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.
Educational Sciences Majors are encouraged to take either EDUC 140 (The Art of Making Meaning) or EDUC 130 (Knowing and Learning in Math and Science) before enrolling in their capstone course, and we recommend that the capstone course be fulfilled during a student's senior year.
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 187A (formerly 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.
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 courses, you would only need 2 more units of fieldwork.
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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.
Fieldwork courses outside of EDUC W144
- While there is a variety of fieldwork opportunities available across campus, Education Minor students are expected to take EDUC W144 to fulfill their Education Minor fieldwork requirements.
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Note: Beginning Fall 2025, 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 2025 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 197 units from other departments 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.
- EDSTEM 82 does not satisfy any Education Minor requirement.
- EDUC W144: Hours per Unit
- Email educw144@berkeley.edu to propose a field site.