About Us

Since 2014, San José State University has been partnering with Braven to support Spartans on their path to strong careers and graduate school. Support starts by taking a semester-long course, SSCI 101: Leadership and Career Accelerator (formerly UNVS 101), and lasts through graduation.   

SSCI 101 prepares students for the increasingly competitive, globalized job marketplace. Through online, peer learning, interactive experiences, and reflection, students build meaningful networks, discover their innate leadership, and cultivate the hard and “soft” skills and habits of mind needed to thrive in twenty-first-century workplaces and make a positive impact through their careers upon graduation. SSCI 101 is a 3-unit credit university elective open to all students from all majors.

Who should register? 
SSCI 101 is aimed at students in their sophomore or junior year/first year of transfer, and students from all majors are invited to participate. 

What happens after the course? 
Upon completion of the SSCI 101, students receive access to additional optional opportunities to develop leadership and career readiness skills, engage in an enduring professional network, and stay on track to securing strong internships and jobs. Students may:

  • Be a part of a 12-week professional 1:1 mentoring program in their desired field as they get closer to the time of their job search.
  • Receive Braven-specific emails announcing job and internship opportunities.
  • Benefit from one-off professional development and networking events like workshops and skill builders with employer partners.
  • Join the Braven National Network with peers from other colleges and universities nationwide for community support and resources after the course to launch their careers!

You can read more about our collective impact through this partnership in the 2023-24 SJSU & Braven Impact Report. 


Brief History of SSCI 101 (formerly UNVS 101) 

  • 2014: The first SJSU-Braven connection was in 2014 when Braven ran a pilot program with support from the Career Center Director and SJSU University President.
  • 2015: Science, business and engineering faculty became excited about the model, and in Fall 2015 Braven signed an MOU with SJSU to develop and pilot the Leadership and Career Accelerator course for the first time.
  • 2017: In 2017 the SJSU-Braven model was recognized in several ways - a Harvard researcher validated the impact on sense of belonging and social capital. SJSU-Braven won two awards - one from the CSU/UC/California Community College system and the John N. Gardner Institutional Excellence for Students in Transition Award from the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
  • 2019: In Fall 2019 the course became UNVS 101, reflecting the multidisciplinary content and student enrollment
  • 2020: In 2020 the pandemic and the shrunken labor market called on the SJSU-Braven team to innovate, effectively transitioning the course online. The staff and attention that SJSU and Braven put onto the course kept the students engaged while they were dealing with the challenges of shelter in place and transitioning to a new learning mode. In the spirit of helping all students, Braven developed a 2-week Booster program for job seekers, which was offered for free starting in summer 2020.
  • 2024: More than 2000 SJSU students have completed the Leadership and Career accelerator course since inception.
  • 2025: Effective Spring 2025, the College of Social Sciences will house and support SSCI 101: Leadership and Career Accelerator (formerly UNVS 101)

The SSCI 101 Braven Fellowship experience is proven to advance students’ academic persistence, personal and professional goals.

  • 87% Content Mastery in 21st Century Skills.
  • In 2023-2024, San José State University Braven Fellows showed statistically significant growth across non-cognitive factors.
  • In 2023, 296 Braven Fellows graduated from San José State University. 86% are employed or enrolled in graduate school, and 81% secured quality or pathway roles or enrolled in graduate school.
  • Compared with graduates nationally, Braven 2023 graduates at San José State University were 28 percentage points more likely to have at least one internship during their college experience.
  • San José State University Fellows persist and graduate at encouraging rates. By comparison, about 8 in 10 of their peers nationally graduate college on time. San José State University-Braven Fellows achieved a 90% six-year graduation rate.