It may surprise a few people that California has more to offer than just sun and fun.  Despite being the third largest state by area of land, California boasts of a beautiful scenery wherever one travels along with very pleasant Mediterranean climate. It is warm and dry during the summers and cool and rainy during the winters. For students looking for a very active social life, there are institutes in major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego while students who prefer a more serious and quiet learning atmosphere can choose smaller towns.

The state systems of California are immense. An example to support this statement can be derived from the fact that 8 of the 11 campuses of the University of California regularly appear on the lists of the nation’s top 100 colleges and universities.

Some of the prominent psychology schools in California include a number of universities such as: University of Phoenix, Liberty University, Argosy University, California Lutheran University, Chapman University College, Alliant International University, Antioch University, Azusa Pacific University, Bakersfield College, Bethany University, Biola University, Cabrillo College, California Baptist University, California State University, Canada College, Citrus College, Claremont University, College Of Alameda, Columbia College, Compton Community College, Concordia University, Copper Mountain College, Crafton Hills College, De Anza College, El Camino College, Evergreen Valley College, Foothill College, Fullerton College, Golden Gate University, Hartnell College, Holy Names University, Humboldt State University, Irvine Valley College, John F Kennedy University, La Sierra University, Lake Tahoe Community College, Loma Linda University, Los Angeles University, Merced College, Mills College, Napa Valley College, National University, New College Of California, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Pasadena City College, Pepperdine University, Phillips Graduate Institute, Pitzer College, Point Loma Nazarene University, Pomona College, Ryokan College, Saddleback College, Saint Marys College Of California, San Diego Christian College and Walden University.

The different California psychology schools which provide online and distance courses include University of Phoenix, Liberty University, American InterContinental University, Ashford University, Kaplan University, Saint Leo University and University of the Rockies.

To sum it up, the choices in the state of California are endless. However, one needs to proceed with a note of caution while selecting and applying for a college as there are several private institutes which have been approved but not accredited.

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is produced by the Institute of Higher Education at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Several indicators of academic or research performance are used to establish the ranking, these include highly cited researchers, articles indexed in major citation indices and staff winning Nobel Prizes.

The World’s Top-500 universities (2008) are mainly located in Europe (n=210; 40%), the Americas (n=190; 40%) and the Asian/Pacific region (n=100; 20%). There are 159 (32%) universities located in the United States (US), of which 13 are located in California (click here).

California has a population of 37 million inhabitants, making it the most populated State in the US. It makes a very important contribution to the US economy and taken alone it has the world’s eighth largest economy in the world (in terms of Gross Domestic Product).

There are both public and private universities in California. The public universities are organized as follows: the University of California (UC) universities (10 campuses e.g. UC – Berkeley and UC – Los Angeles) which has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, the California State Universities (CSU) which has over 400,000 students and the California Community Colleges system which provides lower division courses and has a student population of over 2.9 million.

The thirteen universities located in California that are in the World’s Top-500 universities are distributed as follows: nine UC universities (Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Irvine, Davis, Riverside and Santa Cruz), three private universities (Stanford, California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California) and one CSU university (San Diego State University).

An earlier assessment carried out by AllAboutUni.com found that 36% (n=57) – more than one in three – of the US universities in the World’s Top-500 are located in just five States: New York (15), California (13), Texas (13), Massachusetts (9) and Pennsylvania (7) (click here). The assessment also found that the universities are not evenly distributed, with California having a higher representation at the top of the list: in the World’s Top-25 universities, the distribution is California (6), New York (2), Massachusetts (2), and Pennsylvania (1) and Texas (0).

The six Californian universities in the World’s Top-25 universities are: Stanford (ranked 2nd), UC – Berkeley (3rd), California Institute of Technology (6th), UC – Los Angeles (13th), UC – San Diego (14th) and UC – San Francisco (18th).

