University of California, Merced - Major

Accounting, B.S.

bwright3 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 18:04:41 +0000

The Accounting major provides students with a strong foundation in accounting, business, finance, statistics and economics. The curriculum emphasizes quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, ethical decision-making, and professional communication; preparing students for careers in public accounting, corporate finance, and related fields. Students develop critical thinking skills by interpreting and evaluating current events and policy proposals in accounting, business, taxation, and auditing. The program fosters problem-solving through the analysis of accounting and business challenges, applying analytical methods to real- world situations.

��һ�� Accounting Program

Through coursework in in financial-accounting, auditing, regulation and analysis, students will be prepared for the rigorous professional roles that are pursued by accounting graduates. Students will not only take key courses in accounting and ethics, but will compliment this with courses in economics and statistics. The Generally Acceptable Accounting Practices (GAAP) are woven throughout the curriculum, with explicit focus on ethics and their practice in the accounting profession. Students practice applying the professional and ethical standards required in public accounting, preparing for certification and maintaining integrity in professional practice. Students also develop the ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and effectively in both written and oral forms. These skills enable graduates to convey financial insights to clients, colleagues, and stakeholders across a range of professional settings.

The Accounting major supports students in achieving candidacy to apply for and pass the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Exam and prepares them for careers in accounting, auditing, taxation, and financial analysis across public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

What Can You Do With an Accounting Degree?

Annual Job Openings in CA: 6,382
10-year projected job market growth: 4%
Median wage in California: $107,731

The top 5 industries where California graduates of Accounting programs work:

Accounting (about 30% of graduates work in this industry)
Financial Services
Information Technology and Services
Computer Software
Real Estate

Accounting is a new major, so there are no Accounting major alumni yet. ��һ�� graduates of similar programs have been hired at well-known companies such as Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Internal Revenue Service, BDO USA, and Armanino.

Economics Department Website School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Business Administration, B.A.

bwright3 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:59:51 +0000

The Business Administration major offers students a well-rounded education in the core disciplines that drive modern business, including management, finance, marketing, accounting, and economics. Grounded in real-world application, the curriculum is designed to help students understand how organizations operate, how decisions are made, and how value is created. With an emphasis on ethical leadership, effective communication, and strategic thinking, the program provides a flexible framework for exploring the role of business in society and the global economy.

��һ�� Business Administration Program

The Business Administration major at ��һ�� prepares students for a wide variety of career paths in today’s rapidly evolving economy. This includes roles in management, marketing, financial services, entrepreneurship, accounting, sales, and operations. With a curriculum grounded in core business and management classes students develop the skills needed to lead teams, solve real-world business problems, and make data-informed decisions.

What sets this program apart is its accessible, hands-on approach. Students engage in business decision-making through case studies, simulations, and practical projects, with less emphasis on economic theory or quantitative analytics. The Business Administration major is ideal for those seeking to apply business principles across a wide range of industries and organizational settings.

Students in this program explore how business can drive economic opportunity and social progress, and learn to navigate challenges related to leadership, innovation, and ethics. Whether launching a startup, managing a team, improving business operations, or entering business school, graduates leave ��һ�� prepared to make meaningful contributions in a wide range of fields.

What Can You Do with a Business Administration Degree?

Annual Job Openings in CA: 17,247
10-year projected job market growth: 4.1%
Median wage in California: $97,776

The top 10 industries that CA graduates of Business Administration degrees work in:

Financial Services
Information Technology and Services
Computer Software
Internet
Hospital & Health Care
Retail
Real Estate
Marketing and Advertising
Entertainment
Insurance

Business Administration is a new major, so there are no Business Administration major alumni yet. ��һ�� graduates of similar programs have been hired at well-known companies such as Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, Gallo, Merrill Lynch, Amazon, Federal Reserve Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley.

Economics Department Website School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Liberal Studies, B.A.

bwright3 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 17:51:27 +0000

Ask Big Questions. Find Connections. Build a Career That Makes a Difference.

Are you curious about big questions like what makes a community equitable, inclusive, and thriving? How can schools and educators support diverse learners in meaningful ways? And how can a deeper understanding of people, culture, and society help drive positive change?

Liberal Studies at ��һ�� gives you the freedom to explore big ideas across multiple disciplines—and turn them into meaningful action. This flexible, interdisciplinary major is designed for students interested in education, social impact, and people-centered work, especially if your interests don’t fit neatly into a single field.

Why choose liberal studies?

Whether you're a first-year student, transferring in credits, or returning to complete your degree, Liberal Studies lets you customize your path while building a strong foundation in skills that matter across careers, including critical thinking, research, communication, and collaboration.

