UCLA Extension is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. ...

institution headquartered in

Westwood, Los Angeles Westwood is a commercial and residential neighborhood in the northern central portion of the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Bord ...

, on the campus of the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

. Classes are held at UCLA, in Downtown Los Angeles, and other locations throughout Los Angeles County, including Torrance. Founded in 1917, it is part of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Fran ...

system, and all courses are approved by the University of California, Los Angeles, although it is financially self-supporting. UCLA Extension is accredited, through UCLA, by the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Sam ...

History

On February 14, 1893, the

Regents of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sys ...

adopted the extramural instruction plan, which officially founded University Extension. In 1902, University Extension was reorganized as a self-governing body within the university. The doors of UC Extension in Los Angeles (officially "University of California Extension Division, Southern District") were opened in September 1917. Extension's original location was in downtown Los Angeles. For the growing film industry, one early course was "Motion Pictures: The Film as a Factor in Molding Tomorrow's Citizenry." By 1919, more than 1,600 students attended almost 100 classes. Beginning in 1942, Dean Baldwin Woods guided University Extension through the revisionist era of World War II and the postwar years. "Long before many leaders in the community realized that the knowledge explosion had shattered the myth of ever 'finishing' one's education, he perceived the huge and unending task of continuing education."

Academics

UCLA Extension offers more than 5,000 courses and more than 100 certificate programs.

Entertainment Studies

UCLA's Entertainment Studies program has graduated Emmy-, Grammy- and Oscar-nominated and winning alumni, more recently including: Gavin Hood (''Ender’s Game'', ''Tsotsi'', ''Rendition'', ''X-Men Origins: Wolverine'') and Darryl Swann (Macy Gray, Black Eyed Peas, Mos Def). Award-winning instructors include Kirk Saduski (''John Adams'', ''The Pacific'', ''Game Change'', ''The Seventies''), among others.

Writers' Program

The UCLA Extension Writers' Program is the largest open-enrollment writing and screenwriting program in the world. Notable alumni include:

Bryan Cogman Robert Bryan Cogman (born July 25, 1979) is an American television writer and producer. He wrote eleven episodes of the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. He is also the author of the book ''Inside HBO's Game of Thrones'' which features a preface ...

, ''Game of Thrones''; Stuart Beattie, ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra; Australia; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; 30 Days of Night; Collateral''; Zoanne Clack, ''Grey’s Anatomy''; Tucker Cawley, ''Parks and Recreation, Everybody Loves Raymond''; Eric Jerome Dickey, ''Resurrecting Midnight'';

Doug Ellin Douglas Reed Ellin (born April 6, 1968) is an American podcaster, screenwriter and film and TV director, known best for creating the HBO television series '' Entourage''. Ellin also served as executive producer, director, head writer and support ...

, ''Entourage''; Janet Fitch, ''White Oleander'' (

Oprah Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...

Pick); Alice Greenway, ''White Ghost Girls'' (winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction); Gavin Hood, ''Tsotsi'' (Academy Award winner, Best Foreign Film); Randi Mayem Singer, ''Mrs. Doubtfire''; Melissa Rosenberg, adaptation of ''Twilight; Dexter'';

Earl W. Wallace Earl W. Wallace (October 23, 1942 – May 12, 2018) was an American screen and television writer who began his career in the 1970s writing episodes of the hit CBS Western series ''Gunsmoke'', one of which inspired him, his wife Pamela, and William ...

, ''Witness'' (Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay); Joseph Wambaugh, ''The Onion Field''; Kevin Williamson, ''Scream, Dawson’s Creek''; Iris Yamashita, ''Letters from Iwo Jima'' (Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay).

Notable instructors and lecturers

Notable instructors and lecturers at UCLA Extension have included the

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), usually known in English by his Castilian Spanish name Pablo Casals,

Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...

Aldous Huxley Aldous Leonard Huxley (26 July 1894 – 22 November 1963) was an English writer and philosopher. He wrote nearly 50 books, both novels and non-fiction works, as well as wide-ranging essays, narratives, and poems. Born into the prominent Huxle ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the preside ...

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

, and

Peter Drucker Peter Ferdinand Drucker (; ; November 19, 1909 – November 11, 2005) was an Austrian-American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business co ...

, Giammario Villa, among others.

Notable alumni

People who have taken classes or graduated from UCLA Extension include: * Troy Aikman, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, earned his B.A. from UCLA by taking his last two courses online through UCLA Extension. * John R. Blythe, an independent film producer, member of

Producers Guild of America The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 8,000 members of the producing establishment w ...

, graduated in 2010 in the Business and Management of Entertainment Program. He has produced several award winning films include My Amityville Horror and The New Hands. *

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider- ...

attended UCLA Extension, taking courses in literature and creative writing. * Frederico Lapenda graduated in the Film & Television Program in 1994. He is a movie producer, MMA promoter, ''Allies of the Amazon'' co-creator with Stan Lee, Beverly Hills Film Festival President, and Brazilian Tourism Ambassador. *

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

attended UCLA Extension in April 1951, taking "Backgrounds of Literature" with teacher Claire Soule. * Univision news anchor Jorge Ramos received a journalism certificate from UCLA Extension. * Arnold Schwarzenegger enrolled in Extension classes during the 1970s as a young actor and bodybuilder, and helped celebrate Extension's 90th anniversary. *

Benson Taylor Benson Taylor (born Mark Davison 10 September 1983), is an English composer, music producer, and humanitarian who is best known for producing music for film. His style of music has a British influence, often working a classic film score soun ...

attended UCLA Extension, taking courses in game music production.

References

External links

* {{coord missing, Los Angeles County, California Extension Educational institutions established in 1917 1917 establishments in California