all about the web. Learning HTML, CSS, Flash, ActionScript, JavaScript and Dreamweaver - be sure to check out their marketing materials it's all there. So, how is it that now at the end of the program I barely know anything about any of these subjects? We'll it's because they don't really know anything about any of these subjects! Our primary instructor for Dreamweaver didn't really know the software. And the instructor for HTML/CSS and Flash although apparently very intelligent is one of the worst instructors I've ever had (and I've had a little education - bachelor's and master's degrees.) In fact he was so bad he had to be removed from the program as well. Even the DAC know they've screwed up otherwise why would they be offering post-graduation free learning opportunities - although the options being offered are a slap in the face and total insult when you consider the amount of time and money spent on this program. So, be sure to re-think this program. It seems the only intention is to take your money and push you through and hope you don't raise any red flags such as the DAC12 group did. You'd be better off spending your money and time somewhere else!! read more

i just completed UCSD's DAC program. It lasted a full year, and tuition was $17,500 which does include equipment (Macbook Pro laptop, a Canon EOS camera, books, and Adobe CS4 software). I spent a considerable amount of money on additional software and supplies that were not covered in the program. I've been working in web marketing for 8 years, but started with no actual design skills of my own. The first half of the program, I felt was very intense, and required an extremely heavy workload, forcing me to learn Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. The first half of the program was pretty stressful for me, but I must admit that I learned the basics of those programs, as well as design theory. The second half of the program was a different story. It began with Dreamweaver instruction, fully in the 'Design' view. The method at which we were taught was how a print designer would learn to 'get by' designing for web. Not the way successful, well-versed web designers function today. Later in the third quarter, we started to learn HTML in ways at which to troubleshoot, but not enough to be able to fully comprehend this programming language. Much worse, the instructor for HTML was inexcusable. Learning that our class was unsatisfied, they brought in other instructors who tried to get us 'caught up' in areas such as CSS, HTML and FLASH, but at this point, it was too late. The head of our program was out of the state for almost a month, and extremely generic 'career advisors' came in to discuss the basics of resume writing with us. These classes were in no way 'designer' specific, so they were pointless and borderline insulting for most of us. We were told that we would be given special contacts in finding careers. This essentially meant that we would be emailed craigslist postings for 'internship' positions. Most, if not all of our class is fully aware of Craigslist, and are perfectly capable of finding these listings ourselves. Additionally, many of us are looking for business and freelance opportunities with real clients. None of this information was offered to us as part of this course. While I can say that I came out of this program with considerably MORE knowledge than I started with, it fell very short on being a good value at almost $20,000. Be careful before enrolling, as there are most likely better programs out there that will teach web the way web needs to be taught this day and age. read more

I am a former student from UCSD paralegal program, I graduated on June 2016. The director Julia Dunlap and her staff are very professional, and very helpful. What I like about UCSD extension is their flexibility (specially for those of us that have full time jobs) and the convenience of their small campus. When I went for an orientation at UCSD paralegal program Ms. Dunlap was very helpful and answered all my questions in a very kind way. For this reason I decided to stay and I completed my program. Azra Mukanovic is the student coordinator for this program and she is also very nice and polite. My experience at UCSD extension has been great, I cannot speak for the other programs that are offered at UCSD extension, but the paralegal program is great and I totally recommend it. read more

So, I'm new to UCSD extension and have only been in their marketing program for a month now, but so far I'm LOVING IT! I tried a program at the CSUSM campus and it was good, but UCSD blows their program out of the water. From the moment you step into the campus, it's all business and very professional. The content and professors (the 2 I've had so far, Michael Baehr and Shahrzad Nouraini) are top notch. I had no idea that UCSD extension was regarded as so prestigious but many companies favor employees that complete programs here. Through the online courses, I have met students from all over the world. It's feels so great to finally be in the right place to advanced career. I just started my program so I will update this review upon completion a year from now. So far, so great! read more