In order to make inter-country comparisons, AllAboutUni.com calculates the number of universities in the World’s Top-500 per million inhabitants. The overall number of universities per million inhabitants is 0.5 for industrialised countries. An earlier assessment found that small countries in Western Europe (Sweden (1.2), Finland (1.1) and Switzerland (1.0) and New Zealand (1.2) has the highest number of universities per million inhabitants.

The number of universities in the World’s Top-500 universities that are located in California is 0.4 per million inhabitants. Large industrialized countries have the following figures: Australia (0.7), the Netherlands (0.7), United Kingdom (0.7), Canada (0.6), United States (0.5), Germany (0.5), France (0.4), Italy (0.4), Spain (0.2) and Japan (0.2).

In conclusion, despite California having some of the best universities in the world (e.g. Stanford, UC – Berkeley and the California Institute of Technology), the overall density of the World’s Top-500 universities is relatively low compared to industrialised countries in the world.

Southern California is home to several different industries. The Tech Coast is made up of the Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties. The Tech Coast consists of Universities, research institutes and multi-technology companies. Major Universities in the region include: The University of Southern California, The University of California, Los Angeles and The California Institute of Technology. There is a long list of distinguished technology corporations within the Tech Coast, two of the most well know corporations are Google and Yahoo!. The Tech Coast is also home to the following research institutes: The Aerospace Corporation, Beckman Research Institute, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and many more.

In addition to the Tech Coast, Southern California is the capital of the entertainment industry: Hollywood, Sony Pictures, MGM, 20th Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company are a few notable destinations and companies located in Southern California. Southern California also plays host to a long line of surf and skateboard clothing companies. Companies like O’Neil, Sector 9, Quicksilver and Volcom help maintain the robust Southern California economy.

Southern California is made up of 12 counties. South of San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains: Imperial, San Diego, Riverside, Ventura, Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino. North of San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains: Northern Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita), Northern San Bernardino (Mohave Desert), Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Kern.

Real estate in Southern California is often considered overvalued and many areas in Southern California are home to the most expensive real estate in the world. However, developing areas such as the San Bernardino County and Riverside County are providing many home buyers with affordable new home options. Although new homes in big Southern California cities like Los Angeles and San Diego are often expensive, these cities offer world class design options, amenities and quick access to seek after destinations. The lack of available real estate near the downtown areas of these large cities leaves home buyers with little detached new home opportunities.

In the U.S. News & World Report 2010 rankings, the highest ranked UC campus in the public and private category is UC Berkeley – ranked 21st among 262 public and private “national universities”, followed by University of California, Los Angeles (24th), and UC San Diego (35th). Both UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara are placed joint 42nd nationally. Following are the ranking profiles of some of the best ranking campuses:

University of California, Berkeley – ranked second best in the country for its Undergraduate Engineering programs, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2010 undergraduate rankings. It is placed in the Top five for the following undergraduate departments: No. 1 for Civil, No. 2 for Environmental, No. 2 for Mechanical, No. 2 for Computer Engineering, No. 3 for Engineering Science/Engineering Physics, No. 3 for Materials, No. 4 for Electrical, No. 4 for Nuclear, and No. 5 for Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering.

University of California, Davis – it is rated 42nd among the top 4000 universities in the world by the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities in 2008.

University of California, Los Angeles – rated 30th in the Times Higher Education – QS World University Rankings 2008.

University of California, San Diego – rated the second best university in the nation by the Washington Monthly’s College Guide 2007. It is also selected as the “Hottest” science school by Newsweek.

University of California, Santa Barbara – rated 36th among the world’s best institutions in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2008.

Please refer to the relevant guide for more information on university ranking and the list of top universities in US.

Online conferences and discussions, an extension of online methods for example are a great help when it comes to creating virtual classmates and teachers. This kind of virtual interaction is helpful in ascertaining the attitude of each of the students involved in these sites. Apart from all these, the hug basket of knowledge and information it has to share with its users is something worth mentioning.

