- Not Applicable
- Other
- Social Sciences
- Not Applicable
Overview
*UCSC does not offer this as an undergraduate major.
UC Santa Cruz offers a variety of field and exchange programs. Through field-placement programs, students gain or refine practical skills not usually taught in the classroom and provide needed services to organizations, groups, and businesses. Students can receive academic credit for courses taken at other institutions and for fieldwork completed through almost all of these programs.
In addition to the opportunities below, internships are sponsored by UC Santa Cruz's Career Center, and independent field study is available through most departments on campus. For information on undergraduate research at UC Santa Cruz, please see the Undergraduate Research Opportunities web page.
Economics Field Study Program
The Economics Field Study Program offers students an opportunity to integrate academic theory with hands-on work experience. Each quarter opportunities are available for students to earn academic credit while working in the local community (Economics 193) and earn credit for the practice: service learning (PR-S) general education requirement. Students will work in a business setting where they are trained and supervised by a professional in their area of interest. An economics faculty member sponsors each student's field placement, providing guidance and encouraging them to blend the knowledge acquired in economics courses with the training they receive in the field placement. Students have completed projects in marketing, financial analysis, data analysis, accounting, human resources, and international trade. They have conducted research on issues involving monetary trends, public policy, and the problems of small businesses.
The program is open to junior and senior declared economics majors in good standing. Students must prepare for field study a quarter in advance, in consultation with the field studies program coordinator. For further information, contact the Economics Field Studies Program Coordinator via econintern@ucsc.edu.
Education Field Programs
Education Field Programs at UC Santa Cruz offer a variety of field opportunities, both for students who are preparing for careers in education and for those who wish to broaden their programs in the liberal arts and sciences through the study of education as a major social institution. The Education Department offers a major in Education, Democracy and Justice (EDJ), and two minors: Education and STEM Education.
The Education, Democracy and Justice major (EDJ; pronounced as "Edge") will provide opportunities to examine critical questions, theories, practices, and research in the field of education considered broadly and not only in relation to formal schooling. Courses in the major will provide the conceptual knowledge for students to engage in critical thinking about social and policy contexts as well as everyday practices affecting inequitable structures in schooling, society, and culture that have enduring impacts on the quality of our democracy and communities. The major’s course of study will explore the history and politics of education and public schooling and their relation to the formation of just and democratic societies; theories of cognition, learning, and pedagogy; and issues of equity and cultural and linguistic diversity in education and in public school policies and practices. The major will not focus on education in international contexts but will address the effects of immigration and globalization on U.S. education. For more information, visit the Education Department website.
The Education Minor is an undergraduate program in which students explore the history of educational thought and philosophy, the politics and economics of education, learning theory and pedagogy, and issues of cultural and linguistic diversity in education. As a part of the six-course minor sequence, students engage in field study in schools through Education 180, Introduction to Teaching. For more information, visit the Education Department website.
The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) minor in education serves students in STEM majors who are considering or preparing for careers in secondary mathematics or science teaching. As a part of an eight-course sequence, students engage in field study in schools through a sequence of three classroom placements, culminating with Education 185L, Introduction to Teaching: Cal Teach 3. For more information, visit the Cal Teach website.
Environmental Studies Internship Program
Open to all UC Santa Cruz students, the Environmental Studies Internship Program is an integral academic component of the environmental studies major, and it augments the research and professional development of undergraduate and graduate students (see Environmental Studies Major Page). Placements include interning with faculty, graduate students, and partner research institutes locally, statewide, and internationally. Students can complete a senior project, and often find future employment with the agency where they interned. Many students complete two to four internships, completing undergraduate careers with not only career-building experiences but significant professional contacts and impressive resumes as well.
Further information is available from the Environmental Studies Internship Program Office, 491 Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, (831) 459-2104, esintern@ucsc.edu, envs.ucsc.edu/internships.
The Everett Program: A Social Innovation Lab
The Everett Program is a challenging academic and innovative educational opportunity at UCSC for aspiring change-makers of every major, catering mostly to students from frosh to junior year. The Everett Program's wholistic approach to education and social change focuses on the strategic thinking, hands on technology, and social-emotional leadership skills needed for students to be effective activists, social entrepreneurs, and advocates. After the year's program and project implementation, select students are invited to become Everett Fellows. The Everett Program focuses on applying social entrepreneurship and appropriate technology skills toward ameliorating social problems locally and globally. Students come in with a passion to change the world and leave with a skill set, partner organization, peer and staff support, and funding to implement a project in the summer after taking the course series.
Everett students take a sequence of three quarter-long classes starting fall and ending in spring that focus on project design, partnership development, and the use of information and communication technologies, such as participatory mapping, web design, video, CRM databases, and other software. Students then are able to receive funding to support project implementation over the summer and invited to write a practicum on their experience the following Fall. During its 17-year history, the Everett Program has helped students work in their own communities and with social justice organizations across CA, other parts of the US, Latin America, Asia, and many African countries. For more information, please see the Everett Program website.
Global Engagement - Global Learning
Global Engagement (GE) is the hub of responsibility and leadership for Global Learning at the UC Santa Cruz campus. We provide advising services and guidance to students seeking to participate in a global learning opportunity. Students interested in exploring study abroad and away options should visit Global Engagement (103 Classroom Unit Building) to meet with a Global Learning Advisor early in their college career and review the UCSC Global Learning website. Global Learning applications are generally due approximately 4-8 months in advance of the program start date, so it is critical that students start planning well in advance.
