Wasn't impressed. Instructor was single minded and pushed his personal values and political views on the class. Homework was graded completely out of scope. Students were dropping out of the class all the way through the final day of class. For a certificate course it was not working adult friendly compared to other UC programs that I have taken over the past few years. read more

READ BEFORE TAKING A COURSE WITH UC BERKELEY. I'd like to provide some candid feedback about an extremely negative experience with UC Berkeley Extension, in the hope that others might think twice before taking a course here. The course I took suffered from 2 major problems: 1. The online class component of the course was non-existent: The UC Berkeley Extension Zoom account didn't work and so students couldn't access the online classes 2. The written components of the course (quizzes, writing assignment instructions, etc.) were riddled with typos and confusingly written sentences that made assignments nearly impossible to complete. The average across the class for the first quiz was a D-/F, not because the content was difficult, but because questions were so hard to interpret and so bizarrely written I promptly dropped the course and sent 15 screenshots of errors and issues in the course to the UC Berkeley Extension administration, in the hope that they might be able to take the feedback on board and improve the offering moving forward. Professionalism is key in this context and the course was devoid of it. UC Berkeley Extension administration seem completely uninterested in receiving feedback and improving the course. Moreover, they are contesting my refund request, despite the truly awful experience with all documentation provided. I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere for online courses. I have recently enrolled in a course through UCLA Extension and the experience has been professional and seamless - an absolute pleasure. read more

I took the UX Design certification program, and it was beneficial! The professors I had were great and worked in the industry in companies such as Apple, Coinbase, and more, so all the techniques are relevant in today's workspace. After much hard work, I completed this program with a 4.0 average; however, your UX portfolio is most important. This program worked great for me because I planned to get a taste of the UX world and set myself up to go back to get into an MS in Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI). Going to this program and volunteering at UX events with various groups helped me get into an excellent HCI program. If you are using this program to pivot your career solely, I've seen that work for some people; however, for me, this was more of a stepping stone rather than a final solution. However, if you don't know if UX is precisely, what you'd like to do in tech, this program will show you if it's for you or not. You'll learn the latest techniques from talented working professionals who also will be your professors. Also, you'll get a taste in many different areas of UX like Information Architecture, Content Strategy, UX research, etc.; if you have any questions, feel free to inbox me! read more

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Eons ago, in a land not that far away but far enough away (east bay) when I was working full time and going to school (sf) to finish up my degree, I took an online class through UCB Extension because my alma mater's tuition was higher than UCB Extension's and I needed that particular class to graduate. Anyway, long story short, I had a great experience taking the online class here. The professor I had was also teaching remotely, (I think somewhere in Michigan), and he was very kind, knowledgeable, helpful, and just an amazing person in general. I really enjoyed his class, and learned a lot (but also forgotten a great deal since then). The most important thing, I was able to transfer those last 3 precious credits to my alma mater and finally graduate. Given the uncertainties we are now facing, I'm looking into taking some professional classes to ensure I stay competitive in the job market, and hopefully bridge any knowledge gaps that I have. While I may or may not choose the classes offered by UCB extension (I'm still researching), I know that UCB extension is a solid choice. read more

Several years ago, I learned about UC Berkeley Extension offerings and took the plunge -- I signed up for the Project Management certificate program which I finished last year. For both online and in person courses -- I found the instructors to be knowledgeable, interesting and well organized. There was only one exception -- and I found the administration willing to engage in discussion about my concerns and feedback in a way that made me feel good about pursuing courses in other areas. This year, I took a course called "Managing Change and Ambiguity in the Workplace" with Anna Ewins -- and though it was a short class (two full Saturdays) -- it was inspiring and challenging, providing a combination of neuroscience, organizational psychology and guidelines for practical use. I was hooked -- have signed up for more courses in pursuit of the Leadership Certificate. I highly recommend the very intense and rewarding course with Noel Sy-Quia, "Power and Influence in the Workplace." I've also enjoyed the very practical, hands-on courses in communication with Arielle Schram and negotiation with Elie Asmar. The course with Karen Haley Allen on "Effective Leadership & Management" provided a thorough review of theory and case studies related to leadership, human behavior and management. JP Novin on taught "Essentials of Management" which had great content, illuminating and challenging discussions and covered different territory than Karen's course. Ron Kelly's in-depth mediation course is an EXCELLENT course as well -- the role play with the other students was invaluable. All of these courses have provided me with a group of peers who are motivated to improve their skills and who are engaged, thoughtful and present. Some of the courses rely heavily on group assignments which is a great way to learn about other people's points of view, habits and working styles in a safe environment. This is not something that you can normally find within your typical professional environment: people are focused more on the work itself, not sharing ideas they are picking up from books by sociologists, neuroscientists and business leaders. It's several steps up from "book club" -- and I have found great value in these courses by putting in quite a lot of time into reading and developing my own ideas. read more