I am reviewing the Casual Game Development Certification Program at UCSD Extension DAC. There are currently 3 other programs at the DAC, including Graphic Design, Video / Editing and Mobile App Development. I don't have any insight into how those other programs were run, so I cannot comment on their quality. As for the Casual Game Development program, I highly recommend it for anyone interested in shifting toward a career in creating casual, mobile games. I was part of the 2010-2011 Casual Game Development class. This was only the 2nd year that this program was offered. The program is led by Sam Shpigelman, a game industry vet and artist, who is extremely talented, knowledgeable and always willing to help students in whichever way he can. Dr. Wei Xu provides instruction for the technical aspects of creating a game: coding and scripting. Dr. Xu was always helpful and approachable. The course is designed in a way to give students a comprehensive understanding of all the elements that go into creating a successful casual game, including art, programming, game design and project management. In the early semesters of the course, the instructors challenge students to become familiar with the other side of the industry, and not just focus on aspects that they are comfortable with. For myself, coming from an art and marketing background, I was challenged to learn more about programming and scripting. I am by no means an expert coder, but I learned enough to understand what was going on behind the scenes in a game and create simple gaming experiences. As an artist, I also became more familiar with software packages such as Illustrator and Maya. I was already quite adept with Photoshop and Flash, so I felt the pace of the course from the artist's perspective was solid. However, that may not be the case for everyone, depending on their background and experience. The scripting classes moved a bit too fast for me at points, but like I said previously, I got enough of a knowledge base that I feel confident in continuing to learn scripting. In addition to high level art and scripting instruction, this course teaches you to think like a game designer. Sam provided great insight into the psychology of games. We learned what makes a game "fun" and what elements are necessary to create rewarding experiences for gamers. I was impressed with the way the course built up throughout the year. The first 2 semesters gave students a solid base from which to build from. We created several small games in Flash, and a small team game in Unity 3d (the development kit used in the program). During the last 2 semesters, we split into teams to focus on creating a fully realized casual game for submission on the Apple iOS App Store. During the final project, we were critiqued by several panels featuring industry professionals who gave us invaluable feedback to improve our games. We took much of their comments to heart and our games became better for it. Overall, I couldn't ask for anything better. This is exactly the kind of program I was looking for as I hoped to enhance my skills and break into the game industry. I learned a great deal about the game creation process, met a group of fun, talented people who I will continue to collaborate with on future projects and gained invaluable insight from members of the casual game development industry. Please note, however, that this program isn't geared toward people seeking to make the next Halo. This program is tailored toward the creation of casual games, specifically, mobile games for the iPhone and iPod Touch. If your ultimate goal is to become an independent game developer or work with a small team to create games for mobile devices, then this program is definitely for you. read more

Don't waste your time or money on this certificate program! As a recent graduate from the DAC program I have serious regrets about taking a year out of my life and way more money than I care to admit. Although the first half of the program (the Digital Design portion) was packed full of good information with well thought out lesson plans, the second half (the web design portion) did not live up to any of my expectations. There were no lesson plans in place and most of the class time was dedicated to study hall rather than actual instruction. The instructors couldn't answer many of my questions and I was stuck Googling the answers - which I could have done for free all along. I would also like to point out that the DAC classes are twice the cost of the regular classes outside of the certificate program (which is what is being offered as a comp in addition to the classes I already sat through). Not only am I not able to get started on designing web sites to try to make some money with the skills I was supposed to have acquired and start paying off this huge student loan, but now I don't have the time either! If you would like to learn digital and/or web design skip the expensive certificate program and get your education a la carte. As in my case - that's what you may get anyway! read more

I was a student in the DAC11 class this last year - 2008/09. The instructors were caring, positive people and encouraged creative license. They were readily available day and night either in class or by phone or email if you had a question or issue. The first two quarters were spent learning design principles and software (the Creative Suite), the third and fourth quarters, web design and software, and marketing. The program in my opinion helps you discover what area of this field you are most gifted at plus it gives you the tools to open your own studio if this is what you want to do. You HAVE to stay on your toes. A year goes by fast and there is much to learn but it is a wonderful thing if you are looking for a place to discover and channel your creative energies. I absolutely loved it because it opened up a whole new world of creativity and artistic freedom. In this program, you have no one telling you what THEY want. It is all about creating what YOU want. read more

