Start Your Field Study Journey with our Steps to Success! 

• 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's 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 4-8 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 NOT be repeated 

The following field study course REPEAT POLICY will be in effect starting FALL 2025:  

• SOCECOL 195 may be taken a MAX of ONE time for 4-8 units
• SOCECOL 195W may be taken a MAX of ONE time for 4-8 units
• SOCECOL 106W may be taken a MAX of ONE time for 4 units
• Students may NOT take SOCECOL 195  if they have previously taken SOCECOL 195W (OR VISE VERSA)
• Students CAN take SOCECOL 106W even if they have previously taken SOCECOL 195/195W
• Similarly, they CAN take SOCECOL 195 OR 195W if they took SOCECOL 106W. 

New Enrollment Policy for Research & Learning Assistants, effective Fall 2026

Research Assistants: 
Starting Fall 2026, students using research assistantships to fulfill their field study requirement may not concurrently enroll in additional units of SOCECOL 198 beyond their SOCECOL 195/195W enrollment.

However, some faculty members require all of their research assistants to enroll in SOCECOL 198 units, regardless of whether they are participating in field study. If a faculty member requires a student to enroll in additional SOCECOL 198 units, the student must complete additional fieldwork hours beyond the 80 hours required for field study at a rate of 20 additional hours for each unit of SOCECOL 198.

Learning Assistants: 

In addition to enrolling in 4 units of SOCECOL 195/195W Field Study, Learning Assistants (LAs) must also enroll in:

• UNI STU 176 (2 units): A pedagogy/training course required only during the first quarter serving as an LA.
• UNI STU 198 (2 units): Required each quarter an individual serves as an LA. The course code for UNI STU 198 must be obtained from the faculty member whose course the LA is supporting.

*Please visit the UCI CLAP for more information about learning assistantships. For assistance with enrolling in UNISTU 176 or 198, please contact Josh Arimond, Certified Learning Assistants Program Coordinator, at jarimond@uci.edu.