UCLA Extension courses

This course presents a structural survey of the human body, including the musculoskeletal, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive and genitourinary systems. Laboratory includes examination of human cadaver specimens. For live-online course laboratory…

This course is designed as an overview of the mechanisms and consequences of disease based on physiological dysfunction in the major organ systems. Each organ system is introduced by a brief and basic review covering normal structure and function, followed by…

This course provides students with a background in the basics of nutrition and stresses the link between nutrition practices, health, disease and exercise performance. Topics include macronutrient needs; vitamins, minerals and other supplements; energy…

This course provides fitness instructors with an in-depth exposure to the interaction of the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, nervous and musculoskeletal systems during exercise. Instruction emphasizes practical application of the physiologic concepts…

Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your photography to the next level, understanding the business side of the lens is essential. In this free one-hour session, photographer and UCLA Extension instructor Dr. Craig Havens breaks down the…

This hands-on introductory course helps beginning and hobbyist photographers move beyond automatic camera settings to gain confidence and creative control. Students learn essential camera functions, exposure fundamentals, and core composition techniques while…

This course demystifies the Limited Series in television, a genre that has become wildly popular over the last decade with international hit series such as “Adolescence,” “Big Little Lies” and “Chernobyl,” and acclaimed anthological limited series, such as…

This intensive 11-week advanced course is for writers who are done talking about their screenplay and ready to write it. Genre doesn’t matter—drama, thriller, horror, comedy, or sci-fi—as long as you are committed to completing a first draft of a feature…

Join us for an informative session for professionals involved in K–12 public school facilities planning, design, and construction with relevance to large urban districts such as LAUSD school construction program. This presentation will highlight how effective…

This course explores the sports documentary and docu-series space through both a creative and commercial lens. Students will examine how powerful sports storytelling is developed, financed, produced, and distributed, while also understanding the real business…

This course explores the evolution from traditional retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) to agentic RAG systems that can reason, plan multi‑step workflows, and take action. Participants will learn how to move beyond basic document retrieval to build…

Artificial intelligence is only as powerful as the data behind it. Before building models or deploying AI applications, organizations must design the right data architecture and understand their data through exploration and visualization. In this session,…

Social Media Video Strategy is an 11-week course focused on creating structured short-form vertical video for platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Students examine how media has evolved from print and broadcast to algorithm-driven…

This course examines the creative, financial, logistical, and legal realities of filming on location from the perspective of the independent producer. While the primary focus is on location-based production, students will analyze how location decisions…

AI is reshaping every stage of UX work, from how we plan and conduct research, to how we synthesize findings, generate design concepts, build prototypes, and evaluate usability. This course gives students hands-on fluency with the AI tools and workflows…

This intensive, studio-based course integrates technical mastery with creative development and visual storytelling in contemporary digital photography. Students gain full control of camera systems and photographic variables while developing a personal visual…

From Tibetan Thangka painting to rock album covers, gouache and ink have a vibrant history together. In this two-day workshop, students create a colorful piece of gouache artwork that is finished with black ink. Guided by individual instructor attention,…

Experience the beauty of botanical art through hands-on, precision drawing sessions. In this workshop, we focus on the purity of line and the delicate structural details of your birth flower, or the birth flower of someone you love. The class is designed to…

In this course we cover a series of case studies with a focus on Avionics, Space and Defense. For each case study we look at the procedures, ConOps, requirements, architecture development, design, integration, test and deployment. Students can analyze the…

Every poet eventually writes enough work to complete and assemble a full-length poetry manuscript (48-60 pages) but needs guidance on final revisions and submission for publication. The class will cover: manuscript formatting; strategies for manuscript title…

A monthly community write in that is designed to support writers who crave creative momentum, connection, and a nurturing community. Rooted in the values of UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, this monthly meetup offers space to write, share, explore, and engage…

How do you create a narrative series, sell it, get it produced, and retain your vision throughout the creative process - without going insane and mortgaging your soul? In this course you uncover methods to preserve your sanity, (almost) but additionally you…

This workshop is designed to help you develop an original one-hour television or half-hour pilot that demonstrates a strong voice, compelling characters, and professional-level storytelling. Television executives, agents, and showrunners expect polished…

At the beginning of her career, Cyndi Lauper was told that success was just around the corner—if only she could use her amazing voice to sound more like Barbra Streisand. "I think that job has been taken," she replied, knowing that success would come only if…

This immersive, hands-on studio course introduces students to the fundamentals of designing and producing athletic footwear. Students will produce key deliverables of the footwear design process, beginning with trend research, target end users, benchmarking…

In this course, we explore the profound spiritual landscapes of ancient China and India, seeking the soul of the traditions that have shaped Eastern thought for millennia. We begin by examining the origins of Taoism and its founder, Lao Tzu, alongside the…