Through your coursework and experiences, you’ll develop the ability to think deeply, connect ideas, and address complex problems.

As a Liberal Studies major, you will:

Examine big questions at multiple levels—from personal stories to global issues—understanding how history, culture, and society shape lives and communities.
Develop the knowledge and experience needed to understand and address complex challenges—such as advancing educational equity, creating inclusive learning environments, and supporting youth development and success.
Build a foundation for diverse careers with social impact, including education, human services and health care.
Follow a clear, streamlined pathway to a teaching career, including coursework that satisfies requirements for the Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and hands-on opportunities in elementary education.

This major helps you turn curiosity into impact—whether that means becoming a K–8 teacher, leading initiatives in your community, or pursuing graduate school in education, policy, or the liberal arts.

Thinking about teaching? You’re already on the right path.

If you’re interested in becoming a K–8 teacher, Liberal Studies offers one of the most efficient pathways. The program is designed with future educators in mind and offers built-in advantages that can remove obstacles and save time and money on the path to a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

As a Liberal Studies major, you can:

Satisfy the subject matter competency requirement (California Subject Examinations for Teachers or CSET) for a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential through your major
Take credential-aligned education courses that count toward both your degree and ��һ��’s Teacher Preparation Program.
Add a Natural Sciences Education (NSED) minor and gain additional coursework and fieldwork experience for admission to teacher credential programs at many local institutions.
Build hands-on experience through coursework and undergraduate research focused on education, equity, and diverse communities.

You’ll graduate not only qualified to lead a classroom but equipped with the tools to support all learners, collaborate across communities, and make a lasting difference in students’ lives.

Thinking about returning to college to finish your degree?

Have you started your degree but stepped away, and are now ready to finish strong? Are you looking for a program that values what you bring, helps you build on past credits, and prepares you for a meaningful career?

Liberal Studies at ��һ�� is designed with flexibility in mind so you can explore your interests, reconnect with your goals, and prepare for diverse careers. Whether you’re returning to pursue your dream of teaching or to use your experience to support others, this major equips you with the tools to succeed.

Visit https://degreecompletion.ucmerced.edu/ to connect with a re-entry advisor and explore how Liberal Studies can fit your goals.

What can you do with a Liberal Studies Degree?

A degree in Liberal Studies opens doors to a variety of fulfilling careers. You'll be prepared for people-centered roles in schools, nonprofits, public service, health care, and more—and gain transferable skills that employers across sectors value.

Here’s what the job market looks like in California:

Annual Job Openings in CA: 6,044
10-year projected job market growth: 4.1%
Median wage in California: $87,740

Where do liberal studies graduates work?

While ��һ��’s Liberal Studies major is new, graduates from similar programs across California have launched careers at:

School districts and education nonprofits
Healthcare organizations (Kaiser Permanente)
Financial institutions (Wells Fargo and Bank of America)
Major companies (Apple)

Common industries include:

Primary & Secondary Education
Higher Education & Education Management
Government & Public Service
Health & Human Services
Legal and Financial Services
Nonprofit Leadership

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Science, Technology, and Ethics, B.S.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:36:15 +0000

In an era of artificial intelligence, climate change, and zoonotic disease, our world requires citizens who understand both the technical and humanistic sides of emerging challenges. Will generative AI solve the problem of online misinformation, or make it worse? How did the scientific consensus on climate change become entangled with partisan politics? What role should scientific and technical expertise play in a democratic society?

Students in the Science, Technology, and Ethics (STE) program explore these kinds of questions, taking courses that cross the divide between STEM and the humanities.

UC MERCED SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ETHICS PROGRAM

As part of the requirements for the STE major, students take 20–40 units (approximately 5–10 courses) in a STEM field of their choice, such as Data Science, Biology, or Public Health. On the humanities side, requirements include Ethics as well as Philosophy of Science and Technology, with opportunities to take designated electives from other social science and humanities programs. The required sequence of STE-specific courses integrates students’ STEM and humanities training, developing skills in the analysis of the ethical, legal, and social implications of novel technologies and scientific developments. Double majors are welcome in the program, including STEM-STE double majors.

