Non-degree Research and Study in Nanoscale Science & Engineering
UC Berkeley is open mainly to students pursuing full-time study. Prospective students apply to specific degree programs, compete for limited spaces, and are expected to earn their degrees.

Suppose youre interested in taking a nano-related course here on campus, or you would love to be able to work in a particular investigators lab for a semester, but you are not a full-time UC Berkeley student.

Is there a way to just take a class or do one semester in a research lab?

Maybe.

Concurrent Enrollment
The University Extension is the continuing education arm of the UC system. It has a program called Concurrent Enrollment that allows you to enroll in UC Berkeley campus courses without formal admission to the University.

The instructor and home department of the course youre interested in have to agree to allow you to enroll, and formal UC Berkeley students will have priority when seats are scarce, but this is your opportunity to learn about the nano topic that interests you without donning the burdens of full-time studenthood.

Visiting Scholars
The office of Visiting Scholars and Postdoc Affairs administers visits by over two thousand researchers who are using campus facilities to pursue their academic or professional interests without being in a UCB degree program. Visitors must have a faculty sponsor and be approved by the college or unit that houses the investigators lab. Many BNNI investigators sponsor visiting postdocs and student researchers. See the VSPA website for more information.

If youre interested in more info about taking a nano-related course or being a visitor in a nano investigators lab, write us at nanoinstitute@lists.berkeley.edu