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Procedures & Deadlines

Latest Field Study Info Session Presentation: 

Winter '25 Field Study Info Session: 

To download a copy of the presentation click HERE (PDF) 

View a recording of the presentation HERE. 

 


 

Start Your Field Study Journey with our Steps to Success! 

        

Click below for

 2024-2025 Field Study Student Guide 

Field Study Catalog  

Course Enrollment Forms

Resume help 

Cover letter help

Field Study Stipend Program 

Field Study - How to Enroll  

► Curricular Practical Training Information  - For international students (F-1 visa holders), completing field study outside of UCI.

 

Field Study Prerequisites

  • Declared major in the School of Social Ecology or Environmental Science and Policy Major
  • Completion OR in progress to complete SOCECOL 10 (or an equivalent course) 
  • 2.0 GPA
  • Junior or Senior Standing (90+ units)
  • Lower Division Writing - If requesting SOCECOL 195W
  • Accepted a placement at an approved Field Study Site and submitted course enrollment form by the deadline.

2024-2025 Student Calendar

* Email Authorization: if students meet all prerequisites and meet the deadline to submit a Course Enrollment Form, they will receive an email authorization with information on how and when to enroll. Students are not to enroll prior to receiving this notification.


Field Study Units & Fieldwork 

  • 20 hours of fieldwork = 1 unit of academic credit
    • 4 UNITS = 80 HOURS
    • 5 UNITS = 100 HOURS 
    • 6 UNITS = 120 HOURS 
    • 7 UNITS = 140 HOURS
    • 8 UNITS = 160 HOURS  
  • Fieldwork hours must be completed during the placement period of the corresponding quarter, but students can complete and get credit for at least one standard week worth of hours (amount of hours to be determined by the number of units you enroll in), prior to the start of the quarter. 
    • For example: 
      • If enrolled in 4 units = 8 hours can be completed prior, leaving 72 hours to be completed during the actual placement period. 
      • If enrolled 6 units = 12 hours can be completed prior, leaving 108 hours to be completed during the placement period. 
  • Four (4) units of Social Ecology 195 Field Study are required to graduate
  • During the academic year, field study SOCECOL  195 may be taken for 2-8 units and SOCECOL 195W for 4-8 units
  • During the Summer, SOCECOL 195 OR 195W can only be taken for 4 units. 
  • Field Study may be repeated for up to 12 units

 

Research and Learning Assistants for Field Study: Enrollment procedures and guidelines

Participation as a research assistant (RA) or as a learning assistant (LA) can count as your field placement, but these have specific enrollment requirements as described below. PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY:

  • You MUST enroll in the correct number of SE 195 or SE 195W units in addition to the SE 198 (for RAs) or UNI STU 198 (for LAs) units as specified below. 
  • Each of the enrollment specifications outlined below will fulfill your Field Study requirement 
  • You will need to request an authorization code from your faculty RA or LA supervisor (NOT your Field Study course instructor) to enroll in SE 198 or UNI STU 198. Please reach out to them directly when your registration window opens.
  • **If the LA course or RA project is OUTSIDE of the school of Social Ecology, you will need to get special approval to use this placement from the Field Study office. Please note that to be approved, the subject matter of the LA course or RA project needs to align closely with the Social Ecology curriculum. 
    • Request approval to use a research lab OUTSIDE of the School of Social Ecology HERE. 

Enrollment Requirements for Research/Learning Assistants for Field Study (Fall, Winter, Spring):

**FOR SUMMER REASEARCH ASSISTANTS ONLY: Students are NOT required by our office to enroll in additional SE 198 units for Summer--please check with your faculty research supervisor to confirm whether enrollment in summer SE 198 is a requirement on their end. 

  • RAs in SE 195 must enroll in exactly: 2 units (SE 195) + 2 units (SE 198) = 4 total units
  • LAs in SE 195 must enroll in exactly: 2 units (SE 195) + 2 units (UNI STU 198) + 2 units (UNI STU 176) = 6 total units
  • RAs in SE 195W must enroll in exactly: 4 units (SE 195W) + 2 units (SE 198) = 6 total units
  • LAs in SE 195W must enroll in exactly: 4 units (SE 195W) + 2 units (UNI STU 198) + 2 units (UNI STU 176) = 8 total units

*Please see https://dtei.uci.edu/certified-learning-assistants-program-clap/ for more information about learning assistantships


Additional Field Study and University Policies

For more details, check out our Field Study FAQ page