The impact of online education as one would have noticed is wide. For the teachers there cannot be a better avenue than this. They have their freedom of choosing subjects of their own choice and dealing with it in the way that they would want to. Whereas students are concerned it is a whole new experience for them. They have a whole lot of information to base their study upon. And as the saying goes, the more the knowledge the better it is. As for the University administration, online education assures quality education for a much lower price. And when the students get their online degree it is like a passport to their success in all spheres. There are numerous online degrees including masters degree programs in offer. One can also go in for teaching, legal or other professional degrees through online education system.

Only those who find it very difficult to manage so much information at a time would want to opt out of this hugely advantageous system.

Online universities could well be thought of as a blessing in disguise, but analyzing deep into is peripheries, one finds that the concept is loathed with as many hazards. Hacking, for example is a major concern for those managing big sites. Although we do not often hear of the web server of an online university being hacked into, the possibility of its not happening in future isn’t all that bleak. Regarded as a very safe ground, universities links at least were bereft of miscreants wanting to intrude upon the site. But in 2005, when hackers managed to get into the California University systems, they discovered a newer and a better ground to spread their nexus.

However putting online education on a beam balance one wouldn’t fail to notice that its greatness is more than its hazards. So if you have the money for the course of your choice you can immediately sign up with an accredited course right from your home immediately. For financial aids, many online universities will extend their help. In toto online education besides the hazards are indeed quite a blessing.

In such cases an online instructor plays a pivotal role in defining the rules and regulations of the site and protecting it from possible hacking. Although the difficulties associated with designing, facilitating and managing a rich effective online discussion might be numerous but the instructor has to make it an easy proposition for those who are going to use the site. Real life cases and scenario can be presented to the students, who can then be encouraged to give their own suggestions on how to present their opinions about safeguarding their rights.

Generational Groups

Half-Century Trojans

University of California alumni associations are divided into several groups in accordance with different principles. The first principles concerns the age of the members. The most respected members of the University of South California alumni association are Half-Century Trojans. This group includes members that got a diploma 50 and more years ago.

Second Decade Society

The next group of alumni association of South California University concerns Second Decade Society. This subgroup includes alumni aged 35-45. This group is aimed at people that already have their families and succeeded in their professional career.

Young Alumni Programs

As a rule, the young Alumni Programs include members aged 22-35. In this respect, this group may concern as alumni as current students engaged into postgraduate education. Scientific career can be a part of their activities as well.

Current students

Do not think that current students can be members of the student union only. The USC provides current students with an opportunity to meet with alumni all over the world and communicate with them. Scholarships and various events arranged by leaders of this organization are considered by USC alumni association as well as football games and relations with all alumni. The USC alumni membership enables you to take part in different programs. You can benefit from being a leader of this university and taking part in various USC events.

Acadia University is an exceptional university community where academic excellence is our hallmark. Faculty continue daily to build on Acadia’s reputation for excellence through widely-recognized research, and a thoughtful approach to teaching in our welcoming, student-centered environment.

Canadian opinion leaders consistently rank Acadia University ahead of other undergraduate universities for its innovation and development of tomorrow’s leaders. Equipping students with the tools they need to succeed in life is part of our commitment to academic excellence. Leadership, problem-solving, and effective communication skills are just some of the results that our graduates applaud! Our graduates also praise the technological tools that are supplied by Acadia. With every student receiving a Dell notebook computer, with the latest programs and both wired and wireless connections across campus, graduates say they are well-prepared for their next career move when they leave Acadia.

Our students find the Acadia environment to be rich and rewarding. And, our alumni are the proof as they pursue outstanding careers worldwide.

Few may realize the labour and sacrifice it took to establish Acadia University. In November 1838, Edmund A. Crawley, a Baptist minister from Halifax, organized a meeting to discuss the possibility of establishing a college in Wolfville (at that time known as Horton). The community rallied and, incredibly, two months later Acadia College opened its doors to students. Under normal circumstances in those days, several years usually passed from the time a college was founded to the time classes began.