Buyer beware! I signed up for a Digital Marketing course that was over $800. I was promised 30-hours of instruction however, there essentially were no lectures. The course was a huge disappointment and waste of money. This seems especially predatory during the pandemic :{ read more

I completed the program in marketing metrics and roi last year while with a full time job. Rate was a little pricey but it was worth it. I learned a lot. I tried both classroom and online courses, depending on how much office projects i had that semester. I found the teachers very capable and helpful. I made sure my projects and assignments would be related to my work/caree as much as possible so the insights and comments the instructors give me was most useful. Currently I'm enrolled full time in the business administration certificate. My first semester is going well so far. I highly recommend instructors JP Novin for Essentials in Mgt, Patrick Williams for Marketing Strategy and Patricia Muscatelli for Basic Corporate Finance. read more

UC Berkeley Extension Web Developer Boot Camp is a total nightmare. I'm glad I got out when I did. The teachers get no training, the support staff is abrasive and the class content is laughable. Save your money, buy a book and teach yourself. This does not seem like a UC Berkeley quality educational experience, UCBE is a private company with no attachment to the college, tricking people into taking expensive classes that don't lead anywhere. I think the only thing the University does is look at teacher's resumes. I heard you only have to have one year of industry experience to get a job there. $12000?!? No way! read more

And now, I dedicate my 1200th review to the theme of "personal enrichment". But first, did you know that Mark Zuckerberg sets a personal goal each year, and shares it with the world to hold him accountable? His goals have ranged from wearing a tie every day, to learning Mandarin, to slaughtering his own animals for meat. Pretty ambitious dude. While I wasn't directly inspired by Mr. Z, I *was* inspired by turning 30 and feeling like my skill set had stayed stagnant for a while. I'd gotten comfortable, yet it didn't feel good. Thus, I declared 2016 my year of "personal enrichment"... a perfect excuse to take those classes I'd been eyeing at UC Berkeley Extension. I enrolled in the 5-week Digital Marketing course, an evening class offered at their SF campus, focusing on digital marketing tools like Google AdWords & Analytics (topics I would never ever teach myself). I've appreciated the content, professor's knowledge of the subject, strong communication between prof & students, and a moderate amount of homework - enough to put our knowledge to work, but not overwhelming with my day-job schedule. The downside: the classes are somewhat pricey, so not ideal for "hobbyist" learners, but definitely a good investment if you're going for career advancement. Also, the course description was pretty different than the actual content we're learning, and the "required" book has not been used so far. They need to communicate expectations more accurately. If you miss being in school, or are a generally curious adults who wants to continue flexing that brain muscle, UC Berkeley has a plethora of inspiring options if $$$ is not a big thing. Of course, satisfaction completely depends on the professor, but I was lucky to get a solid one. read more

UC Berkeley Extension - Colleges & Universities Near Me - San Francisco, California

11.1 afternoon. We listened to a speech given by AWS Carlos Escapa. He said something about innovation and then AI and machine learning. He gave the examples of periodic table, Kapler's theory, Einstein and so on. It was a nice place. In the morning we went to Parsable. There were chicken, rice, pasta, drinks, snacks and so on. I love the place. read more

UC Berkeley Extension - screen - Colleges & Universities Near Me - San Francisco, California

I took the UX design professional program because it was part time, affordable (~$1k per class), and in-person. Now that I'm done (after a long, long year), I can say that I definitely do not recommend taking the UC Berkeley Professional Program in UX Design. It's split into 7 courses of each stage of the design process. Each course is taught by a different instructor who are not in contact with each other. This leads to teachers having students build small chunks of a project or a project that are sorta end-to-end but only good in the one aspect taught in each 10-week course. And then you repeat this 7 times without having a quality end-to-end project in the end. At the very least the instructors should consult with each other and tell their students to focus on 1-2 case studies throughout the program so that students may build on them rather than start from scratch each course. Sure, students can use the knowledge from the courses to build an end-to-end project on their own. However, program takes a while and is at minimum 6 months to max 2 years to get a certification. Students should actually have at least one well thought-out end-to-end case study by the end of such a long period of time. Instead, I got what felt like one below-average UX boot camp after another rather than an in-depth, high-quality experience that could've taken up fewer months. Most of my 7 instructors were decent teachers and well-meaning, a couple were horrific, but overall the program itself is too poorly managed for any instructor or student to succeed. The head of the UX design department is a visual/graphic designer pretending his expertise qualifies him to lead the UX department (it doesn't). UX design instructors or students were not a priority to him. It was clear UX was on the back burner when he'd forget to tell UX instructors were classes where moved to or about upcoming student networking events. Instructors aren't always vetted properly either. For example, I had a visual design instructor whose primary focus was print. This didn't translate well for UX design, which is digital. I also have heard of poor instructors being fired due to students dropping after the first course. I myself had to drop a course because one instructor ran Youtube tutorials half of the first course and painstakingly explained our homework the second half. Instructors also have about 20 students and this makes it impossible for everyone to get quality feedback, something that is so essential for design. There is no mentorship available either, and I think that is crucial especially for career switchers like myself. Being new to the UX design world is no joke. In the end I got all A's but hadn't learned many practical ways to apply my knowledge to UX. Administrative staff is also not supportive or welcoming to their students. I've been rudely hounded by multiple employees for printing more than a few sheets of paper for class-related activities. They literally would watch over my shoulder as I selected PDFs to print. I've also been pushed out of paid networking events hosted by the school but was free for students. Those events were poorly run as well as they were overcrowded and no alternate viewing opportunity was available. Overall, don't do this program! I've had to struggle much more than needed and it's hard enough to break into UX as it is. read more