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Neuroscience, B.S., B.A.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:32:40 +0000

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system of humans and animals from an anatomical, molecular, and functional perspective. From an anatomical perspective, neuroscientists study the structure of neurons, synapsis, enzymes, and molecules involved in neural signal transmission, as well as the structure of the brain and sensory and cognitive systems (visual, auditory, motor, memory, and attention). From a molecular and functional perspective, neuroscientists study how biochemical and enzymatic reactions facilitate neural inhibitions and excitations within and across neuro-muscular structures and in turn how these processes mediate processing of environmental stimuli, regulate organ functions, and maintain body homeostasis. Moreover, the study of modern neuroscience includes a macro examination of how neural signaling across the entire nervous system manifests in behavior and disease, typically studied in the fields of Psychology, Health, and Cognitive science. Such macro topics include how brain encoding of environmental, linguistic, and musical stimuli, emotions, memory, artistic talent, and languages facilitate learning and development and how social interactions influence mental and physical health.

UC MERCED NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM

The Neuroscience major offering takes all aspects of the study of neuroscience. A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Neuroscience option offers a comprehensive scientific learning experience, not only in molecular and cell neurobiology, psychology, cognitive sciences, and biomedical engineering but also the subject matters that biological systems are based on, such as chemistry, physics and mathematics. The B.S. option offers three emphases to suit students’ career plans. These emphases are: 1) Molecular, Systems and Cellular, 2) Computational, Perceptual, and Cognitive 3) Neuroscience of Human Health and Development.
Alternatively, ��һ�� offers a Bachelor of Art (B.A.) in Neuroscience option, which is similar to the B.S. option but with less emphasis on physics and mathematics. Finally, ��һ�� also offers a Minor in Neuroscience (20-21 units), which has 2 required courses and 3 electives.

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Communication and Media, B.A.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:29:40 +0000

The BA in Communication and Media at ��һ�� brings together research and practices of the social sciences and humanities in a broadly interdisciplinary approach to the study of human communication in diverse media. In addition to the field of communication, our faculty conduct research in many fields, including media and cultural studies, film studies, performance studies, visual studies, sound studies, gender studies, rhetoric, writing studies, cognitive science, and linguistics. We draw on these fields to illuminate processes of human communication and how these manifest socially, materially, and politically in scholarship that is historical, transnational, and committed to community engagement and social justice.

UC MERCED COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA PROGRAM

Our program offers students the tools available to analyze, investigate, and produce effective communication in a wide variety of media for diverse audiences and perspectives. This training prepares students to pursue positions in many occupations and graduate programs, including media production, journalism, health communication, industrial and labor relations, public information, opinion research, legislative staff positions, mediation and negotiation, legal research, business management, and other professions in which effective communication is essential. In addition to a B.A. in Communication and Media, we also offer emphasis tracks in Media Production, and Linguistics that provide more specialized background in particular areas of inquiry.

School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts Website

Major

Social Sciences and Humanities

Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, B.S.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:20:47 +0000

In an era marked by global ecological challenges and rapid biodiversity loss, the study of Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (EECB) has never been more critical and compelling. The 21st Century is witnessing an urgent need for individuals equipped to navigate and mitigate the complexities of environmental crises. The undergraduate majors in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology at the University of California, Merced, which include both B.S. degrees in General and Pre-Health tracks, instruct students in the intricate relationships within natural ecosystems, evolutionary processes, and conservation strategies vital for preserving our planet's biological wealth.

UC MERCED ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY PROGRAM

The Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (EECB) program at ��һ�� teaches these ecology, evolutionary biology, and conservation biology as interconnected and dynamic fields of study, emphasizing data-driven ecological analysis, hypothesis testing in evolutionary biology, and practical conservation strategies. The curriculum is underpinned by foundational concepts from various disciplines including Biology, Data Science, and Environmental Sciences. Students opting for the EECB B.S. will gain deep insight into areas such as organismal ecology, the processes giving rise to the Tree of Life, and cutting-edge conservation practices. The EECB B.S. offers two emphasis tracks: the General track, where students have flexibility to tailor their studies to their unique interests and career aspirations, and the Pre-Health track, which provides students with expertise in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology, while simultaneously fulfilling the Medical Education Core Coursework, opening the door to medical school and other health fields.

School of Natural Sciences Website

Major

Natural Sciences

Biochemistry, B.S.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:15:04 +0000

The pioneering geneticist Craig Venter famously stated in 2004, “If the 20th century was the century of physics, the 21st century will be the century of biology.” The wealth of genomic data that has become available in recent decades, along with parallel development of methods in biochemistry and molecular biology, has offered new opportunities for solving some of humanity's most pressing challenges, including issues related to human and environmental health. Furthermore, biochemistry is foundational to the practice of modern medicine.