I've been taking several professional marketing courses at UCSD Extension this year and my experience has been SUPER WONDERFUL! I graduated from UCSD several years ago with a BA and now I am going back part-time to be a certified marketing professional. Much better than the community colleges, UCSD Extension's Marketing curriculum is informative, challenging, and fun. There are so many intelligent people in my classes, so the conversations can be really fun. They've recently changed their marketing requirements for the certificate and now it's more focused on internet marketing, which I think is much more relevant and interesting. Since I'm working full-time, it's tough sometimes to go to class after a long stressful day at work; however, I would highly recommend taking courses at UCSD Extension for anyone who wants to advance their career or explore new opportunities. I think that their course curriculum are relative to the working world and up-to-date with what's going on in the world--not just only the U.S. Plus, parking at the Greenwich campus is FREEEEE! read more

UCSD Extension has a very nice complex/facility. I came here with a friend for their paralegal program. I must say the staff is cool and seems extremely helpful especially for the new graduates. The facility itself is really nice, and they have a Wolfgang Puck vending coffee machine -- I dont drink coffee, but I was impressed by it. Plus, the Extension seems to be always clean. Certain hours they shut down the A/C systems, which sucks during the summer & parking gets a little tight and confusing at times. read more

Bad. Simply bad. Bad selection of instructors and the execution and reaction to COVID (offline classes to virtual classes) was slow and not up to standard. If you are expecting a UC quality of education at UCSD Extension, I'd caution you to think again. Go elsewhere. read more

I'm currently taking Spanish for communication. I am learning a lot and slowly learning to speak It. The classes do vary a little from teacher to teacher. I currently have Rebecca Ramirez and I've really enjoyed the course. I've noted that there are less date options as you advance to higher levels 3+. Parking is terrible. No matter what time of day/night it is they will try to ticket you and make more money off you. You also have to pay to get transcripts which is ridiculous considering you already pay to be a student. Staff in transcript office can be rude, not acknowledging you when you walk up to the desk. Also instead of using blackboard you have to pay to access the textbook software in order to turn assignments in. Just an additional added cost, annoying. read more

I went back to school at the Digital Arts Center at UCSD Extension having dabbled in photoshop and photography for years. I really wanted a good foundation in type, web and design software. I earned my certificate and have an online portfolio of work which includes work for clients. I did an internship when I finished the program and am now working at that company. I was surprised how much work the program was but also amazed at how much I learned. The teachers were great and I became good friends with many of my classmates. A number of us keep in touch and refer freelance projects to one another. Beyond a doubt this program requires a big investment in time and money but a big chunk of that money is purchasing your own laptop and software. There are a lot of hours of instruction per quarter - you are in class twelve hours a week - so given all that, I felt that it was fairly priced. Between the courses, the instructors, and my hard work, I now have a new career and that is an accomplishment about which I am both happy and proud. read more

I'm a bit surprised at the good quality of my first and only UCSD extension course so far. The class, C++, taught by Ray, is excellent. I have been in many classes in my life, with a Ph.D. at hand. The reasons why I leave 5 star here are as follow: 1. I remember Ray was like 3 min late for the first class. He started talking the minute the projector started running, still breading a bit heavily. That was the only class he was late. 2. The course materials he covered are broad in scope and easy to understand. Very organized lectures and notes. 3. Ray is dedicated and sincere in conveying what he knows to us. His sincerity is also seen when helping out with students' questions. 4. I have read some bad reviews about UCSD extension. I think if some other classes are average or below in quality, I need to let people know there are some good classes out there as well. read more

This place never lets me down. Every class worths the time and money. Although I graduated from UCSD, I doubted the quality of the extension school before I took the class. But in fact, the class experience far exceeded my expectation. I enrolled in the class elements of marketing, where Michael Baehr is the instructor. Besides effectively delivering the basic knowledge, he deployed many ways to encourage class participation and discussion, and kept us in pace with the latest marketing trend, which is of great practical value. Homework and quizzes have never been the way to only exam the students. Rather, he uses this to understand the students' problem and issues, and adjust the class content based on it. You can really feel it from those many comments on your hw - I doubt whether he is spending even more time on the hw than myself! I got much more than I expected after every class. And when I'm going to select another class, I'm sure I don't have to look at anywhere else than UCSD extension. read more

