UC Davis distinctions

The campus’s breadth of academic and outside-the-classroom programs, commitment to providing an attentive and research-enriched education, determination to address society’s needs and consideration of campus community members as family are truly distinctive.

Comprehensive education
UC Davis is a leader in interdisciplinary study, offering more than 100 academic majors and 87 graduate programs. We are the only UC campus with schools of Law, Medicine, Education, Management, Nursing and Veterinary Medicine.

A research giant
UC Davis received $586 million in research awards in 2007-08, an increase of 10 percent over the previous year. The campus ranks first in the UC system and fifth in the nation in non-federal research expenditures, reflecting the "real-world" applicability of its research.

Super in science
UC Davis leads the nation in graduate and undergraduate education in the biological sciences. year after year, UC Davis tops the charts in numbers of doctoral and bachelor degrees conferred in biological sciences.

Top hospital: The UC Davis Medical Center ranks among the top 50 hospitals in America, according to annual surveys by U.S. News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group, a health care safety and quality coalition.

Energy powerhouse: With nearly 100 faculty engaged in research and academic programs, UC Davis is a leader in energy research. Our faculty is looking at renewable energy, alternative vehicle fuels (biogas, hydrogen, electricity), and lighting technology.

Epidemics experts: UC Davis experts in human health, veterinary medicine and agriculture are shaping the debate surrounding critical human health issues, such as avian flu and West Nile virus.

Big in engineering: UC Davis has the largest engineering undergraduate student population in the UC system, offering the most accredited majors.

Stem cell research: UC Davis is on the leading edge of stem cell research, as one of only two centers in the country funded by the National Institutes of Health to translate human stem cell research into therapies.

Fueling the wine industry: Research at UC Davis has fueled the growth of the $45 billion-a-year California wine industry, and we were honored by an Assembly Resolution of the California Legislature for our worldwide leadership and innovation in enology and viticulture.

Native studies: UC Davis is home to the first Native American Studies department and doctoral program in the country.

Student involvement: is a UC Davis tradition. Students run a host of key campus services and events, including the Unitrans bus system. ASUCD Coffee House, the campus post office and the annual Picnic Day, which draws more than 50,000 alumni, parents, and friends.

Alumni achievers: One in every 276 Californians is a UC Davis alum. Our alumni earn a mean salary of $93,100 annually--twice the California average.

Our alumni are exploring new frontiers from space to hip hop. We have two of 100 astronauts in the NASA space program — Stephen Robinson '78 and Tracy Caldwell '97. Gift of Gab (Timothy Parker) '95 and Chief Xcel (Xavier Mosley) '94 of Blackalicious, as well as DJ Shadow (Josh Davis) represent some of the biggest names in West Coast hip hop.

Alumni Martin Yan '73, M.S. '77, displays his culinary talents on his television cooking show, "Yan Can Cook."