Our growing knowledge of how life operates at the biochemical level has already ushered in remarkable advances in technology, including new chemical and biologic drugs, vaccines, cancer immunotherapies, sustainable catalysts and chemical synthesis approaches, genetically modified crops, and engineered biomaterials. A degree in Biochemistry opens the door to a wide variety of careers in fields where the ability to leverage the exponential growth of available biological data and to extract meaningful biochemical insights from this vast sea of information is critical, such as in medical research, biotechnology, and environmental health.

UC MERCED BIOCHEMISTRY PROGRAM

Students majoring in Biochemistry at ��һ�� will pursue a highly interdisciplinary understanding of biology at the scale of atoms to molecules with a level of depth and rigor that is not provided by programs in either Chemical or Biological Science majors. The program develops students' fundamental knowledge of biochemical principles, and provides training in cutting edge experimental techniques, data analysis and computational methods, and effective scientific communication.

School of Natural Sciences Website

Major

Natural Sciences

Management of Innovation, Sustainability, and Technology (MIST), B.A.

bwright3 — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 18:08:02 +0000

The undergraduate major in Management of Innovation, Sustainability and Technology (MIST) combines fundamental coursework in leadership, communications, organizations, entrepreneurship, finance, policy, data analytics, technology management, and sustainable innovation. The resulting multi-dimensional skillset integrates core management skills with a broad understanding of how to develop innovative, sustainable and equitable solutions by way of teamwork and technology. It also enables students to understand where and why entrepreneurial opportunities exist, what constraints define them, how to identify marketable solutions, and how to develop an action plan grounded in the Triple Bottom Line principles that prioritize people and planet, in addition to the traditional bottom line of value generation for financial profit only.

UC MERCED MANAGEMENT OF INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

The program develops fundamentals skills of management with emphasis on the integrated roles of innovation, sustainability, and technology. Students will learn how modern-day problems – from climate change across global environmental systems, to other challenges associated with designing and managing social, food, and energy systems – require combining complementary understandings that combine into a wholistic perspective for developing potent solutions.

In particular, students will develop a systems thinking mindset for understanding where and why global crises emerge; an entrepreneurial technology management mindset for understanding how to design cutting-edge, scalable and equitable solutions that can generate value for stakeholders and society; and a digital mindset for harnessing the modern data analytics paradigm that is critical to decision-support, effective communication and inspiring action.

This combination of management and entrepreneurship fundamentals paired with applied skills in data analysis, operations, planning, communication and leadership will equip MIST graduates with a valuable array of skills for pursuing a wide range of careers in profit and not-for-profit organizations and public and private enterprises.

School of Engineering Website

Major

Engineering

Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering, B.S.

bwright3 — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 19:37:16 +0000

Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineers apply chemical engineering principles and knowledge in molecular and cell biology and biochemistry to design, develop, and operate processes, products, and devices involving biological systems. Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineers produce biologically derived products, industrial and consumer chemicals of application in food processing and conservation, agriculture, health and the environment.

��һ�� Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program

The Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering major at ��һ�� provides students with a solid foundation in biological sciences, biochemistry, chemistry, mathematics, and biochemical and biomolecular process engineering.
The program educates students in critical thinking and engineering design, communication effectiveness, in the benefits of collaborative and cooperative work, and provides strong ethical and professional considerations with the goal of preparing students for careers in industry, academia, and government.

School of Engineering Website

Major

Engineering

University of California, Merced - Major

Accounting, B.S.

��һ���� Accounting Program

What Can You Do With an Accounting Degree?

Business Administration, B.A.

��һ���� Business Administration Program

What Can You Do with a Business Administration Degree?

Liberal Studies, B.A.

Ask Big Questions. Find Connections. Build a Career That Makes a Difference.

Why choose liberal studies?

Thinking about teaching? You’re already on the right path.

Thinking about returning to college to finish your degree?

What can you do with a Liberal Studies Degree?

Where do liberal studies graduates work?

Science, Technology, and Ethics, B.S.

UC MERCED SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND ETHICS PROGRAM

Neuroscience, B.S., B.A.

UC MERCED NEUROSCIENCE PROGRAM

Communication and Media, B.A.

UC MERCED COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA PROGRAM

Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, B.S.

UC MERCED ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY PROGRAM

Biochemistry, B.S.

UC MERCED BIOCHEMISTRY PROGRAM

Management of Innovation, Sustainability, and Technology (MIST), B.A.

UC MERCED MANAGEMENT OF INNOVATION, SUSTAINABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering, B.S.

��һ���� Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program

��һ�� Accounting Program

��һ�� Business Administration Program

��һ�� Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Program