This is a PSA. I enrolled in the Color Theory class as part of the school's Interior Design program. I felt the prestige of UC Berkeley and the syllabus seemed comprehensive so I enrolled. I was eager to learn about color in interiors and while the course was pricey ($995.00). The instructor, Josie Grant, seemed knowledgable based on her website. Unfortunately, there is a different between an artist and an educator. Josie Grant was AWFUL as a teacher. She would spend 45 mins showing us how to mix colors then have us work on our homework/art assignment for 2 hours during lecture. She would spent the last 30 mins reading from a powerpoint lecture she sloppily created about the history of color. She did not teach us ANYTHING about paint and residences/interiors. This was a huge waste of time and money. Josie Grant should stick to painting murals and stay away from being in a classroom unless it is to learn how to educate others. I dare say she knows nothing about paint colors in people's homes. She knows how to paint murals and likes art history. Her syllabus was a stretch and absolutely fake - we didn't learn anything that she had outlined. What a sham. Color Theory at UCB Extension is a 2 hour art class where the instructor plays music on YouTube and tells you to work on homework while she snacks on cookies and OJ. read more

This was the worst decision I have ever made. Any institution that recommends this program should reconsider UCBX altogether. I took a Biochemistry class with WeiWei Gu and all I can say is that it was a HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. Wei only graded our assignments, wrote generic comments, gave us the timed "midterm," and had me find a proctor to administer the final exam. This was a total waste of money and the grading was not what I had expected. The class was not at all cohesive. I tried using ratemyprofessor for her but it didn't work. UCBX was definitely a waste of money and time. Honestly, if you can just take it at a JC or Uni. read more

This place will crash and burn hard. After that happens UC Berkeley will discontinue the Extension program altogether and realize the money that can be saved by this. And we all know that UCB is all about tightening that belt and nickel and diming the heck out of its students and staff. Very unhappy students just check out the reviews of the other campuses. A sinking ship for employees working here as well. The staff here are clearly miserable and seem to only be there to get a paycheck. Not to assist students or faculty at all in fact it's all about passing the buck here Ever try phone calling UCB Extension to get a straight answer about anything? It's almost fun to try and see how many people you are transferred to before reaching an answering machine. read more

UCB extension is great. They have classes for every profession and subject almost and they have campuses all over the bay. For this particular campus, it's in a large office building. The building itself is VERY nice. Everything is brand new and very clean. And you can tell that it is cleaned often because sometimes after class I'll see marked I left from my things on the table, and the next week, the table top will be perfectly clean! The bathrooms are very clean as well and there is a microwave for food and vending machines. The teachers? From all of my interactions seem to love their teaching and are enthusiastic! The UCB desk staff, same, also very nice and seem to like their job! The only bad thing? SO expensive. read more

I had an excellent experience taking Essentials of Management with JP Novin at UC Berkeley Extension. I found the class to be engaging, enriching, and organized yet responsive and flexible to student feedback. It was well balanced between lecture, discussion, group work, readings and written assignments. JP is also an experienced CEO who "walks the walk" of his teachings - he presented the class with many academic articles and case studies but also shared insightful anecdotes of management in practice, experiences, and tools that filled the gap and applied theoretical concepts. He mentioned that no two classes are the same - the material is updated with the newest contributions in management thought leadership and case studies so you know you won't be studying the management of yesteryear, but the style of management that's emerging currently. If you want to know what habits, traits, practices, communication techniques and mindsets successful leaders have, and put it to work yourself in your own personal and professional lives, this course is for you. Highly recommend. read more

Took a Java class that billed itself as a beginning class. It was not. It was Java for people who kinda know Java already, and definitely have a programming background. I was able to earn an 'A' and retain my job by copying the code the instructor gave as an example and altering it slightly to complete the assignment. I didn't learn much Java though. The instructor's communication skills were terrible. A student asked "what's a variable" and he really couldn't answer the question. He could not articulate much of anything as to why we were doing certain things. His examples were very abstract. We asked if he could use examples that approximate common business challenges: looking up a customer name or altering their salary or something. That was too much of a stretch for him. So instead we had nonsensical examples that made it harder to learn. I would recommend this class if you need some type of credential to show your employer that you already know Java. Otherwise, find a good instructor at CCSF and take a semester-long course at a fraction of the cost. read more

