Undergraduate

Undergraduate Programs

Major in Education Sciences

Minor in Education

CalTeach

Major in Education Science

Minor in Educational Studies

CalTeach Program

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Major in Education Sciences

Students in the Education Sciences – the first program of its kind in the nation – engage in an interdisciplinary exploration of the field of education in schools, communities, and society. Majors will be introduced to and develop proficiency with the five core concepts and competencies guiding Education Sciences.

Five Core Concepts of Education Sciences

Human Development

Numerous features of a child and their environments interact to guide development. These include factors within the child including individual differences; systems close to the child like home environment, peers, schools, and out-of-school contexts; and factors more distant from the child, including formal organizations, community, and culture.

Learning

Learning is influenced by learners, teachers, instructional tools, curricular design and educational and cultural contexts. Meaningful learning involves processes that may be general across multiple subjects or skills, or discipline-specific. Theories of learning address affordances and constraints of learning situations.

Schools as Organizations

Schools are shaped by internal social dynamics as well as external institutional environments. Internal dynamics include ambiguous goals, challenges around effective leadership, and the character of social relationships. Externally, schools are influenced by government oversight, other organizations, and normative societal pressures.

Social Structures & Stratification

Societies historically create and reproduce different forms of social inequality through established systems, practices and policies. These affect access to resources and opportunities for upward mobility. Educational inequities impact communities, schools, classrooms, and individual students.

Policymaking in Education

Education policy choices involve both benefits and costs. Policy makers aim to provide the largest net benefits when deciding among policy options. Student and parent behaviors are also influenced by their perceptions of the benefits and costs of educational programs. This introduces competition to educational markets.

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Student Advising

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I want to work in children's programming within museums and cultural centers

Ashley Leung
B.A. in Education Sciences, 2015

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B.A. in Education Sciences, 2015

Five Core Competencies of Education Sciences

Application

Students will apply theories from Education Sciences to understand educational decisions, processes, and outcomes.

Methodological Practices and Research Design

Students will critically evaluate the quality of educational research.

Quantitative and Qualitative Data Literacy

Students will be proficient with the principles in the analysis of educational scientific data.

Public Skills and Citizenship

Students will use knowledge from Education Sciences to inform their engagement with the community through service, partnerships, collaboration and advocacy.

Communication

Students will effectively communicate theories, practices, policies and research from Education Sciences with a variety of audiences.

The Future of Education

Education Sciences graduates are prepared for careers in the global knowledge economy, with opportunities to apply learning modalities and technologies in multicultural contexts. Graduates may choose from career opportunities in public education, informatics, higher education, school counseling, and education software development. Many graduates will pursue advanced degrees leading to instructional credentialing or administrative leadership.

The B.A. in Education Sciences is not a professional degree. However, graduates are well prepared to pursue teacher training. Information for aspiring teachers is available through the UC Irvine School of Education Master of Arts in Teaching program.

A 2015 Forbes study identified Education as the most popular vocational field for recent university graduates.

Explore the Degree Requirements for the Education Sciences major

With advanced planning, students in the major can complete a minor or second major in another discipline.

Program Learning Outcomes

Click here to learn more about the program learning outcomes for the B.A. in Education Sciences program.

Minor in Education

The minor in Education is designed to facilitate exploration of a broad range of issues in the field of education. Graduates with the minor may be employed in schools, government, private industry, and non-profit organizations. Many graduates will pursue advanced training leading to teaching careers or administrative leadership. For more information on teacher preparation, please consult the UCI School of Education MAT + Credential program.

Explore the Requirements for the Education Minor