Courses

The world’s aspiring actors flock to Los Angeles in the hope of making a name for themselves on the big or the small screen. With instruction from classically-trained actors and directors, students practice various acting techniques for stage and film and address areas as diverse as theory, improvisation, voice, mime, movement, and script analysis, all while exploring what it really takes to make it big in Tinseltown.

Students discover the instruments and institutions that make up modern finance and are vital to budding entrepreneurs. From principles of finance, such as compound interest, time value of money, and portfolio theory, they move on to how finance and financial markets actually work. They address the main business principles of strategic planning, marketing, economics, finance and accounting.  Alongside, drawing on thinkers such as Sun Tzu and Machiavelli, on case studies, and on notable examples from the worlds of business, politics, and the military, they assess the key role leadership plays in business success. For their final project, they create a mock company that they present in a “Shark Tank”, mirroring the high pressure, quick tempo presentations used at colleges, business schools, and startup incubators around the world.

In the city that’s home to some of the most creative and top-earning agencies in the world, like RPA, Ignited, and David & Goliath, students discover the power of suggestion, persuasion, and product placement. Scouring LA for case studies and creative examples, they explore different types of advertising, branding, and find out how new media are transforming the game. Thinking through the relationships between advertisers, media platforms, and audiences, and drawing on their creative skills, they settle on a cause or product and create and run their own campaign.

Working through case-studies and experiments, students are introduced some of the main types of careers in Engineering, notably Mechanical, Electronic, and Civil.  They discover how these disciplines are taught at university and how they are experienced professionally. Students complete the course by working in a team to design a model engineering project of their own.

With a body of alumni that includes Francis Ford Coppola, Ben Stiller, and Rob Reiner, UCLA has established itself as a core contributor to the dream factory that is Hollywood. Led by professional screenwriters and directors, and taking advantage of the resources of the location, students brainstorm, write, and produce their own short films (fiction, non-fiction, documentary, or experimental), which they shoot with digital cameras and edit with professional software. They screen their films at the end of the program. Lab fee of $300 US for the Major; $150 US for the Workshop.

From Uber to iTunes, smart phones and apps are engines of our modern existences. Students learn to design and implement basic phone apps. In doing so, they are introduced to key aspects of Swift and Java. To gain an even deeper understanding of the context in which they are working, they are also introduced to basic principles of operating systems, as well as some of the theoretical foundations of computing. All told they leave the course with a deep understanding of smart phones and app development. Lab fee of $150 US for the Major; $75 US for the Workshop.

Students investigate a wide range of psychological topics that include dreams, memory, consciousness, anxiety, body language, gender, and sexuality. As well as examining the history of the subject, select case histories, and various mental disorders, students are introduced to research methodologies and diverse analytical frameworks in order to design their own experiments under the guidance of research specialists and practicing clinicians.

This course introduces students to the principles of writing for the screen, focusing on the construction of strong characters, story development, and 3-act narrative structure. Through practical exercises, students develop an original idea for a feature script and learn to shape it into pitch and treatment format. Professionals address the class, offering insight into Hollywood and best practices for presenting work to agents, producers, and studios.

Guided by professionals, students immerse themselves in this increasingly important facet of medicine, addressing biomechanics, physical therapy to achieve peak fitness, psychology, nutrition, and the different short- and long-term injuries athletes suffer in their careers. Students practice emergency training for injuries and address the widespread use of illegal substances in sport and their physical and psychological side-effects. 

Through a combination of discussions, guest speakers, and visits to industry institutions, this course introduces students to the history of the film and television industry, its current state, and addresses the challenges under which it is burdened. Students are taught how movies and TV shows are made, from idea conception to delivery. Specifically, they gain knowledge of the 3-act structure for film and the 5-act structure for television. They leave the program with an overall understanding of the U.S. Entertainment Industry while also having the skills to compose, pitch, give and receive constructive criticism from their peers on their unique story idea.