Any student may minor in education by completing 20 approved units. 12 of the 20-unit minimum are covered by the three required courses listed below. The remaining 8 elective units of coursework may be selected from the approved courses listed below. For details on prerequisites and GE credits, visit the UC Davis General Catalog.  

Seek advisement from the education minor advisor early to ensure you are taking the correct courses.

Requirements

Required Minor Courses (12 units)

• EDU 100 - Introduction to Schools, 4 units (Includes 30 hours of required fieldwork in a school setting. Learn more about fieldwork.) 

  • EDU/GEL 181 and 183 (4 units combined, 2 units each) focus specifically on math and science teaching and may be substituted for EDU 100. Both courses include required fieldwork in a school setting.

    • EDU/GEL 181 - Teaching in Mathematics and Science (Cal-Teach SMI). Only 2 units count toward the minor total.
    • EDU/GEL 183 – Teaching High School Mathematics and Science (Cal-Teach). Only 2 units count toward the minor total.
  • AED 100 – Concepts in Agricultural and Environmental Education, 3 units. Focuses specifically on agricultural education and may be substituted for EDU 100. Includes required fieldwork.

Note: If you take EDU/GEL 181 & 183 or AED 100 you cannot take EDU 100 for an elective course towards the minor. If you take EDU 100, you cannot take AED 100, EDU/GEL 181 or 183 as elective for the minor.

• Education 110 - Educational Psychology: General, 4 units
• Education 120 - Philosophical and Social Foundations of Education, 4 units

Elective Courses in Education (8 units)

The remaining eight units may be taken from the following courses in education:

• EDU 114 - Quantitative Methods in Educational Research, 4 units
• EDU 115 – Educating All Learners: Inclusion & Disability, (formerly 2 units, 4 units starting Fall 2026)
• EDU 119 - Use and Misuse of Standardized Tests, 4 units
• EDU 121 - Introduction to Education Policy Analysis, 4 units
• EDU 122 – Children, Learning and Material Culture, 4 units
• EDU 130 – Issues in Higher Education, 4 units (includes a flexible 30-hour fieldwork experience)
• EDU 142 – Introduction to Environmental Education, 4 units (with choice of discussion or internship)
• EDU 150 – Cultural Diversity and Education in a Sociopolitical Context, 4 units
• EDU 152 - Communication Skills for Bilingual Teachers (note: this course is conducted entirely in Spanish), 3 units
• EDU 154 – Languaging in Chicanx & Latinx Communities & Schools, 4 units
• EDU 155 - Ethnic Studies in K-12 Schools, 4 units
• EDU/LIN 173 – Language Development, 4 units
• EDU 185 – Learning in a Digital Age, 4 units
• EDU 192 – Internship in Education, variable units*
• EDU 198 – Directed Group Study, variable units*
• EDU 199 – Independent Study, variable units*

*Note: EDU 192, 198, and /or 199 must be taken under the supervision of a School of Education faculty member and an approved signed/completed contract form must be on file with the School of Education Student Services Office before taking the class. 

Courses previously approved but no longer offered:

• EDU 151, Language Development in the Chicano Child, 3 units

Approved Courses for Electives Outside of Education

The remaining eight units of electives may be taken from the following courses offered outside of education:

• AAS 130 - Education in the African American Community, 4 units
• AMS 152 - The Lives of Children in America, 4 units
• BIS 195A or 195B – K-12 Science Teaching Internship, 4 units 
• CHI 102A - Chicana/o Feminist Theoretical Understandings of K-20 Educational Disparities, 4 units
• CHI 102B - Grassroots Community Activism & Mobilization Efforts Challenging Educational Inequity, 4 units
• CHI 102C – Policy & Law Challenging Segregation & Educational Inequity, 4 units
• CHI 132 -  Political Economy of Chicano/a Communities, 4 units
• CHI 192 – Davis Bridge Program Tutoring, 1-3 units*
  • Internship as a tutor, teacher’s aide, or peer counselor in a school or educational counseling setting under the supervision of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit. Must be Davis Bridge program to count towards the minor; subject to verification.
• CHI 198 - Directed Group Study, 4 units* (must be taught by Prof. Natalia Deeb Sossa for the minor; subject to verification)
• ECN 152 - Economics of Education, 4 units
• HDE 100A – Infancy and Early Childhood, 4 units
• HDE 100B – Middle Childhood and Adolescence, 4 units
• HDE 101 – Cognitive Development, 4 units (same as PSC 141)
• LIN 173 - Language Development, 4 units (same as EDU 173)
• LIN 180 - Second Language Learning and Teaching, 4 units
• MAT 197TC – Tutoring Mathematics in the Community 1-5 units*
• PSC 130 - Human Learning and Memory, 4 units
• PSC 132 – Language and Cognition, 4 units
• PSC 141 – Cognitive Development, 4 units (same as HDE 101)
• SAS 120 – Science Communication and Education (must be taught by Dr. Heidi Ballard for the minor; subject to verification)
• SOC 124 – Sociology of Education OR Education & Inequality in the US, 4 units (either class title allowed)
• SPA 116 – Applied Spanish Linguistics, 4 units
• SPA 117 – Teaching Spanish as a Native Tongue in the U.S.: Praxis and Theory, 4 units
• UWP 104D - Writing in the Professions: Elementary and Secondary Education, 4 units
• UWP 197T - Writing Ambassadors K-12 Internship 2-4 units*

*Note: elective courses may include only up to 4 units of internship credit toward the minor. 

Courses previously approved but no longer offered:

• GEL 185A: Conceptual Integrated Science for Non-Science Majors: The Physical World: 2 units 
• GEL 185B: Conceptual Integrated Science for Non-Science Majors: Earth System Science: 2 units

Undergraduate Course Descriptions

For further details on prerequisites and credits, visit the UC Davis General Catalog. 

EDU/GEL 81. Learning in Science and Mathematics (Cal-Teach SMI- this course does not count towards minor)

Exploration of how students learn and develop understanding in science and mathematics classroom. Introduction to case studies and interview techniques and their use in K-6 classrooms to illuminate factors that affect student learning. (Same course as Geology 81) (2 units)

EDU 100. Introduction to Schools

Study of occupational concerns of teachers; skills for observing classroom activities; school organization and finance; school reform movement; observing, aiding and tutoring in schools. Includes 30 hour fieldwork component. (4 units) 

EDU 110. Educational Psychology: General

Learning processes, cognitive development, individual differences, testing and evaluation. (4 units)

EDU 114. Quantitative Methods in Educational Research

Problems and methods in data analysis. Design of research projects. Some consideration of procedures suited to digital computers. (4 units)

EDU 115. Educating Children with Disabilities

Educational issues and processes involved in teaching children with disabilities. The course will focus on the structure of special education, with an emphasis on meeting the educational needs of children who are mainstreamed in regular classes. (2 units)

EDU 119. The Use and Misuse of Standardized Tests

Principles underlying educational and psychological testing. Purposes of testing for individual achievement and evaluation of school programs. Interpretation and misinterpretations of outcomes. Analysis of SAT, GRE and other common tests. Experience in test administration and outcome interpretation. (4 units)

EDU 120.  Philosophical & Social Foundations of Education

Philosophical, historical and sociological study of education and the school in our society.  (4 units)

EDU 121. Introduction to Education Policy Analysis: Tools, Methods, and Frameworks

Introduces students to the field of education policy analysis with a specific emphasis on the quantitative frameworks and analytical tools — drawn primarily from economics and statistics — that are used to guide and inform educational policymaking. (4 units)

EDU 122. Children, Learning and Material Culture

How material artifacts shape what and how children learn in school, at home, and in the community. Artifacts examined include books, computers, household appliances, toys and games, entertainment media, collectibles, sports equipment, clothing, folk arts and crafts, and neighborhood space. Offered in alternate years. (4 units)

