What are “community-engaged” courses?

Community-engaged courses create opportunities for students to apply the material that they are studying in real-world contexts. Students participate actively in community settings through these courses which are offered in a wide range of majors and minors. Community-engaged activities vary by the focus of the course, ranging from direct service to “consulting” to research. All such activities are designed to add to students’ learning and also create value for our community partners. Students typically work about 20 hours off campus per term though this varies by course. Community-engaged courses can vary from 1 to 5 units, and depending on the course, can be graded or pass/no pass. They may apply toward a student’s major or minor, fulfill a GE, Writing, or Diversity requirement, or be taken as an elective.

Community-engaged courses typically have an “XP” suffix in the course number, and you can search for these courses in the Schedule of Classes (see below).

Why take a community-engaged course?

To gain real world hands-on experience while earning academic credit. Community-engaged courses are an opportunity to make a positive impact in your community!

Below are some of the majors/minors that offer XP courses

  • American Indian Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Arts Education
  • Asian American Studies
  • Chicana/o and Central American Studies
  • Cluster Program
  • Community Engagement and Social Change
  • Dance
  • Disability Studies
  • Economics
  • Education and Social Transformation
  • English
  • English Composition
  • European Languages & Transcultural Studies
  • Food Studies
  • Gender Studies
  • Gerontology
  • Honors Program
  • Labor Studies
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Neuroscience
  • Nursing
  • Professional Writing
  • Psychology
  • Public Affairs
  • Public Health
  • Science Education
  • Spanish
  • Statistics
  • World Arts and Culture

Types of community engagement offered by XP courses

COMMUNITY-ENGAGED RESEARCH

Students apply their academic skills to conduct research in collaboration with one or more community partners.

CO-LEARNING

Students and community constituents learn together in courses based at UCLA or in a community location in Los Angeles or through travel study programs.

SERVICE DELIVERY

Students support the delivery of programs or services to constituents being served by a community organization, bringing these experiences back into the classroom to inform course material.

K-12 AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION

Students develop and lead lessons in school-based, afterschool or community programs.

CLIENT CONSULTING

Students apply the skills of their discipline to address needs or challenges identified by community stakeholders.

CO-CREATING

Students and community constituents engage in creative or artistic work together based at UCLA or in a community location.

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING

Students work to support the mission of a community organization through activities such as curriculum development, translation services, website design, and data analysis.

Below are some examples of XP courses that fulfill GE, Diversity, or writing requirements

How to search for XP courses on the Schedule of Classes

Look for the XP suffix in UCLA’s course catalog and schedule of classes! Please note that some community-engaged courses may have an abbreviated version of the “XP” suffix (e.g. English 4WX) if the course already carries a mandatory suffix.

The easiest way to search all XP courses offered in a given quarter is by using the search tool on the Schedule of Classes. Search by “Community-Engaged Learning Courses” and then select All Community-Engaged Learning Classes in the drop down menu.

UCLA SCHEDULE OF CLASSES