The Science Education Minor provides preparation for careers where teaching and conveying science are important components, including secondary, community college, and university teaching, or other science-related outreach.
The curriculum of the Science Education minor provides:
- two quarters of field experiences in elementary, middle and/or high school science classes,
- two quarters of UCLA-based laboratory teaching practicums taught by experts in laboratory instruction in the disciplines,
- the science courses necessary for preparation for the state subject matter exams (if pursuing a teaching credential), and
- the flexibility in education courses to allow individualization of the minor to fit the graduate and/or credential program of your choice.
The minor is designed to provide both theory and hands-on experiences. Students interested in K-12 education, as well as graduate programs in their STEM disciplines, are the primary focus.
Admission to the Minor
Students eligible for admission to the minor will be making normal progress to the preparation for a major in the Sciences whether they have declared such a major or not. As such, they will have completed 9 courses from the following with at least one from each of the four departments below:
1) Life Sciences 7A, 7B, 7C, 7L or 23L;
2) Chemistry 14A, 14AE, 14B, 14C, 14BL, 14CL or Chemistry 20A, 20B, 20L, 30A, 30AL;
3) Physics 1A, 1B, 4AL, 4BL or 5A, 5B, 5C;
4) Mathematics 3A, 31A, or Life Sciences 30A.
To enter the minor students must be in academic good standing with an overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better.
Students must meet with the Science Education Minor Advisor to plan a coherent program to complete the minor along with their major, prior to filing a petition to enter the minor.
To schedule an advising appointment, please email cateach@ucla.edu.
Requirements for the Minor
At least seven courses are included in the minor with no more than two as lower division. A minimum of 22 upper division units are required.
See UCLA Catalog Science Education Minor.
Lower division preparatory courses
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# Courses
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Title/Description
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Units
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|
1
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One course from Science Education 1XP (2), 10XP (2), or 15XP (3)
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2-3
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1
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One course: Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences 1 (5)
One of the following courses may be substituted for EPS SCI 1: EPS SCI 3 – Astrobiology EPS SCI 5 – Environmental Geology of Los Angeles EPS SCI M7 – Perils of Space Weather EPS SCI 8 – Earthquakes EPS SCI 9 – Solar Systems and Planets EPS SCI 10 – Exploring Mars, Red Planet EPS SCI 13 – Natural Disasters EPS SCI 15 – Blue Planet: Introduction to Oceanography EPS SCI 17 – Dinosaurs and their Relatives
AOS 1 – Climate Change: from Puzzles to Policy. AOS 2 – Air Pollution AOS 3 – Meteorology and Extreme Weather. AOS 5 – Climates of Other Worlds AOS M7 – Perils of Space Weather
AOS 101 (5), 102 (4), 103 (4); or EPS SCI 101 (4), C113 (4)
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4-5
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2
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Total: 2 courses
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6-8 units
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Upper division courses (22 units minimum):
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# Courses
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Title/Description
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Units
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1
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Science Education 100XP
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5 |
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1
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Education 127 Note that Education 128 does not count towards the Science Education Minor.
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5
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2
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Total: 2 courses |
10 units
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In addition, you must complete a minimum of 12 units (minimum of 3 courses) from the following:
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#Courses
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Title/Description
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Units
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|
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Varies (1-2) |
Lab-based Practicum*: At least 3 units selected from: Chemistry 192A (4), 192B (4), Physiological Science 192A (1), 192B (2-4), Physics M192S (1), 192M (2-4), Life Sciences M192A (1), 192B (3), 192C (4), 192D (2), 192E (1).
*192 Practicums must be lab-based.
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Varies (3 unit minimum) |
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1 |
Education Elective: At least one course selected from the following Education courses: M102 (4), M103 (4), 104A (4), 105B (5), 106A (5), 107A (5), 107B (5), M108 (5), C111 (5), 123 (5), 126 (5), M131A (5). 132 (5), M136 (4), 139 (5), 141 (5). Or by petition: 106B (4) 118 (5) 140 (5) Some UC online courses to be approved on a case-by-case basis: UC Cross-Campus Enrollment (Select Education) Education enrollment rules: Science Education Minors are able to enroll in the above Education courses during second pass. See Undergraduate course enrollment rules on Education website (scroll down and select Undergraduate course enrollment rules). Note there is no priority enrollment for other education courses by petition including 106B, 118, 140.
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Varies (4 unit minimum) |
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Varies (1-2) |
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Varies | |
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Total: 3 courses minimum
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12 units minimum
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How to enroll in the practicum:
Chemistry 192A, 192B:
Contact the instructor for permission to enroll:
Dr. Pang - pang@chem.ucla.edu;
Dr. Russell - russell@chem.ucla.edu
Requisites: Chem14BL,14CL or 20L, 30AL
The courses include a one-hour weekly pedagogy seminar plus assisting as a UA in either Chem 14BL or 20L labs.
The date and time for the one hour pedagogy seminar and the labs where you will be a UA will be arranged around your schedule and that of the others in the class.
Physiological Sciences 192A, 192B:
Contact the instructor for permission to enroll:
Dr. Phelps - pphelps@physci.ucla.edu
Physics or Life Sciences 192 courses:
Apply through the Learning Assistant Program for Physics M192S, 192M or Life Science 192 series.
Not all Life Science and Physics 192 courses/sections are lab-based.
Lab-based courses are Life Science 7L, Physics 5AL, 5BL, 5CL, 4AL, or 4BL.
*For the Lab-based Practicum, you should
1) only apply for lab courses,
2) email the LA Program Development Team (uclalearningassistants@gmail.com) once you've applied to tell them that you are applying for a Lab-based Practicum as part of the Science Education Minor, so that they can give you priority enrollment in those courses.
Once accepted, the Learning Assistant Program will provide PTEs to enroll.
If you are not offered a spot in the appropriate course, please contact cateach@ucla.edu for assistance.
How to declare the minor?
Please contact cateach@ucla.edu to express your interest and ask any questions.