EDU 130. Issues in Higher Education

Analysis of current issues in higher education and of some practical implications of varying philosophical approaches to the role of the university. Includes flexible 30 hour fieldwork component. (4 units)

EDU 142.  Environmental Science Education

Study of history, philosophy, principles and approaches to environmental education (EE) and outreach; learning theories, teaching strategies and techniques in EE and outreach; evaluation of EE curricula in non-formal and in-school contexts; observing, aiding and facilitating local environmental education programs. (4 units)

EDU 147. Anglos, Latinos and the Spanish Black Legend: The Origins and Educational Implications of Anti-Hispanic Prejudice

Examination of anti-Hispanic prejudice in the United States focusing on the “Black Legend,” a 16th Century anti-Spanish myth underpinning the doctrine of “Manifest Destiny.” Exploration of the Legend’s presence in contemporary American society through interviews and analysis of school textbooks. (Same course as Spanish 147.) (4 units)

EDU 150.  Cultural Diversity and Education in a Sociopolitical Context

Introduction to cultural diversity and education in a sociopolitical context.  Interactive course.  Small and large-group discussions explore, extend, and apply readings; range of writing genres for responses to assignments and course themes; lectures, slide shows, speakers, brief fieldwork, and presentations.  (4 units)

EDU 151. Language Development in the Chicano Child

This course is no longer offered; see updated course, below. Bilingualism, first and second language acquisition, bilingual education, language assessment, Chicano Spanish and the role of dialect varieties in the classroom. Not open for credit to students who have completed course 151T. Offered irregularly. (3 units). 

EDU 152. Communication Skills for Bilingual Teachers

The development of communication skills of prospective educators with an emphasis on the study and use of standard Spanish and Southwest Spanish dialects in teaching science, mathematics, social science, music, art, and language arts to bilingual elementary school pupils. (3 units)

EDU 154. Languaging in Chicanx & Latinx Communities & Schools

Interdisciplinary research on the diverse communicative practices of individuals from Chicanx/Latinx communities in the U.S. Critiques deficit orientation of early social science research and introduces scholarship providing contextualized and nuanced findings about the linguistic practices that Chicanxs and Latinxs use to communicate across a range of learning settings in and out of schools. (4 units)

EDU 155. Ethnic Studies in K-12 Schools 

Course Description: Brief historical genealogy of Ethnic Studies as an interdisciplinary field, content and pedagogical knowledge of Ethnic Studies approaches in K-12 school settings and grassroots communities, and reviews the existing research of Ethnic Studies literacies in US public schools. (4 units)

EDU 163. Guidance and Counseling

Nature and scope of pupil personnel services; basic tools and techniques of guidance; theory and practice of counseling psychology, with emphasis on educational and vocational adjustment. Offered irregularly. (4 units)

EDU 173. Language Development

Theory and research on children’s acquisition of their native language, including the sound system, grammatical systems, and basic semantic categories. (4 units)

EDU 181. Teaching in Mathematics and Science (Cal-Teach SMI)

Exploration of effective teaching practices based on examination of how middle school students learn math and science. Selected readings, discussion and field experience in middle school classrooms. (Same course as Geology 181.) (2 units)

EDU 183.  Teaching High School Mathematics and Science (Cal-Teach SMI)

Exploration and creation of effective teaching practices based on examination of how high school students learn mathematics and science. Field experience in high school classrooms. (Same course as Geology 183) (3 units)

EDU 185. Learning in a Digital Age: Information, Schooling, and Society

Focus on the changing nature of learning in a digital age: social media, ubiquitous connectivity, online education, electronic communication, writing, gaming, and youth culture. (4 units)

EDU 192. Internship

Internship as a tutor, teacher’s aide, or peer counselor in a school or educational counseling setting under the supervision of a faculty member. May be repeated for credit. (P/NP grading only.). (1-3 units)

EDU 198. Directed Group Study (1-5 units)