In this course, we explore how depression, anxiety, and mood changes uniquely manifest as we age, focusing on the many factors that influence emotional well-being in later life. We examine how physical health changes, grief, caregiving roles, and social…

The Art Nouveau era emerged in late 19th-century France amidst a swirling landscape of societal change and creative rebellion. Characterized by sinuous curves and organic forms, the movement looked to nature as its ultimate sourcebook, stylizing plants,…

Unlike his tragedies, William Shakespeare’s comedies generally revolve around themes of love, mistaken identity, and social disruption, almost always culminating in the celebratory union of marriage. While modern audiences may find the humor evolves beyond…

Building upon the illustrious art-collecting legacies of their parents, Helen Clay Frick and Electra Havemeyer Webb became visionary collectors and preservationists in their own right. Their work transformed family traditions into expansive public…

John Cheever, the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Chekhov of the American landscape," masterfully captured the tension between mid-century social grace and the hidden complexities of the human psyche. In this course, we explore Cheever’s iconic fiction, spanning…

Traits commonly associated with ADHD often fuel creative thinking by fostering divergent thought, novel idea generation, and unique perspectives, leading to strengths in artistic endeavors, problem-solving, and innovation. In this course, we explore the lives…

Surfacing our joints, cartilage provides pain-free and nearly friction-free movement, often for many decades but not necessarily for one’s entire life. Cartilage degradation and injury are the sources of arthritis, which can disable an otherwise healthy…

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s 1782 masterpiece, Dangerous Liaisons , remains one of the most scandalous and controversial novels in European literature. Composed entirely of imagined letters, this epistolary novel coldly dissects the psychology of passion and…

Emerging from the 17th-century Catholic Counter-Reformation in Italy, the Baroque period became the first truly international art movement. Characterized by its dynamic and dramatic energy, the style adapted to unique geographic regions and patronage as it…

As the first truly modern art movement in the United States, abstract expressionism dominated the New York art scene of the 1940s and 50s. Emerging as a reaction to World War II, this "New York School" of artists shifted the global art focus by breaking away…

This course prepares students to design, build, and deploy advanced agentic AI systems by combining core theory with hands-on implementation. Students will work with three leading frameworks: CrewAI, Google ADK, and n8n, while learning the principles that…

From their beginning in the late 1890s, silent films often focused on producing comedies. Mostly improvised and often rather silly, they required few if any subtitles to be understood by most audiences. Early films emphasized visual and physical humor such as…

In this course, we learn to read and write, hold short conversations and begin growing our knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and culture. We begin with printed and cursive letters, basic greetings and how to conjugate verbs in the present tense. We also learn…

Music has always been a source of controversy and scandal. In the search for originality, some artists push the envelope and either pay the price or use it for self-promotion. There have been fascinating episodes of plagiarism, cultural appropriation, and…

In this course, we explore how leadership, collaboration, and innovation unfold in the jazz world – and how these same principles can be applied to elevate performance and relationships in everyday life. By examining the dynamics of a jazz ensemble, we gain…

The Roman emperor Justinian, who ruled from 527-565 AD, transformed nearly every aspect of Roman life. In this course, we explore this enigmatic Roman emperor by reconstructing his military campaigns to reconquer territories the empire lost in the west, his…

In this course, we trace the evolution of jazz from its origins to the present day, exploring how its defining characteristics have transformed over time. Through guided listening and analysis, we learn to identify and appreciate major jazz styles…

Many contemporary artists are using their art to engage with cultural, social and personal narratives. These artists share a common thread in their work—they all explore themes of identity, culture, and social issues, often drawing from their own backgrounds…

In this course, we learn how to see and draw with confidence, using basic shapes, lines, and values; and we develop essential skills including proportion, shading, and composition through fun and practical exercises. We watch demos and get hands-on practice…

As creatives, how do we adapt to living through this revolution of design and creative expression? How do we navigate and find the “new best practices” to leverage this rapid disruption of artificial intelligence? Join Roosevelt Brown, renowned product and…

This course is designed to introduce students to French music and poetry, two beloved and expressive art forms. Each week, we explore two iconic songs and poems from the early 20th century through the present, gaining fundamental language skills in a…

This course explores advanced data modeling and datastore design for modern analytics and AI-driven systems. You will learn relational, dimensional, NoSQL, time-series, and vector database modeling concepts. Emphasis is placed on designing scalable,…

In this course, we follow the evolutionary path of orangutans from Western Asia to East Asia, which is the final home for the only non-human great ape outside of Africa. We discuss the ways in which they are similar to and different from humans and other…

In this course, we explore the rich and varied history of floral imagery in art, from ancient times to the modern era. Flowers have served as powerful symbols of human life, emotion, and societal values across different cultures and periods. The hidden…