So lucky to have met and studied with two precious marketing professors @michael baehr and @jeofrey bean

I graduated from UCSD Extension's Digital Graphics and Web Design program in 2009. I was very pleased with the first two quarters; I received an excellent education in print design and built a strong portfolio. HOWEVER, once we got to the Web Design portion in the 3rd quarter, everything went downhill. The instructors teaching Web Design are either (1) dinosaurs, (2) coders with ADD who can't teach to save their lives, or (3) graphic designers who know just enough about the web to get by, but can't really answer any of your technical questions. In 6 months (at a cost of nearly $7,000!) I learned a little bit of Dreamweaver, and some basics of HTML and CSS, but I can't say I'm proficient in any of them. Let's not even talk about Flash. You'll learn the basics of how to make animations, but when it comes to Action Script, forget it. So now, after devoting 6 months and thousands of dollars, I'm in the position of having to seek out additional classes to fill in the MANY knowledge gaps left by this sub-standard program. I could have gotten the same education on Lynda.com for a tiny fraction of the price. So, future Web Designers, all I can say is: SAVE YOUR MONEY and SKIP THE DAC! read more

ZERO STARS. Talk about a RIP OFF! The prestige of UCSD is their only selling point. Their marketing materials are not impressive and the program is a joke. Please, do not go here if you are considering graphic design. They will not guide you in the right direction or teach you anything valuable. The biggest foundation of graphic design is typography and they brush over that in a day. San Diego City College has the best design program in town and is a whole lot more affordable. I attended Digital Arts Center (DAC) in 2007 and left the program in the second quarter. Already noticing the program was extremely unorganized, I was utterly upset when in the middle of the second quarter the instructor switched the class format to online. What educational institution does that? I paid to be in class, face-to-face, not uploading files and typing up critiques on Wordpress--they couldn't even get a legit online learning application to use. This place is a joke. They don't have an alumni page, mainly because students graduating from this program are no where near a level that is desired by companies. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT INVEST YOUR TIME OR MONEY IN THIS PROGRAM. I made the mistake of doing so and feel that it is a duty to save someone else from being taken advantage of. People get reeled in with the 1 year program and equipment / software included in the tuition but this place is a cluster f*ck. UPDATE: I have had a total of 3-4 messages in my Yelp inbox in regards to my review from people, whose positive reviews about DAC have been filtered and their profiles are now deleted. All messages were sympathizing with me in the most sarcastic tone ever. Not to mention the time it takes in creating false Yelp profiles to boost star ratings. Wow... really pathetic. read more

