The major in Education Sciences requires fieldwork (also referred to as practicum) that may be satisfied through EDUC courses, research experience in a faculty member's lab, or independent fieldwork in an educational setting.
International students have additional requirements they must complete before beginning their field study. Please see the "Field Experience FAQs" section for more information on the policies and procedures for international students.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Fieldwork requirements have changed starting the 2024-2025 academic year. Fieldwork hours for the major have increased from 40 to 80 hours. Please see our catalogue requirements for each academic year here. If you have any questions, email us at: [email protected].
This means...
- If you entered UCI prior to fall 2024, you may follow your original major requirements (e.g. 40 hours of fieldwork) OR adopt the new major requirements (80 hours of fieldwork). If you would like to change your major's catalogue year, please email: [email protected].
- If you entered UCI in fall 2024 and onwards, you must follow your 2024-2025 major requirements (80 hours of fieldwork).
International students have additional requirements they must complete before beginning their field study. Please see the "Field Experience FAQs" section for more information on the policies and procedures for international students.
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Fieldwork requirements have changed starting the 2024-2025 academic year. Fieldwork hours for the major have increased from 40 to 80 hours. Please see our catalogue requirements for each academic year here. If you have any questions, email us at: [email protected].
This means...
- If you entered UCI prior to fall 2024, you may follow your original major requirements (e.g. 40 hours of fieldwork) OR adopt the new major requirements (80 hours of fieldwork). If you would like to change your major's catalogue year, please email: [email protected].
- If you entered UCI in fall 2024 and onwards, you must follow your 2024-2025 major requirements (80 hours of fieldwork).
3 Ways to Complete Fieldwork
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School of Education Courses
Students may choose to enroll in undergraduate courses offered by the UCI School of Education that include fieldwork or research. Students may earn units and earn fieldwork hours through course enrollment.
Learn more: School of Education Courses with embedded Field or Research Experience
Check our tentative schedule here. *Some courses may be repeated, please review the repeatability policies in the catalogue for each course. Courses Offered by Other UCI Departments
*Fieldwork embedded courses from other UCI departments require a fieldwork verification form in order to be applied to your DegreeWorks. How do i verify these fieldwork hours?
Fieldwork courses should automatically appear on your DegreeWorks in the fieldwork section (except EDUC 198 and 199). If the courses do not appear (or appear incorrectly), please submit a Fieldwork Verification Form and attach the course syllabus to the form. The syllabus must indicate the amount of required fieldwork hours for the course. If you are completing more hours than required in the syllabus, you will need to upload a letter instead.
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Research in a School of Education Faculty Member's Lab
Students have the option of completing education-focused research in a faculty member’s lab or with UCI’s Undergraduate Research and Opportunities Program (UROP).
Learn more: How do I find research opportunities?
Please visit our Research Opportunities page for a list of labs under the School of Education. This list will have links to active research labs and contact information if you have questions about the lab. Labs are constantly being added so check back frequently. Each lab has a unique application/recruitment process. You can also visit our Faculty Directory page to learn about our Education Professors' expertise and research interests. The Faculty Directory page is a great way to find faculty that share similar research interests as you. How Should I ask a professor if I can be a research assistant in their lab?
Students interested in being a research assistant in a School of Education lab should speak with the faculty supervisor directly or send them an email. Make sure that you are prepared to talk about relevant coursework, research interests, and academic goals. It is also recommended that you review their publications and research projects. How Do I verify these fieldwork Hours?
A Fieldwork Verification Form is required to verify your research hours. In place of a letter of verification, you may upload a course syllabus if you are receiving course credit for your research, but it must state the amount of total hours that you are completing for the quarter. If your syllabus doesn’t indicate the amount of required hours, please submit a letter of verification from your lab manager or faculty supervisor.
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Independent Fieldwork
Students may choose to complete independent fieldwork at a site in an educational setting designed for preK-12 students, college-level students, or adult learners.