The first few years for Acadia and its founders were challenging. Most pressing was the lack of finances in the midst of a regional recession which hindered the College from owning its own building. In 1841, Isaac Chipman – a ‘local son’ and one of three professors of Acadia College – set out across the countryside to canvass for donations to build the first College Hall. Since cash in hand was unavailable, he decided to find donations of goods and services instead. Often without salary, he took it upon himself to find material and labour in order to build the Hall, supervise the construction, manage the dormitory, gather books for the library and teach classes.

Most unique about Acadia’s beginnings was the enthusiasm and involvement of the local community. Local woodsmen used their solid axes to fell trees in order to have lumber to build the College Hall. Many of the trees came from the North Mountain and were brought to Wolfville by water. From there, men from Gaspereau brought their oxen over the hills to the shores of Wolfville to haul the trees to the college site.

With inspiring stamina and fortitude, the women of Nova Scotia made important strides in the founding and building of Acadia. In 1828, six women walked from Lunenburg to Wolfville (a significant journey in the early 1800s) to attend the Nova Scotia Baptist Association where discussion took place regarding building an institution of higher education for Baptist young men. During Chipman’s canvassing years, local women knit great quantities of mittens to sell and raise funds to buy materials and supplies for the construction of the College.

“I think that without that greater community connection, there wouldn’t be an Acadia,” says Dr. Barry Moody, the chair of Acadia’s History and Classics department and a graduate of the University. “For those women to have knit those mittens, and those men to chop down trees … it’s incredible.”

To celebrate the incredible commitment of the women and men of Nova Scotia, Acadia has added a special feature to the stylistic Acadia ‘A’. Originating in the 1930s, the University began using an Acadia ‘A’ to help promote and celebrate the Acadia spirit. In 2003, Acadia developed an ‘A’ that reflects the history of the University and the resourcefulness of a community that founded and built this unique and innovative institution.

With the addition of a crossed axe symbol, the ‘A’ reflects how Acadia’s founders, with axes in hand, cut down the first trees for lumber to build a ‘college on the hill’ and also represents the many others who knit, donated nails and glass and supported Acadia in any way they could. Their determination shaped the Acadia spirit – a spirit which continues to guide the University today.

Contacting Acadia University

Acadia University
Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Canada, B4P 2R6

Staffed Switchboard Connecting to all Departments
902-542-2201 or 902-585-2201
Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm

Automated Switchboard Connecting to all Extensions
902-542-2200
24 hours

Founded in the wake of the gold rush by leaders of the newly established 31st state, the University of California‘s flagship campus at Berkeley has become one of the preeminent universities in the world. Its early guiding lights, charged with providing education (both “practical” and “classical”) for the state’s people, gradually established a distinguished faculty (with 20 Nobel laureates to date), a stellar research library, and more than 350 academic programs.

This California institution became a catalyst of economic growth and social innovation — the place where vitamin E was discovered, a lost Scarlatti opera found, the flu virus identified, and the nation’s first no-fault divorce law drafted. Scholars at Berkeley have conducted groundbreaking research on urban street gangs and on basic human nutritional requirements, identified why wartime supply ships were failing at sea, invented technologies to build faster and cheaper computer chips, and imaged the infant universe.

In recognition of broad and deep excellence, respected sources have repeatedly ranked UC Berkeley at or near the top in fields ranging from engineering and the “hard” sciences to the social sciences, arts, and humanities. The National Research Council, in the most recent version of its highly regarded report on U.S. public and private universities, ranked Berkeley no. 1 nationally in the number of campus graduate programs (35 out of 36) among the top 10 in their fields.

In accordance with UC’s “public” character, the university has long served talented individuals regardless of means. As early as 1897, financial aid was available for “needy and deserving” students. More than a century later, UC Berkeley combines outstanding teaching and research programs with broad access for students of all means — educating more federal Pell Grant recipients from low-income families than all eight Ivy League universities combined. Close to 30 percent of UC Berkeley freshmen are the first in their families to attend college.