This is a review of the Casual Gaming Certification Program at the UCSD Extension Digital Arts Center. This is specifically for the Casual Gaming Certification Program, I don't know anything about the other programs. I attended the Casual Gaming program in 2009-2010. Prior to applying to this program, I had considered buying all the equipment and software, and spending time studying on my own. I calculated the cost of purchasing everything (without the benefit of an educational discount), and the cost of it all came to around $9,500. (The Maya software alone was a few thousand dollars.) However, without classes to provide a curriculum and motivation, I highly doubted that I would actually sit down and learn all the material over the course of a several months, much less a full year. So I applied to this program with the expectation that it would be much better than if I were to study on my own, and that I would get a full year of dedicated study out of it. As a software developer, I was interested in learning more about the digital arts aspects of making a game. Unlike other programs that I've seen, focused either only on programming or only on art, this program is unique in providing a balanced look at all aspects of game development, and teaches all the skills sets required to be a game developer. The first two quarters of the course were spent learning how to use all the software, learning game design theory, and working on independent projects. Most of the instruction on how to use the software (Adobe Creative Studio, Autodesk Maya), was provided through the Lynda.com service, and several hours of video was assigned as homework assignments each week. The programming instruction in the first quarter was in Flash using ActionScript 3.0, and in the second quarter, we began the Unity Game Engine, scripting in JavaScript. (Although, I hear that next year, they will drop Flash, and focus primarily on the Unity Game Engine.) The latter two quarters were spent on student-lead game development projects, in which we were tasked with project management of our own teams, and were given set deadlines for milestones in our development. These milestones were in the form of presentations that we were required to give before an audience of members of the gaming industry. During these milestone presentations, we would receive feedback, which provide invaluable insight into the real world of the gaming industry. It would be worth noting that this program only teaches how to deploy on iPhone using Unity, and does not teach native iPhone development in Objective-C. As far as creating 3D games on iPhone, Unity is by far the quickest and easiest tool to making that possible, however for those programmers who wish to also learn how to make native applications on the iPhone, I would highly recommend attending classes on Objective-C and iPhone Application Development (also offered at UCSD Extension). Overall, I think it is a wonderful program, and would recommend it. The class size was small, with 7-8 students. Each class covered a relevant topic. The instructors were accessible, helpful, and engaging. And, the instructors of this program also put a lot of effort into helping their students find jobs after the program was over, and to help develop their careers. They personally helped introduce me to my current place of employment, and I am very grateful. So, simply put, they taught me a new skill, and now I'm using it to earn a living. I'm happy. read more

I am on the Marketing Certificate program at UCSD Extension and I really love it!. I am currently taking my first class here and I can say it is better than I expected. Mr. Michael Baehr is a very qualified teacher, with a lot of work experience and knowledge on the topic and his class is always fun and interactive. Great facilities too, and the price is fair, not expensive. I couldn't be happier. read more

UCSD Extension - A reputable institution claiming experienced, top of the line instructors, efficient, concise instruction, and an organized program that would maximize the learning process. While there are bright spots in the program... overall, I just don't see it. From the beginning of the program, my class had to test their patience with numerous instructors. It's amazing finding such poor instruction taking place at such a high level. With the amount of money that is being put forward by so many students, I would never imagine finding teachers so sluggish, closeminded, and disrespectful. To prove the unnervingly slow pace, one must look no further than the amount of time and attention that was being spent reviewing simple readings and homework assignments, as soon as a few weeks into the program. EX 1: A simple reading assignment was given to the class for the week, a few chapters of material. The next meeting, we were asked to go around the room, each citing the top 3 things we found interesting in the reading. Because there were only a few basic items up for discussion, after the first few students noted a couple of points, the rest were left to simply repeat that was already mentioned. EX 2: We were given a handout covering the tools commonly used in InDesign. The next class before a quiz was given, the instructor reviewed by reading off every tool on said handout. The instructor would commonly refer to the tools by their arbitrary item number, offering no new information... merely reading the handout aloud...which we had already done for homework. EX 3: Only 3 or 4 weeks into the program, one 4 hour class was turned into a study hall. The instructor was using the entire class time to offer criticism on student sketches. The instructor informed the class to practice what we had been learning in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. If we had any questions, ask our fellow classmates for assistance. The instructor apologized for the class not being as productive as usual, seeing as their is usually a TA to go around helping students. This is ironic considering we NEVER had any sort of TA in the class. I remember numerous instances where a student would offer/suggest an alterative solution to an InDesign problem. These suggestions or questions were often met with a response to the degree of "well that's not how I do it, so you don't need to know that" and no further information or reasoning was given. Instructors would fail to support their own technique, merely dismissing any other possibility without recognition or attention/explanation. I made sure to voice my discontent with a certain instructor's teaching in the anonymous reviews that were presented to us. I furthered this by going into more detail in a private conversation with the lead instructor. After doing so, the next class I had with the instructor in question, before class began, he asks to speak with me outside. In the most demeaning tone possible, he began by asking me "Are you an instructor? Have you ever taught at a professional level institution? I've taught at over 13 universities..." etc etc just spouting off his credentials like how dare i criticize his teaching style as I'm merely a student and have no basis whatsoever to possibly critique his teaching methods... who am I to question his authority. (What's funny here is you'll shortly understand WHY he has taught at over 13 universities... certainly not for the right reasons). Completely disrespectful and inconsiderate. Superiority implications here are unbelievable. I asked if this was somehow in regard to the anonymous review I left for him, and he said "yes". I've never been verbally abused by a teacher before, let alone to that extent. He finished by following me around the entire office, even after I had already told him as politely as possible that I didn't want to hear another word from him and that I would be letting the proper directors know, but he kept hounding me for a good 10+ minutes while I was trying to attain the phone number of someone in charge. While the afore mentioned instructor was eventually let go, this is a perfect example of the poor instructors that are on board for this program. My class is currently petitioning for a refund and are being met with deaf ears. Do yourself a favor, buy the Adobe Creative Suite software and take classes from the community colleges for a fraction of the cost. You will learn the same techniques and avoid the headache knowing you've wasted over 15 thousand dollars on a certificate you don't need. If you don't mind online resources, that's the best route, and believe me there are plenty out there. http://Lynda.com will cover everything you need to know. Spend your time learning Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Dreamweaver. You'll be fine. Do a google search for "how to build a portfolio website". That should get your started. read more