Something is rotten at UC Berkeley Extension. Specifically: Machine Learning and Deep Learning with Spark. The teacher, Yushu Yao, was disorganized and inept. The assignments and quizzes were ludicrously simple. I learned a thing or two (definitely not more than two), but I deeply regret taking this class - because I resent having supported UC Berkeley Extension's scam business model. read more

Don't waste your time and money. Passed but learned nothing. No support and very little instruction. I've learned more from reading books on my own. read more

I enrolled in the Marketing program and I was impressed by the instructors. They had practical knowledge as many are currently working in the industry, which is quite critical for student of any business discipline. The instructors are also very accessible and are willing to help the students outside the classroom when needed. They also gave us assignments that were the types of tasks we would be likely assigned to if we took jobs in the field. For example, preparing high tech product marketing plans for a high tech product marketing course and getting good feedback on our work. The only drawbacks were that there should be a wider range of courses offered and it could do with some more affordable pricing per course as well. read more

This five stars review is for an Awesome Instructor TLC I just finished Effective Performance Management course with Terri - aka - TLC this spring at UC Berkeley Extension - San Francisco Campus. I was very lucky to have TLC for this course. To me, she is an awesome instructor. I learned a lot from her in this class and she was supper organize. She knows her subjects. She explains the subject very thorough and makes you think hard and applies the situations to many different scenarios. In addition to the teaching effectively, TLC is an energetic and fun person to be around with. Imagine you have to be in class for five consecutive Saturday and for straight seven hours, she makes it fun and the time goes by easily. I personally like the way she teaches. I hope to have the opportunity to attend her other classes in the future. read more

I was disappointed with the course I took. I did not feel it lived up to expectations. The syllabus was not followed and the book I was instructed to buy was not used. Plus I didn't feel like I learned anything new. I asked for a refund ($500 is a lot) and it was not granted. As a result I don't think I will ever take a UC Extension course again. Unfortunate. read more

I recently completed the Essentials of Management class offered by JP Novin, and Leadership and management class offered by Karen Haley. Both the classes were very informative and engaging. We had some exciting group discussions and class presentations. These are great classes to gain leadership insights and improve soft skills. read more

I just finished JP Novin's course "Essentials of Management" and was impressed! Our class was a lively mix of seasoned professionals who were already managers, individual contributors considering management, and people building or re-building careers. JP facilitated animated group discussions and shared his own relevant experience. I highly recommend this course. read more

I took Essentials of Management course with JP Novin. Great class filled with lively discussions. The topics were insightful and covered just about every area of business development. The best part of the class is the practical applications of business theories to the current field of work and emphasis on career/personal development. read more

I needed 2 classes to take in order to apply for a CLS program (Hematology and Clinical Chemistry). Worst choice of my life. One, the courses cost $900 each and if you need a lab for the course that's an extra $900. Two, anybody can teach the class as long as they have a masters degree. That's fine if you're just taking the class for fun, but if you need a good grade then it gets complicated. My clinical chem instructor was a CLS lab manager at UCSF, a nice woman, whose lectures consisted of her reading the power point lectures word for word. I mean you could tell that she didn't prepare for any of her lectures. I later took an anatomy and physiology course at a community college (including lab) for $200 each course with much more knowledgeable instructors who actually want to make sure that you do well and learn the material. If you want to get your money's worth and a good chance at getting a good grade for a prerequisite course for a health/medical program go to a community college and not UC Extension. read more

You can figure out any info on their web about all the hidden prices and charges. Courses fee are simple to find but they charge extra registration fee for a certificate as well, from $50 to $150 depending on how popular the certified is. For the project management certificate, it used to be 6 classes total, now they require 7.($800 per class) I don't know if this is a educational institute or just a company try to rip you off for low quality classes. read more

I took JP Novin's class in the Leadership and Management program. The class was extremely informative. JP's real life experience increased his ability to teach and relate to everyone in class. read more

I needed to take a final exam for an online course I took through Berkeley extension. I scheduled with a proctor outside of UC Berkeley, and then found out I was taking the exam too close to a deadline for getting my grade transferred to my MBA program. I was very stressed that my grade would not make it in time with the other proctor, and called the Extension office in SF-luckily Ghada answered! She put me at ease right away and knew how important it was to have the test scanned and sent asap for the deadline. She was extremely accommodating and went above and beyond to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible. She squeezed me into the schedule only 3 days after the call. Thank you so much Ghada for all of your help, it was very much appreciated!! read more