The University of California was chartered in 1868 and its flagship campus — envisioned as a “City of Learning” — was established at Berkeley, on San Francisco Bay. Today the world’s premier public university and a wellspring of innovation, UC Berkeley occupies a 1,232 acre campus with a sylvan 178-acre central core. From this home its academic community makes key contributions to the economic and social well-being of the Bay Area, California, and the nation.

Student body

Number of students: 35,409 students as of Fall 2008 including 25,151 undergraduates and 10,258 pursuing graduate degrees.

Undergraduate gender: 53% female and 47% male (Fall 2008).
Graduate gender: 55% male and 45% female (Fall 2008) 

Degrees granted in 2007-08: Bachelor’s, 6,960; Master’s and professional degrees, 2,406; Doctoral, 865

Enrollment by ethnicity (Fall 2008)

Faculty

2,028 faculty members dispersed among more than 130 academic departments and more than 80 interdisciplinary research units. 

Student-to-faculty ratio: 15.1 to 1 (Fall, 2007)

Undergraduate classes with fewer than 30 students: 76%

Nobel laureates: Twenty faculty members, including seven current faculty.

National and international awards held by faculty.

Profile of admitted freshman

Number of applicants: 48,400 (Fall 2008)

4,300 students enrolled (Fall 2008)

21.5% of applicants admitted (Fall 2008)

3.82 (on a 4.0 scale) average high-school grade point for admitted freshmen (Fall 2008).

SAT scores: Average SAT Composite score of 1989 for admitted freshmen (Fall 2008).

85% from California (Fall 2008)

75% from public high schools (2008)

64% have at least one parent born outside the U.S. (2006)

30% are first in their family to attend a four-year college (2007)

Fields of study

130 academic departments and more than 80 interdisciplinary research units.

Colleges and schools: UC Berkeley is divided into 14 colleges and schools, most of which are subdivided into departments.

Most popular majors (as of Fall 2008): Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 935 students; Molecular and Cell Biology, 787 students; Political Science, 762 students. 

Courses offered: More than 7,000 courses in some 350 degree programs; the campus produces more Ph.D.s annually than any other U.S. university. (Cal Facts 2008)

Measures of excellence

Rankings: UC Berkeley ranks first nationally in the number of graduate programs in the top 10 in their fields.

Research funding: In the 2007 fiscal year, Berkeley received $504.2 million in research funding — 75% from federal, state, and public sources; 19% from nonprofit sources; and 6% from the private sector. 

Public service by students: In any given year, more than 4,000 Cal students do volunteer work. UC Berkeley continues to be the only school in the country to have produced more than 3,000 Peace Corps volunteers since that organization’s inception in 1961.

Tuition, fees & financial aid

Some 65% of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. For example, in 2007-08, 33 percent of all Berkeley undergrads were eligible for Pell Grants (family incomes typically less than $45,000 a year). Berkeley educates more of these economically disadvantaged students than all of the Ivy League universities combined. More than 8,400 undergraduates received a total of $40.5 million in scholarships, many of them privately funded.

Average undergraduate student budget 2008-2009:

A health insurance fee of $1,276 is included in student budget, but may be waived if proof of adequate coverage is presented.

* Non-resident tuition add $20,608

Average graduate student budget 2008-09:

These figures are estimated averages for the nine-month academic year. The expenses for Law/MBA/Optometry/JMP/Public Health/Policy students will vary from the above depending on the department, degree program, and year in school.

