
Administrative Professionals
A firm business foundation
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Specialization Description
Build Your Administrative Professional Skills
Once you have a solid foundation in administrative support, you can build your own career trajectory. This is especially true in the UCSC Extension Specialization for Administrative Professionals where you learn practical skills in three key areas:
- Business Finance
- Strategic Communications, and
- Effective Writing.
Add on an elective such as facilitation, project management, customer relations, or public relations fundamentals and launch your career in business support.
Learning Outcomes in the Administrative Professionals Program
- Develop a broad understanding of financial concepts and tools.
- Demonstrate effective organizational communication.
- Apply proficiency fundamentals of administrative roles including human resources, financial responsibilities, public relations, and project management.
Career Path Versatility
You can continue to grow your career by applying the units from this specialization to the Business Administration, Human Resource Management and Marketing Management certificates. Make yourself an invaluable member of any dynamic team.
Program Overview
Estimated Cost: $3,000 (You pay only for courses you enroll in.)
Program Requirements: 4 courses/minimum 6.5 units. Take 2 core courses (3 units) and 2 elective credit courses (3.5–4 units)
Minimum Hours of Instruction:
Estimated Duration: A student can complete this specialization in 6-9 months.
Courses
1. Required Course(s): Two Required
2. Electives: Two Required
3. Completion Review:
Meet Our Instructors
Specialization Inquiry Form
Program Chair

DIANNE V. CONRY, M.S., CPA, is a consultant with Kranz & Associates and has more than 30 years of accounting experience both in public accounting and in private industry. She has been teaching with UCSC Silicon Valley Extension since 1996, served many years as chair of the former Accounting certificate program, and currently serves as co-chair of the Business Administration certificate program and the Administrative Porfessionals specialization.

REYNOLD LEWKE, M.S., M.B.A, LLB, a corporate attorney, litigator, author, and business advisor, runs his own strategic talent management consulting and executive search firm. He has worked with startups and global Fortune 100 companies integrating engineering, business, and legal perspectives. He offers actionable insights into issues ranging from domestic and international contracts to products liability, technology, human resources, and construction. Reynold, a certified personal trainer and Ironman coach with more than 22 Ironman distance races behind him, also offers career coaching services for professionals and fitness and personal training services. He has served as chair or co-chair of the Business Administration certificate program and the Administrative Professionals specialization since 2020.
Establish Candidacy
Establish candidacy in a certificate or specialization
Once you create your student account, you can establish candidacy in a certificate or specialization program any time during your studies.
The benefits of enrolling early
- Lock in your certificate requirements.This means that even if program requirements change, the requirements to complete your certificate will remain the same for you
- Receive program updates
- Set your intention
- It’s free
To complete a program, you must enroll in the certificate program before enrolling in the Certificate Completion Review.
You have five years to complete all necessary courses in a certificate program or three years to finish up a specialization program.
All the necessary units in a certificate must be completed within this window.* The clock begins on the first day of your first course in the certificate program. For example, if you started a course on Sept. 5, 2017, you would have to complete all of the required units in this certificate by Sept. 4, 2022.
Note:
Enrolling in a certificate program does not trigger the beginning of the five-year window. It begins the first day of the first course that applies to a certificate program. The Certificate Completion Review process does not have to occur within the five-year timeframe.
For more information: How do I get my certificate or specialization?
* Students participating in a special program, such as workforce, international, Personal Financial Planning, or curriculum partner programs (such as GreenFig or CLS by Barbri) may have a shorter completion requirement.