Traditional Field Study
The Field Study catalog is a comprehensive listing of placement sites for students in the School of Social Ecology and Environmental Science and Policy (ENSP) majors.
- Students who utilize a traditional placement will be required to complete 80 hours at a community partner in conjunction with a field study course when enrolled in 4 units of SOCECOL 195/W.
- All placement sites found in the catalog have been pre-screened and approved by our office.
- Students have the opportunity to recommend a placement, learn more about that option here.
- Social Ecology students may elect to do Field Study in any area, regardless of their specific major
- For Environmental Science and Policy Majors ONLY: Field Study Placements must be in one of the following areas:
- Environmental Science and Education Services
- Planning
- Public Policy
Research and Learning Assistant Positions
Research and Learning Assistant positions have been permanently approved! (Effective Fall 22)
- Research Assistants (RAs) get hands-on experience in supporting the ongoing research projects of the Social Ecology faculty. Students often work closely with and are mentored by both the faculty and their graduate students while getting valuable research experience and knowledge for graduate school.
- Learning Assistants (LAs) are undergraduate peer educators that work with students in the classroom setting to support and facilitate active learning in courses that are traditionally difficult or have high enrollment.
- Students who utilize RA and LA positions will be required to complete 80 hours of fieldwork, in conjunction with 2-4 units of SOCECOL 195/W, in addition to units of SOCECOL 198 (RAa) and UNISTU 198 + UNISTU 176 (LAs)
UCI Labor Summer (Summer Field Study Only)
UC Irvine Labor Center is coordinating Labor Summer internships for undergraduate and graduate students. In 2023 organized labor has had a historic year, from Strikes by the Writers Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, and United Autoworkers Workers to national unionization efforts by Workers United with its Starbucks campaign. Community organizations have led campaigns across the country to advance issues on social justice. Being a part of Labor Summer interns network with labor and community leaders while they gain skills and experience that can be applied to jobs in labor and non-governmental organizations. PLEASE NOTE: For students to receive field study credit through Labor Summer, they must be enrolled concurrently in a summer SE 195 or SE 195W field study course during Summer Session I.
SOCECOL 106W- Digital Media Archive
SOCECOL 106W represents a unique “3-in-1” model by simultaneously fulfilling the following three requirements:
1) Field Study course 2) Field placement and 3) Upper Division Writing...All in one!
2023 - 2024 Academic Year Offerings
- Fall 2023
- SOCECOL 106W (2 Sections)
- Winter 2024
- No sections will be available!
- Spring 2024
- SOCECOL 106W
- Application available Wednesday, November 29
Centro Fox - Summer in Mexico
Field Study Abroad program in beautiful Guanajuato, Mexico. Social Ecology students complete fieldwork at the Centro Fox facilities—former home of past Mexican president Vicente Fox, now home to the large non-profit Vamos Mexico!
Summer 2024 Program - Tentative application coming February 2024 - pending program funding
Advanced Field Study
AFS offers a small number of undergraduate students in the School of Social Ecology an in-depth, three-quarter field study experience focused on civic and community engagement.
UCDC Academic Internship Program
The UC Irvine Washington DC Academic Internship Program, located in the exciting environment of Washington DC, enables UCI students from ALL majors to pursue internships, seminar and elective courses, and research in fall, winter, or spring quarters.
Summer UCDC
The UCDC Summer Internship Program (UCDC) sends 40 to 50 outstanding undergraduate students to live and intern in Washington, D.C. for 10 weeks each summer. There are numerous internship opportunities in various industries such as non-profit public service organizations, governmental agencies, communications, and entertainment.
UC Center Sacramento
UC Center Sacramento is the University of California’s teaching, research and public-service site located one block from the State Capitol Building. Operated by UC Davis, UCCS offers distinctive academic programs in public policy and journalism to students from throughout the university’s 10-campus system. These two programs provide students with an opportunity to study through seminars and internships in and around the state Capitol.
Public Health Practicum
The UCI Public Health Practicum fulfills the field study requirement. Public Health majors may choose to use their Practicum for 4 units of field study. NOTE! Students may only have 2 courses overlap between majors. For example, a stats course such as Stats 7 (in lieu of SocEcol 13) and PubHlth 195W (in lieu of 4units of SocEcol 195) would count as the two-course overlap.
If you meet the criteria above and would like to submit a request for Public Health 195W to satisfy SE195, submit a DegreeWorks Update Form here.
Completing Field Study Abroad
There are a few opportunities that have been approved succesfully for students who would like to fulfill the Field Study requirement while abroad. Please note, that at this time, ALL alternative and abroad field study experiences need to be submitted via the Course Waiver Petition for review. With no guarantee that they will be approved.
Irish Parliament Internship and Course Work
Scottish Parliament Internship and Course Work
Students are encouraged to review the Field Study minimum standards. Students who complete experiences that appear to meet the requirements and learning outcomes concurrently may submit a course waiver petition upon return. The petition and materials submitted will be reviewed under the standards to determine if the experience and coursework meet the standards to waive the course. This is a good option for students going abroad in their Junior year.