Campus budget & finances

Revenues: $1.789 billion in 2007-08 : Can also call Controller’s Office Lisa Vanderfin & Yaling Li)

• Funding sources, 2007-2008 (includes state research funds):
  • State funds: 34%
  • Tuition & fees: 19%
  • Private: 16%
  • Federal research: 18%
  • Other: 13%

• Sources of private funds, 2005–06: (Source: Cal Facts 2008 Jose)
  • Alumni, parents & friends: 49%
  • Foundations: 31%
  • Corporations: 15%
  • Other sources: 5%

Market value of endowment: $3 billion (June 2008). Birgeneau budget update is source of $3 billion June 08 figure

Philanthropic support: The state supplied 47% of the University’s budget in 1991-92 and today its contribution comes to about 33%. Private support is increasingly critical to preserving Berkeley’s excellence. Alumni, parents, and friends of the campus contributed $267.9 million in gifts and pledges in the 2006-07 fiscal year to support students, faculty, and research. There were 85,061 gifts and pledges from 57,850 donors. (Jose Rodriguez 4/21/08)

Economic impact: UC Berkeley employs 24,700 people. As detailed in a recent economic-impact report, the campus’s direct spending of more than $1 billion in the Bay Area generated an additional $464 million in spending and an additional 9,200 jobs for Bay Area residents.

Research

In the 2006-07 fiscal year, UC Berkeley received $545 million in research funding — 57% from the federal government, 20% from nonprofits; 4% from UC; 6% from the private industry sector, and 13% from other sources.

Inventions/patents as of June 2007:

• • 1,931 total inventions
  • 248 active license agreements
  • 532 active U.S. patents
  • 385 active foreign patents

Libraries and museums

In 2007, the Association of Research Libraries ranked the UC Berkeley’s University Library as the No. 1 public research university library in North America.

Number of libraries: Three main libraries (Doe, Moffitt, and the Bancroft), 18 subject-specialty libraries, and 11 affiliated libraries (with special collections) make up the UC Berkeley Library system.

Holdings: The Library has over 10 million book volumes, 90,000 current serial publications, 415,900 pamphlets, 5 million microform items, 410,000 maps, 109,000 government documents, 60,000 sound recordings, and 6,350 videos.

The Berkeley Natural History Museums include the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology; the UC Botanical Garden; the Essig Museum of Entomology; the University and Jepson Herbaria; the Museum of Paleontology; the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology; and the Human Evolution Research Center.

Collections: A full listing of Berkeley’s many valuable collections of non-book artifacts and objects.

The Berkeley Art Museum houses diverse collections of more than 13,000 objects.

The Pacific Film Archive includes 10,000 films.

Athletics

Number of teams: 27 men’s and women’s intercollegiate squads

National championships won by Cal teams: 76

Olympic gold medals won by students and alumni (as individuals and teams): 91; nearly 300 Cal students and alumni have participated in the modern Olympic games as athletes and coaches.

Number of intramural sports offered: 9

Student-athlete academic achievement: Cal’s some 900 student-athletes achieved an average cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the 2007-08 school year. (Herb Benenson)

Alumni

Living alumni: 431,500 (January 2009)

Nobel Prizes won by alumni: 24

Famous alumni: Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple; Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google; Alice Waters, culinary hero; Maxine Hong Kingston, author of “Women Warrior” (see a more extensive list).

Fictional alumni: Jack Bauer, the hero played by Kiefer Sutherland in the hit show “24,” supposedly got his Masters of Science in “Criminology and Law” at Berkeley (no such degree is offered). Joanie Caucus of Doonesbury. C.J. Cregg of “The West Wing.” Elaine, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter in “The Graduate.”

Reference websites

Campus statistics: The Office of Planning & Analysis site includes a number of frequently requested statistics and their comprehensive Berkeley Profile.

Common Data Set: Information on the general campus; enrollment and persistence; first-time, first-year (freshmen) admissions; transfer admissions; academic offerings and policies; student life; annual expenses; financial aid; instructional faculty and class size; and degrees conferred.

Economic impact report for UC Berkeley

Student Data: The Office of Student Research site offers a statistical profile of the student population.

University of California systemwide statistics: Statistical summary and data on UC students, faculty, and staff.