The Practicum in Education (EDUC W144) is designed to provide an opportunity for undergraduates to gain knowledge of research methods while working directly in educational settings, from classrooms to educational organizations, and research or policy contexts. We want each student to become a better practitioner by learning to think like a researcher.
The final product of the course is a short paper in which practicum participants address a puzzle or phenomenon in their own practice or the practices of others to which they have regular exposure in the organization where they are placed.
A wide variety of education-related fieldwork is possible through this course, including research, tutoring, and suggesting your own placement. Students need to contact the course instructor to discuss 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 available here: EDUC W144 Approved Sites
3 units of approved field work are required of all Educational Sciences major and Education minor students. EDUC W144 is offered all three terms, 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.
Educational Sciences Major Requirement
To satisfy the Education Capstone requirement for the Educational Sciences major, students must take EDUC W144 for 3 units in one semester, which translates into 7.5 hours of fieldwork per week at a school site of your choice and 1.5 hours of weekly virtual coursework. The student's in-depth fieldwork experience and research will culminate into a final capstone project.
Students who switch from the Education minor to the Educational Sciences major are still required to take EDUC W144 for 3 units regardless of the amount of fieldwork units they might have earned from other fieldwork courses (i.e., EDUC197, EDUC190, etc.). While these fieldwork units are valuable, fieldwork units outside of EDUC W144 do not satisfy the capstone course requirement. Additionally, students who have previously taken EDUC W144 for 1 or 2 units are still expected to take EDUC W144 for the full 3-unit capstone.
Fieldwork units from outside of the Berkeley School of Education will not count toward the capstone requirement.
EDUC 150.002 Teachers of Color in the United States (3 units) is the only other accepted capstone course. This course can be taken instead of EDUC W144 to satisfy the Project Capstone requirement.
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Spring 2024 note for current Education minor students intending to declaire the major in Educational Sciences: Units through EDUC 197 will NOT count toward the Educational Sciences major Capstone requirement. There are no exceptions. Students who have taken EDUC W144 for variable units (fewer than the 3 unit capstone) in spring 2024 or earlier may count these units toward the Capstone requirement. These students will be allowed to take the remaining 1-2 units of EDUC W144 needed to complete the 3 unit requirement. After spring 2024, ONLY the 3 unit offering of EDUC W144 will satisfy the Capstone requirement. |
Education Minor Requirement
For the Education Minor, students may take EDUC W144 as a variable unit course: students can take the course in one semester, or across multiple semesters until they satisfy the 3 unit requirement. Education minor students may also attain fieldwork units through other Education-related fieldwork courses, listed below.
Additional Fieldwork Options for Education Minor Students
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EDUC 140AC/W140A and EDUC 190AC/W190A each have an equivalent of 1 unit of approved fieldwork within the 4 units of the course. If you take either of these electives, you would only need 2 more units of fieldwork.
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Fieldwork outside the School of Education: There is one approved field studies program outside of the School of Education: the Youth Mentorship Program through Asian American Studies 197. Check the approved list of fieldwork as well as each semester's course list for this program's availability.
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Summer Field work: EDUC W144 is offered in the summer with a variety of placements available. Students may also request a specific placement by contacting the instructor.
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Petitioning field units: Occasionally, students have already completed or want to complete a unit bearing field program that is not on the Education approved list, and use those units for Education field units. Students in this situation should contact the Undergraduate Advisor (bse-ugrad@berkeley.edu) as soon as possible to discuss the petition process. Please note: field experiences that are not unit bearing cannot be petitioned. All petitions must be submitted and approved prior to graduation.
- EDUC W144: Hours per Unit
- Email educw144@berkeley.edu to propose a field site.