UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education

What UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education does

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) is the self-supporting continuing education division of the University of California, Davis, operating since approximately 1960 from Davis, CA with classroom facilities at Aggie Square in Sacramento. The unit delivers roughly 14 areas of study including Agriculture, Brewing, Business, Child Development, Construction and Engineering, Education, Health Sciences, Human Services, Leadership, Sensory and Food Science, Technology and Information Management, Urban and Environmental Planning, and Winemaking, plus master's and post-baccalaureate programs, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for adults 50+, and summer high school programs. Course content is co-developed with UC Davis academic departments (Viticulture and Enology, Food Science and Technology, MIND Institute), giving learners access to university faculty and research resources that competing private providers cannot replicate.

Programs are delivered through a Canvas-based online learning platform, on-campus classrooms in Davis and Sacramento, and a Coursera partnership that distributes 19 specializations and 95+ classes. The business model blends three revenue streams: individual course and certificate fees (typically $1,000-$2,000 per course, with package pricing up to $6,000), custom Organizational Training contracts sold to government agencies and corporations (California DMV, Mondelez, Griffith Foods, multiple state agencies), and self-supporting master's degree programs operated in partnership with the Academic Senate and Graduate Division. Digital badges issued via Credly serve as micro-credentials across the portfolio.

Customers include working professionals seeking career advancement, enterprise and government clients procuring workforce development, UC Davis employees receiving 20-40% discounts, lifelong learners aged 50+, and high school students in summer programs. The organization does not participate in Title IV federal financial aid, is FERPA- and GDPR-compliant, and is led by Executive Director Jen Schwedler, with Kelley Ogden appointed as Chief Operations and People Officer in April 2026. Recent strategic emphasis has been on expanding Organizational Training, launching the Controlled Environment Agriculture Program with UC ANR's VINE initiative, and broadening the digital credentialing footprint.

Name

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education

Legal name

The Regents of the University of California, Davis campus

Website

https://cpe.ucdavis.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is the self-supporting continuing education division of UC Davis, delivering professional certificates, custom corporate training, and master's programs across 14 areas of study — including brewing, viticulture, winemaking, and food science — to working professionals, government agencies, and corporate clients in California and online.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Continuing and Professional Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD) (EDAAALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accounting, Audit & Tax (CPA/CA/ACCA CPE) (EDAAALAA), Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE), Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH), Information Security, Privacy & IT Governance (CISSP CPE, Privacy CE) (EDAAALAL), Environmental, Health & Safety / Sustainability (EHS, Environmental Compliance CE) (EDAAALAO)

Keywords

• Continuing education
• Professional certificates
• Workforce training
• Corporate education
• Specialized courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Davis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Course and Certificate Fees: Students pay per course or program fees for certificate programs. Courses typically cost between $1,000 and $2,000 each, with full curriculum packages priced at $6,000 for specialized programs like Controlled Environment Agriculture.
2. Organizational/Corporate Training: Custom training solutions and group enrollment services sold to government agencies, nonprofits, and private organizations for workforce development.
3. Master's Degree Programs: Self-supporting master's degree programs (e.g., Master of Science in Forensic Science) operated in partnership with Academic Senate and Graduate Division.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) is the continuing education division of the University of California, Davis, delivering professional certificate programs, courses, master's degrees, and customized corporate training across areas such as agriculture, brewing, business, health sciences, leadership, technology, sensory and food science, child development, education, urban and environmental planning, and winemaking. Programs are delivered online (via Canvas LMS), in-person at UC Davis (Davis, CA) and at Aggie Square (Sacramento, CA), and through a Coursera partnership, serving both individual professionals and organizational clients (government agencies, nonprofits, and private companies).