Learn more: overview of independent fieldwork process
How can i find independent fieldwork sites?
Independent fieldwork requires the student (you!) to research and apply to sites. Each school/organization will have its own set of application, recruitment, and onboarding procedures. To help with the search, we encourage you to:
How do i verify these fieldwork hours?
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Fieldwork Verification Deadlines
Fieldwork deadlines apply to students who are graduating (based on the quarter of the graduation application). For example, students graduating fall quarter 2024 would need to submit the verification form no later than Dec. 6th (week 10 of fall quarter).
If you are graduating... |
Your fieldwork verification deadline is... |
Fall 2024 |
December 6th, 2024 by 5:00pm (Week 10) |
Winter 2025 |
March 14th, 2025 by 5:00pm (Week 10) |
Spring 2025 |
June 6th, 2025 by 5:00pm (Week 10) |
Summer 2025 |
September 8th, 2025 by 5:00pm (end of Summer Session II) |
Fall 2025 |
Stay tuned! |
Field Experience FAQs
HOW DO I COMPLETE THE PRACTICUM REQUIREMENT FOR MY SPECIALIZATION?
Specializations are no longer offered starting the 2020-2021 academic year. This information only applies to students with catalog years from 2014-2020.
Fieldwork for specializations can be done through Course fieldwork or Independent fieldwork. The following specializations have specific fieldwork requirements that must be met in order to complete that particular specialization:
Hours for specialization fieldwork will be applied to your DegreeWorks after submitting the Fieldwork Verification Form. This applies to hours done through both course and independent fieldwork. Specialization fieldwork can be completed with fieldwork-embedded courses if the fieldwork hours are being completed with the appropriate population for your specialization.
If you are verifying your fieldwork hours with a course syllabus, it must show that you worked with your specialization's population. If your syllabus does not clearly state which population you worked with, you will be required to submit the fieldwork verification form along with a letter from your site supervisor. Please see the "Independent Fieldwork" section above for more information on fieldwork verification letter requirements.
Fieldwork for specializations can be done through Course fieldwork or Independent fieldwork. The following specializations have specific fieldwork requirements that must be met in order to complete that particular specialization:
- Early Childhood Learning and Development: 40 hours of fieldwork required in an early childhood education setting (Pre-K).
- Children's Learning and Development: 40 hours of fieldwork required in a children's learning setting (ages 5-12).
- English Language Learning: 40 hours of fieldwork required working directly with English language learners in an educational setting.
- After-School Learning and Development: 70 hours of fieldwork required in an out-of-school setting, which will be satisfied by taking EDUC 160 and EDUC 191.
Hours for specialization fieldwork will be applied to your DegreeWorks after submitting the Fieldwork Verification Form. This applies to hours done through both course and independent fieldwork. Specialization fieldwork can be completed with fieldwork-embedded courses if the fieldwork hours are being completed with the appropriate population for your specialization.
If you are verifying your fieldwork hours with a course syllabus, it must show that you worked with your specialization's population. If your syllabus does not clearly state which population you worked with, you will be required to submit the fieldwork verification form along with a letter from your site supervisor. Please see the "Independent Fieldwork" section above for more information on fieldwork verification letter requirements.
Can I combine fieldwork hours from different opportunities?
Yes, you can combine fieldwork opportunities. You must submit a separate fieldwork verification form for each site.
will i be notified if my fieldwork hours have been approved or denied?
If your Fieldwork Verification Form was approved, and you have completed the full 40 hours required, your fieldwork hours will be applied on your DegreeWorks 2-3 weeks after submission. You will not receive an email notifying you that your hours were approved.
If your fieldwork hours were denied or if we have further questions/concerns, our advisors will email you. Please be sure to respond in a timely manner.
If your fieldwork hours were denied or if we have further questions/concerns, our advisors will email you. Please be sure to respond in a timely manner.
i submitted my fieldwork verification form and letter, but my hours have not been applied to my degreeworks. what should I do?