I just completed the UCSD HR Program. I have nothing but great things to say. The program gave me both professional and personal growth. Some of the professors could have been better hand picked or had more industry experience. They are still trying to figure it out but it can only get better. I would recommend the program to anyone in the HR feild. read more

I attended and completed the DAC program back in 2008. I've had a very successful career as a UI/UX designer & Front-End Developer for several companies and UCSD since 2009, so I've have a few years to digest the things that I've learned at DAC and wanted share my experience. Looking back at the program, there were a lot of things that needed much much improvement with the program. But it was not a total waste of time as some reviewers have put it. Here's a list of things that I've really enjoyed: - Having a certification from UCSD was instrumental in helping me start my career. No matter the quality of the course, the name UCSD really does resonate with companies in San Diego. - Henry Hikima was a Art Center graduate who worked for Disney. He taught us typography and concept design. He was awesome. - John Lane did have a lot knowledge in print design, design theory, and fundamentals of design. - It is a lot cheaper then going to full sail, devry, AI, and a few other vocational school (yes, I know they offer BA - but 80K? really???) - Small class sizes meant that you come to friend EVERYONE. - John Lane did get me a few jobs (paid & unpaid) that got me the taste of working with real clients. - Having a class at night meant that I could still have a full-time job (as long as you're willing to put in the hours past midnight) - Went to go visit Mires+Ball design agency. This was possible by a faculty member that was fired, while I do agree he needed to more tactful - I have no ill-will towards him. - Photography class was awesome. Learned a great deal about all aspect of photography. Now, here's a list of things that really needed improvement: - John Lane often skipped class sessions for "Study Sessions." This was inexcusable. You need to be there for your students. Same goes for the one that got fired. - Don't call it a job-placement assistance if you don't have anything structured. Craigslist is available for everyone - don't make it sound like you're doing us a favor. - I feel like the quality of instruction needed to be updated to cater to what design agencies and companies are looking for nowadays. - Faculty (including support staff) NEEDS to listen to the students. Too often the voices of concerns went unnoticed/ignored. This added to the frustration of students. If you can't do something, I rather know that you can't do it. Just be honest. - Web development needs to be treated as such. If you can't teach the students the proper development techniques using HTML, CSS, JS (the very foundation of web development) then it should be labeled as "Web design." There's a huge demand for great ui/ux designers, I would rather have learned more about usability and color theory in web since the technical was never taught properly. - Don't be so arrogant. This includes the support staff. We are paying you - don't treat us like we're bothering you. - Give us annual subscriptions to Lynda.com. This will releve your faculty of technical short comings, and it passes the responsibility to learn to the students. Again, I'm glad I didn't write this review right after graduating since my head was clouded with anger & frustration. I honestly don't know how many of my class mates have gone to do what they were taught to do, but I know I'm doing what I love. But it did take A LOT of self-education and continuing education to get yourself marketable. You'll reap what you sow. If you go with a clear understand that DAC is not a magic bullet that will suddenly make you a design & web superstar, then you'll be just fine. Good luck to you all. read more