Product overview

UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is a continuing education division of the University of California, Davis that offers one of the university's most extensive educational portfolios. The organization provides a multi-format platform encompassing professional certificate programs, academic non-credit certificates, on-campus programs for international students, contract programs for government and corporate clients, conferences, and boot camps. Core products include Agriculture Programs (Master Brewers, Viticulture, Winemaking, Sensory Science), Business Programs (Accounting, Project Management, HR, Paralegal), Health Sciences (Cell and Gene Therapy, Public Health), Leadership Programs (Emerging Leader, Executive Leadership), Technology Programs (Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Python, GIS), Sensory and Food Science, Child Development, Education, and Urban/Environmental Planning. Supplementary offerings include Organizational Training (customized corporate training), Digital Badges (micro-credentials via Credly), Scholarship Programs, and Summer High School Programs. Programs are delivered through Online Programs (Canvas LMS), the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (for age 50+), and Master's Degree/Post-Baccalaureate Programs, with Coursera partnership providing additional online learning access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI): Lifelong learning programs for adults age 50 and better, offering courses in community, discovery, and longevity topics.
• UC Davis Summer High School Programs
• Open Campus

Products and services

• Agriculture Programs

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) / The VINEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2025UC Davis CPE and UC ANR's VINE initiative launched a Controlled Environment Agriculture Program offering online courses in indoor farming. The partnership combines UC Davis's continuing education expertise with UC ANR's agricultural innovation to deliver industry-relevant training in controlled environment agriculture.
• CourseracoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to provide UC Davis staff, faculty, and student employees free access to UC Davis specializations and classes through Coursera's MOOC platform. Nineteen specializations and 95+ classes available covering professional and technical subjects.
• California DMVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUC Davis CPE partnered with California DMV to deliver leadership training at Aggie Square. The partnership has provided DMV employees across all leadership levels opportunities to improve skills for managing teams, communicating with the public, and navigating internal processes.
• SAFCA (Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization receiving organizational training services from UC Davis CPE.
• Northern California Power AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization receiving organizational training services from UC Davis CPE.
• California State Water Resources Control BoardminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization receiving organizational training services from UC Davis CPE.
• Alameda County Probation DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization receiving organizational training services from UC Davis CPE.
• SETA/Sacramento WorksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLimited scholarship funding offered through Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA)/Sacramento Works partnership to support job training and workforce development.
• UC Davis MIND InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) child development program, linking CPE programs with MIND Institute research and expertise in autism intervention.
• Craft Beer ProfessionalsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCraft Beer Professionals organization listed as a partner for brewing education programs, supporting professional development in the brewing industry.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Coursera: Largest MOOC platform partnering with UC Davis itself. Comparable because Coursera hosts UC Davis CPE content and competes for the same online professional development learner, but at a fundamentally broader, multi-university scale.

Direct peers

• UC San Diego Extension: UC San Diego's continuing education unit with a broad certificate catalog and corporate training practice. Direct in-system peer with overlapping tech, business, and government B2B training programs.
• UC Berkeley Extension: Continuing and professional education arm of UC Berkeley. Operates the same public-university CPE model with certificate, online, and custom training offerings targeting working professionals and Bay Area/government clients, making it the closest in-system peer to UC Davis CPE.
• Harvard Extension School: Harvard's continuing and professional education arm offering certificates, ALM degrees, and online courses. Comparable in leveraging elite university brand for adult learner professional development, though with a stronger degree-tilted portfolio.
• UCLA Extension: UCLA's continuing education division offering certificates, professional programs, and international student programming. Directly comparable in scale, scope, and university-affiliated self-supporting structure to UC Davis CPE.
• eCornell (Cornell University): Cornell University's online professional development unit offering certificate programs in leadership, HR, project management, and data analytics. Closest peer in online certificate delivery model and B2B/B2C mix.
• NYU School of Professional Studies: NYU's professional studies division offering credit and non-credit certificates, degrees, and customized training. Comparable in scale, breadth, and corporate-customized training practice.
• Stanford Continuing Studies: Stanford's continuing education program offering professional and lifelong-learning courses. Comparable in leveraging a top-tier university brand to attract adult learners, though more selective and less B2B-tilted than UC Davis CPE.
• USC Continuing Education and Professional Programs: USC's professional and continuing education division offering certificates and customized corporate training. Closely comparable business model with strong international student and corporate training focus.

Emerging players

• Emeritus: Online professional education provider partnering with universities (including selective UC Davis-adjacent programs) to deliver certificate programs. Comparable in targeting working professionals with university-branded online certificates, though with a for-profit, partner-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCpQejMlK4-Z3tgdXRpke0w?view_as=subscriber
• Facebookfacebook.com/ucdaviscpe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/ucdaviscpe
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucdaviscpe
• Xx.com/UCDavisCPE

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education