2023-24 Edition

Education Sciences, B.A.

The major in Education Sciences provides a foundation for the interdisciplinary nature of education, focused on five domains. These include (a) human development, (b) learning, (c) social structures and stratification, (d) policymaking in education and (e) schools as organizations.  

The B.A. in Education Sciences includes content from applied linguistics, cognitive science, developmental psychology, economics, informatics, media studies, policy analytics, social neuroscience, and sociology. Graduates can choose from a variety of career opportunities including public education, government, community-based non-profits, research institutions, higher education, and education software development. Many graduates will pursue advanced degrees leading to K-12 teaching, public policy, social work, education research and school leadership.

The B.A. in Education Sciences is not a professional degree. However, graduates are well prepared to pursue teacher training (see UC Irvine School of Education M.A.T. program).  Students interested in teaching middle or high school are encouraged to meet with an Academic Advisor to combine the major with a minor or second major, aiming for proficiency in the content area in which they plan to teach (e.g. History). All students in the Education Sciences major are required to complete a minimum of 40 fieldwork hours in an educational setting.

Freshmen: Preference will be given to those who rank the highest using the selection criteria as stated in the Undergraduate Admissions section of the Catalogue.

Transfer students: Preference will be given to Junior-level applicants with the highest grades overall (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0). It is suggested that prospective transfer students work toward completing coursework to fulfill the UCI general education requirements or IGETC.

Change of Major. Students who wish to change their major to Education Sciences should contact the Education Student Affairs Office for information about change-of-major requirements, procedures, and policies. Information is also available at the UCI Change of Major Criteria website.

All students must meet the University Requirements.

Grade Requirement. A minimum grade average of at least C (2.0) is required (1) overall, (2) in all of the courses required for the major program, and (3) in the upper-division courses required for the major program. All courses for the major must be taken for a letter grade unless the grade option for the course is pass/no pass only.

Overlap Restrictions 

Double Majors. In fulfilling degree requirements for multiple majors, a maximum of two upper-division courses may overlap between two majors.

Major and Minor Requirements. Students may not receive both the major in Education Sciences and the minor in Education. In fulfilling requirements for a minor, a maximum of two courses may overlap between a major in Education Sciences and a minor from another department.

Major Requirements

Students must complete 16 courses (64 units) and a 40-hour practicum as specified below:

Lower-Division Requirements (24 units):
A. Complete the following Research Methods and Data Literacy Requirement (8 units)
EDUC 10 Educational Research Design 1
EDUC 15 Statistics for Education Research 2
B. Complete the following Introduction to Education Science Requirement (16 units)
EDUC 25 Introduction to Education: Disciplinary Perspectives
EDUC 30 21st Century Literacies
EDUC 40 Theories of Development and Learning Applied to Education
EDUC 50 Origins, Purposes, and Central Issues in K-12 Education
Upper-Division Requirements (20 units):
C. Select one Human Development course (4 units):
Child Development in Education
Adolescent Development and Education
D. Select one Learning course (4 units):
Education, Learning, and Culture
Cognition and Learning in Educational Settings
E. Select one Social Structures and Stratification course (4 units):
Multicultural Education in K-12 Schools
Poverty, Education, and Social Change
F. Select one Policymaking in Education course (4 units):
American History and Education Policy: An Intimate Relationship
Courts, Classrooms, and Controversies in Education Policy
G. Select one Schools as Organizations course (4 units):
The American Charter School
Changing the High School Experience
H. Five additional elective Education courses (20 units). At least 12 units must be upper-division (numbered 100-199). 3
The additional electives do not include the following professional education courses: EDUC 109, EDUC 143AW, EDUC 143BW, EDUC 148, EDUC 158. A maximum of 8 units for any repeatable Education course (e.g., EDUC 198, EDUC 199) may be used to satisfy this elective requirement.
I. Practicum Requirement (40 hours total):
A minimum of 40 hours of field experience or research in an education setting, satisfied in the following manner:
Complete 40 hours of field experience or research completed in conjunction with one or more of the following courses:
Educational Strategies for Tutoring and Teacher Aiding
Strategies for Tutoring and Teacher Aiding in a Bilingual Classroom
Reading and Writing Enrichment for After-School Programs
Theory and Practice of Reading Interventions for Students At-Risk for Reading Failure
Foundations of Out-of-School Learning
Discovering Science in Out-of-School Hours
Advanced Fieldwork in After-School Education
1

The following course is an approved alternative for EDUC 10SOCECOL 10

2

The following statistics courses are approved alternatives for EDUC 15SOCECOL 13STATS 7ANTHRO 10B, PSYCH 10B, SOC SCI 10B, or SOCIOL 10B.

Freshman
Fall Winter Spring
EDUC 50EDUC 25EDUC 40
Lower Division WritingLower Division WritingGeneral Education/Elective
General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
 General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
Sophomore
Fall Winter Spring
EDUC 10EDUC 15EDUC 30
General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
Junior
Fall Winter Spring
Education UD Learning CourseEducation UD Development CourseEducation UD Policy Course
Education ElectiveEducation UD ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
Senior
Fall Winter Spring
Education UD Social Structure CourseEducation UD Schools as Orgs CourseEducation UD Elective
Education UD ElectiveEducation ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
General Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/ElectiveGeneral Education/Elective
General Education/Elective  

NOTE: This is only a sample plan. Course offerings may be moved due to unforeseen circumstances. It is strongly recommended that students meet with an academic advisor to create an academic plan tailored to meet their specific areas of interest.