Great professional certificate program taught by (mostly) quality teachers. Took the accounting certification program to obtain enough credits and qualifications to sit for the CPA. I'm very happy with the program and the courses offered. The pricing is cheap in my opinion for what you get in return. read more

Michael Baehr's classes are excellent. Great intro to a marketing career, but its also great for business owners, or anyone involved in bringing product to market. Class is organized but flexible enough to provide provide value. The instructor will surely rank among your best teachers! read more

I love school!! I learned good thing from time to time and more information is good. Super Fun Adult Education! Weeeeeeeee.... Free Coffee is ok. I like computers. read more

The UCSD Digital Arts Centers Video, Sound and Motion Graphics program is the perfect prgoram for me right now. I came to the program with a strong production background, however I needed to fill out my tool set. By giving me some of the best equipment, software and resources available the DAC is helping me accomplish that goal. If you are looking to start a new career in video, sound or motion graphics, or just looking to take your career to the next level, the DAC is great option. read more

UCSD Extension - DAC is a great program that allows you to develop your skills in all forms of Digital Media. The Casual Game Development program is notable for digital artists and programmers who want to delve into mobile or web gaming. The classes are beneficial for people who want to continue their education while working a full time job and learn something that will help them out in the future. The pace of the classes are manageable and information packed for the year long programs. read more

I enrolled twice and had to drop. The first time, the teacher and her students decided to change the day of the course from the published date. Never heard of this. Very bad business practice. The second time, the location was not clearly stated. Why on this earth does the extension program hold classes on campus instead of the Greenwich location where parking is free and it's right off the freeway. Needless to say, I missed the first night even after I tried to find the campus classroom. I'll never bother to enroll in another extension class again. Not worth the hassle of figuring out what the extension program should clearly state. Oh, and did I mention I spent $250 on the course book which I can't return? read more

This review has to do with PDI which is UCSD offers credit for. Whatever you do, stay away from this company. This company is very deceitful in it's practices, and I'd advise you to stay away at all costs! I'd started emailing Jenna PDI a few months before I was about to take the courses. I asked about deals/discounts, and she didn't offer me anything. When I saw the 10% off sale, I emailed Jenna and she told me that it was a great time to take the classes...that it was a very good sale. Literally 4 days later, the prices dropped by another 15% totally a 25% discount! I asked nicely that since I had paid only a few days ago, if I could get a credit for the difference. I was even willing to cancel the classes and start over again. She refused using some excuse that the pricing was fixed and some system issue. Know that when you buy from PDI, they are completely unwilling to help with any refunds/credits etc after 48hrs as they told me!... Jenna even told me that she'd have her supervisor email me to resolve the issue - but would not provide me with her contact email or phone number. It was very shady. Her supervisor emailed me the exact same thing, but this time worded her email in a very political way. I asked her again for a credit and she nicely refused. She wouldn't call or furnish me a contact number except for her email address. Now for the content. When I got to taking the classes, I actually thought that the information was going to be useful, but it turned out to be a rubber stamping education facility. The one unit computer classes that I took turned out to be 4 tests with ten questions each - which made it seems like a joke of a class even for a unit....but here is the bad part. Even though I got A's and B's on my tests, the questions were ridiculous. They focused in on word games and open interpretations to what the question asked and what it really asked...kind of like the old SAT tests that they had back in the 80's. It wasn't focused on learning but on beating the system. I seriously question the practicality of them. I hardly learned anything from them, and if it wasn't for the few units that I paid extra to get with them, I found the classes to be absolutely worthless. read more

I graduated a couple of years ago from UCSD Extension Digital Arts Center program. it was a comprehensive direct approach to becoming a Graphic and Web designer. Tuition does include a MacBook, software, camera and textbooks with the program. The instructors were very good and have become great contacts for the industry. I would never be working at an agency doing what I love if it wasn't for this program. read more