Fieldwork hours are not automatically applied after submitting fieldwork verification. We have one academic advisor reviewing each fieldwork verification form and letter, so you should allow up to three weeks for your fieldwork to be reviewed and processed.
After three weeks, if your fieldwork hours have not been applied on your DegreeWorks and you have not received an email inquiry about your fieldwork verification form, please feel free to follow up with our Student Affairs Office at [email protected] to check its status.
Please note that your fieldwork will not be applied to your DegreeWorks until you have verified the FULL 40 hours required for the Education Sciences major or Education minor. If you verify less than 40 fieldwork hours, it will be kept on file until you complete and verify the remaining hours. If you have submitted multiple verification forms with partial hours, you may need to email [email protected] to review everything together.
After three weeks, if your fieldwork hours have not been applied on your DegreeWorks and you have not received an email inquiry about your fieldwork verification form, please feel free to follow up with our Student Affairs Office at [email protected] to check its status.
Please note that your fieldwork will not be applied to your DegreeWorks until you have verified the FULL 40 hours required for the Education Sciences major or Education minor. If you verify less than 40 fieldwork hours, it will be kept on file until you complete and verify the remaining hours. If you have submitted multiple verification forms with partial hours, you may need to email [email protected] to review everything together.
if i am an international student, what policies do i need to follow to complete fieldwork?
International students who hold an F1 visa must apply for CPT authorization to complete fieldwork. Please visit the UCI International Center’s website for more information on CPT: https://ic.uci.edu/welcome-students/students-current-students/students-current-employment-information/curricular-practical-training/
Can i complete fieldwork in another country?
Independent fieldwork completed outside of the United States will be approved on a case-by-case basis. If you are considering completing independent fieldwork in another country, you must have the Student Affairs Office review the fieldwork site prior to starting your hours. Please email Zulakha Sheikh ([email protected]) for a review.
If you are taking an online Education course at UCI during the summer and are considering an international site for the course fieldwork requirement, you will need to ask the instructor for approval prior to the start of the course. The Student Affairs Office will not review international sites for course fieldwork requirements.
If you are taking an online Education course at UCI during the summer and are considering an international site for the course fieldwork requirement, you will need to ask the instructor for approval prior to the start of the course. The Student Affairs Office will not review international sites for course fieldwork requirements.
what happens if i cannot receive proper documentation for my independent fieldwork hours?
Prior to starting at the site, students completing Independent Fieldwork are expected to notify their field site supervisor that a letter of verification will be required to verify their fieldwork hours . If you cannot submit proper documentation to verify your fieldwork, your fieldwork verification form will be denied and the hours will not count towards your practicum requirement.
I worked with students in an educational setting before my first quarter at uci, can i use those hours to complete my fieldwork?
Hours completed before you matriculated to UCI cannot count towards the Education Sciences Major or Education Minor fieldwork requirement. You can begin completing your fieldwork requirement starting the first day of your admitted term (e.g. first day of Fall quarter).
If you are a F-1 visa student, you must matriculated at UCI as a full-time student for at least 3 quarters before applying for CPT and starting your fieldwork requirement.
If you are a F-1 visa student, you must matriculated at UCI as a full-time student for at least 3 quarters before applying for CPT and starting your fieldwork requirement.
can i be paid for my fieldwork hours?
Yes, we hope you get paid! :) Independent fieldwork hours can be paid or volunteer hours.
What was the fieldwork policy during covid-19?
The School of Education is not accepting any in-person fieldwork hours towards their fieldwork requirements completed during spring 2020, summer 2020, fall 2020, winter 2021, or spring 2021 even if arranged independently. All fieldwork during the fall 2020, winter 2021, and spring 2021 quarter must be completed virtually and in accordance with UCI campus COVID-19 policies. Both virtual and in-person fieldwork are accepted starting in fall quarter 2021.