UCSC students may choose to study abroad or away through a variety of global learning programs, including UCSC Global Seminars, UCSC Exchanges, UCSC Global Internships, APRU Virtual Student Exchange, Global Classrooms, UCDC, UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), Other UC Study Abroad/Away Programs, or Independent Study Abroad/Away Programs. On any UC program, financial aid will apply and students will receive UC credit. Students may apply to have coursework count toward GE or major requirements. For Independent Programs, students may be able to receive transfer credit for the courses they complete. Transferable courses may be used to satisfy major, minor, or general education requirements at the discretion of the appropriate department. Some financial aid may apply and many Independent Programs offer scholarships to help offset the costs of the program.
Students interested in learning more about global learning opportunities at UCSC should start by creating a profile in the Global Learning Portal. The profile will cover important information such as types of programs, how to apply & deadlines, academics, affording global learning, scholarships, student identity, resources, and next steps. Additionally, after a profile is created, students may make an appointment to meet with a global learning advisor. See more information at Advising.
Health Sciences Internship Program
The Health Sciences Internship Program is a required course within the Global and Community Health B.S. (formerly Human Biology*) major. The program offers students in the major a unique opportunity for career exploration, personal growth, and professional development. Paired with a professional mentor, students spend one quarter interning in a health-related setting. Placements include a broad range of opportunities, including public health, clinical settings, and nonprofit organizations. Participating mentors include physicians, nurses, physical therapists, dentists, optometrists, physician's assistants, public health professionals, and more. Students enroll concurrently in the Biology 189W class, which uses the internship experience as a basis for scientific writing instruction, and fulfills the Disciplinary Communication General Education requirement for majors.
The Health Sciences Internship Coordinator works with students to prepare them for their internship and maintains a database of appropriate placements. Only Junior and Senior Global and Community Health B.S. (and declared Human Biology*) majors are eligible to apply. Applications are due two quarters in advance. For further information, contact the Health Sciences Internship Coordinator, Amber G., at (831) 459-5647, hsintern@ucsc.edu.
*Please note that the Human Biology major will change to Global and Community Health B.S. beginning with students entering fall 2022.
Intercampus Visitor Program
The Intercampus Visitor Program enables students to take advantage of educational opportunities at other campuses of the University of California. Students may take courses not available at UC Santa Cruz, participate in special programs, or study with distinguished faculty at other campuses. The program is for one term only; students are expected to return to the Santa Cruz campus after the visit.
Each host campus establishes its own criteria for accepting students from other campuses as visitors. For more information, go to the Office of the Registrar Special Programs website or contact the Office of the Registrar, (831) 459-4412, sp-regis@ucsc.edu.
Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) Fieldwork
A variety of field study opportunities may be arranged through LALS courses and campus affiliates (such as study abroad, affiliated faculty, and the Research Center for the Americas and its Human Rights Investigations Lab) and applied toward LALS degree requirements. Talk to an LALS Department Advisor for more information.
Psychology Field Study Program
The Psychology Field Study Program provides qualified students with an opportunity to integrate what they have learned in the classroom with direct experience in a community agency. Students develop new skills and clarify personal and professional goals by working as interns in schools, criminal justice programs, corporations, and mental health and other social service agencies, where they are supervised by a professional within that organization. Psychology faculty members sponsor field study students, helping them to synthesize their intern experience with psychology coursework and guiding them through an academic project.
Junior and senior psychology majors in good academic standing are eligible to apply for field study and there is a two-quarter commitment required. In order to have a more rich field study experience, it is recommended that applicants already have completed some upper division Psychology coursework. Interested students must attend a Field Study Info Session, held each quarter, to obtain an overview of the program and a link to the application. The Info Session schedule is available at the start of each quarter and posted online.
UC Washington Program (UCDC)
The UC Washington Program, more commonly known as UCDC, is coordinated and managed by UCSC Global Learning. UCDC supervises and supports students who pursue internships and academic study in the nation’s capital. The program is open through a competitive application process to juniors and seniors (occasionally sophomores) in all majors. Students enroll for fall, winter, or spring quarter, earning 12-18 course credits, and continue to be registered as a full-time UCSC student. Applicant selection is based on academic record, a written statement, and a letter of recommendation. See more at How to Apply.
Students spend 24-32 hours each week at their internships. Washington, D.C. offers a wide array of internship possibilities, from working on Capitol Hill or in a government agency to interning for a major media outlet, a nonprofit organization, or a cultural institution. Internship placements are selected by students based on their interests, with the assistance of UCDC program staff as needed. See more at Internships.
Students also attend a weekly research seminar. An essential component of the Washington program, the seminar enables students to draw on Washington’s rich variety of research opportunities to complete a research paper on a subject related to their internships. In addition to the research seminar, students may also opt to take one upper-division elective course from a range of classes offered by faculty at the Washington Center. Elective classes are offered in several disciplines, including the social and natural sciences, arts, and humanities. All courses take advantage of Washington’s unique resources for study and research. See more at Courses.
Interested students with strong academic records who want to pursue a professional internship during their tenure at UCSC are encouraged to apply. For further information, contact Ashley Bayman at globallearning@ucsc.edu, 831-459-2858, Classroom Unit 103, or visit the UCDC website. On the website, you will also find additional information on Cost, Living in D.C., Frequently Asked Questions, and Alumni Stories.
UNH and UNM Exchange Programs
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) and University of New Mexico (UNM) Exchange Programs allow students to study and live in different educational, geographic, and cultural environments for one term or for a full academic year. Participants must be in good academic standing. Students pay UC Santa Cruz registration fees and are expected to return to Santa Cruz to complete their studies.
For more information, go to the Office of the Registrar Special Programs website or contact the Office of the Registrar, (831) 459-4412, sp-regis@ucsc.edu.