Berkeley School of Education

Students must obtain a minimum C grade (2.0 gpa) in the core course for it to count for the Minor.

For the core course requirement, all students will now choose between:

EDUC 130: Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science 
Or 
EDUC W140 / 140AC: The Art of Making Meaning: Educational Perspectives on Literacy and Learning in a Global World. 

Recent Core Course Policy Changes: 

F25: EDUC W190A/190AC/W190 

Note: if this taken in Fall 2025 or a later term, this course does not satisfy the Ed Minor core course requirement.
The department will still recognize EDUC 190 as fulfilling the core course requirement of the Education minor, if the course was taken Summer 2025 or earlier. After summer 2025, EDUC 190 will be recognized as an elective and only EDUC 130 and EDU 140 will count toward the core course requirement. 

Educ 190: Critical Studies in Education, is currently offered fall, spring and summer semesters. It examines how learning environments can empower and disempower individuals and explores the role of education in the social construction of hierarchy, inequality, difference, identity, and power. It embodies a democratic philosophy and practice, creating a learning community that encourages students to take responsibility for their own education and learn through theory, experience, and dialogue.

There are three versions of the core course: EDUC W190A, the online version; and EDUC 190AC, a hybrid version; and each are 4 units, offered fall and spring semesters. Both include a project that counts as 1 unit of fieldwork for the minor. EDUC W190 is the online version of the core course offered in the summer semester, is only 3 units and does not have the equivalent of 1 unit of fieldwork for the minor.

EDUC W190 is the online version of the core course offered in the summer semester, is only 3 units.

Three (3) units of minor approved field work are required of all Education minor students. Students may complete all 3 units in the same field studies program or may enroll in two or three separate programs. Fieldwork counting towards the Education Minor may not count towards another major or minor (may not overlap). Please note:

• EDUC W144 - Practicum in Education - Students are expected to enroll in the Practicum in Educatino course, which has an online reflection component. EDUC W144 is offered all three semesters, is a variable unit course (meaning students may enroll in 1, 2 or 3 units of fieldwork within one semester), and can be repeated multiple times. A wide variety of education related fieldwork is possible through this course, including research, interning and suggesting your own placement. Students need to contact the course instructor to discuss about possible placements in advance of the start of the semester. A list of practicum sites currently partnering with EDUC W144, along with the hours required per unit, is listed in the document at the bottom of this page. List of EDUC W144 Approved Sites

• Note:  Beginning Fall 2026, students will no longer be able to use EDUC 197 units to count towards their Education fieldwork requierment. Students who have taken EDUC 197 units Spring 2026 or earlier will still be allowed to count these units as fieldwork. Students can continue volunteering with field sites associated with EDUC 197, but will need to enroll in EDUC W144 to receive fieldwork units for the Ed Minor.  

• Petitioning units: Students may not petition units taken in S25 or Later. Students are expected to enroll in EDUC W144 for their Education fieldwork units. Students are allowed to propose a field site of their choice through EDUC W144.

• EDUC 197 - Field Studies HISTORICAL INFO [ARCHIVED F25]

• EDUC 140AC and W140A, two of the minor electives, each have an equivalent of 1 unit of minor approved fieldwork within the 4 units of the course. If you choose either of these electives, you would only need 2 more units of fieldwork.

• Summer Field work: EDUC W144 is offered in the summer with a variety of placements available. You may also request a specific placement by contacting the instructor.

• Questions? Contact BSE's Undergraduate Advisor, 2121 Berkeley Way, 4th floor; (510) 643-9303 or bse-ugrad@berkeley.edu.

Students are required to complete three (3) elective courses chosen from the Education minor Approved Course List (see PDF below). The document below lists all the courses that are currently approved for the minor. However, not all the elective courses on this list are offered every semester. Therefore, course lists for each semester are also posted below and should be reviewed carefully before selecting courses for a specific semester.

Please note the following elective course policies:

• Elective courses must be offered for at least 3 units.

• A maximum of two (2) graduate level courses in Education may be used to meet the elective requirement.

• Beginning Fall 2023: Graduate level courses in Education may be used to meet the elective requirement, even if they are 2-unit courses. 

• Students who have completed or plan to complete an Education course as part of a Berkeley Education Abroad program, may be able to have it count toward the Education minor elective requirement. The course must be in the Education Department of the university abroad and equivalent to 3 semester units. There also may be courses offered outside an Education Department at an abroad university that have significant Education content that could be petitioned to count as an Ed Minor elective. Notify the Undergraduate Advisor if you would like to take advantage of the study abroad option.

• From time to time, a course may be offered on campus that has significant educational content but is not on the minor approved course list. If you have found such a course and would like to have it considered for one of your electives for the minor, please contact the Undegraduate Advisor about petitioning the course. A syllabus will be required.

Organizational categories have been created for Education minor electives, at the initiative of other Education minor students, to assist those who want to select courses with similar themes. Using these categories is optional. Keep in mind that this is not a complete list; it will be updated periodically. You can find the list of categories and the associated courses on the list Organizational Categories. If you have suggestions, comments or questions about these categories and/or the courses within them, please contact BSE's Undergraduate Advisor. 

• All minor requirements must be completed by your degree date. Courses completed after your degree date can not be used for the Education minor. If you anticipate getting an Incomplete in a course required for the minor, you can remove yourself from the current degree list by the end of the semester and add yourself to the degree list when you expect all requirements to be complete.

• All course work must be taken at UC Berkeley. 

• Three of the five courses taken for the minor must be upper-division courses (courses numbered 100 and above). Please note that the three units of required field work are considered as one of the 5 courses.

• EDUC 190 and all elective courses for the minor must be taken for a letter grade.

• Courses for the minor must have a minimum overall grade-point average of 2.0.

• EDUC 98/198 and EDUC 199 may NOT be used to satisfy any requirement for the Minor.

• Overlap policy - Only one (1) course may be used to satisfy course requirements for both the student's major and the Education minor OR between the Education minor and a second minor. In other words, out of the five required courses for the Education minor, four of them must be distinct and not being used by any other program at Berkeley. Please note that per L&S policy, no courses in the Ed Minor may overlap with another L&S minor requirement. Fieldwork for the Education Minor may not count towards another major or minor (may not overlap). 

Contact the Undergraduate Advisor: School of Education, 2121 Berkeley Way, 4th floor; bse-ugrad@berkeley.edu