Berkeley School of Education

The Undergraduate Major in Educational Sciences program is grounded in the interdisciplinary learning sciences, the latest research on social policy and human development, and the craft of teaching, inquiry, and design. Students study how learning unfolds across early childhood programs, K–12 schools, community and afterschool environments, higher education, and digital and AI-mediated learning environments. They develop both pedagogical and research capacities to design, investigate, and advance human learning in diverse contexts.

Academic Objectives

In our coursework, students examine education across multiple systems and settings, including early childhood, K–12 schooling, higher education, and educational policy. They analyze structural inequality, global interconnection, and multilingual and multicultural contexts, and consider how these forces shape learning opportunities and institutional life. Students also study how education contributes to democratic participation and collective action at a time of democratic erosion, intensifying polarization, and mounting ecological crisis. In this context, education is not peripheral. It is central to how societies cultivate informed participation, rebuild shared purpose, and develop the collective capacity required for democratic life. Our courses enable students to cultivate reflective and metacognitive capacities that enable them to analyze complex problems, question their own assumptions, and redesign policies and practices with care and rigor.

At its core, the BSE's undergraduate programs take the stance that education is a powerful lever for human flourishing, democratic participation, and social justice. It fosters a community of students who are committed to utilizing education for social good, and harnessing it as a science and a craft.

Research and Fieldwork

Research and fieldwork are central to Undergraduate Educational Sciences programs. Through our courses and research opportunities, students learn to formulate probing questions about learning and development, inequality, policy, and technological change; design studies to answer them; and recognize the possibilities and limits of different research approaches.

The Educational Sciences major includes an in-person practicum-based capstone in which students pursue an inquiry project of their choice through original field-based research. Working in local schools and communities, students connect theory to practice and generate knowledge that can inform teaching, policy, and educational innovation.

Career Opportunities

As listed below, our graduates go on to pursue careers across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including K-12 education, higher education, education policy, human development, and other emerging career disciplines.