Undergraduate Advising
Staff advising
Students interested in declaring an education major or minor can meet with our staff advisor or peer advisor to develop an academic plan. Current education students can get help with updating their academic plans and ensuring progress toward graduation.
Amy Nicole Raedeke
- Title
- Undergraduate Advisor
- Campus Email
Peer advising
Peer advisors are currently enrolled students who can answer questions about major and minor requirements, assist with academic planning, help prepare the declaration of major/minor paperwork, and provide guidance on study abroad program requirements.
Drop-in or appointments with peer advising is available via Slug Success or email edpeeradvising-group@ucsc.edu
Major and minor requirements
Academic planning resources
Declaring the education, democracy, and justice (EDJ) major
Petitions should be submitted as soon as a student has met Major Qualification and/or reached the declaration deadline, whichever comes first.
Step 3
Log in to MyUCSC, My Academics, Academic Petitions, and Forms (on the bottom left) and submit a Petition for Major/Minor.
Declaring the Education Minor
See these instructions on how to drop the minor. Minors are not printed on UCSC diplomas.
Step 1
Be declared in your major and currently enrolled in or have completed EDUC 60.
Step 2
Share your Google Sheet academic planning form signed by your major advisor with araedeke@ucsc.edu or reach out via email to confirm your academic plan is on file.
Step 3
Log into MyUCSC, My Academics, Academic Petitions and Forms (on the bottom left), and submit a Petition for Major/Minor
Declaring the STEM Education Minor
Undergraduates in STEM majors at UC Santa Cruz who are interested in the STEM Education Minor should meet with Cal Teach staff as early as possible, since that program manages acceptance into the minor and its prerequisites. Cal Teach program internships are required for all STEM Education minors.
Step 1
Be declared in a STEM major and attend a STEM Education Minor workshop or met with the Education Department undergraduate advisor.
Step 2
Complete or be enrolled in EDUC 50 (which requires first being accepted into the Cal Teach Program).
Step 3
Submit a petition in MyUCSC and share the Academic Planning Form from your major to araedeke@ucsc.edu.
Petition for a course exception
Students may petition to substitute a maximum of two courses. Petitions are reviewed monthly (October through June), and decisions are sent via email after review from an advisor.
Substitutions for upper-division courses must be upper-division 5 quarter units (or equivalent) courses related to education that have a strong educational focus and connect learning and teaching. The course should include relevant readings and assignments comparable to our upper-division education courses and should be taught by faculty (not a student-run course).
If the course was taken at another institution, it must be transferable to UCSC. Traditional internships typically will not count. Individual studies courses in the Education Department must also be petitioned to substitute for an elective.
Petition process
- Step 1: Complete a Petition for Exception Form
- Step 2: Supply additional documentation, including: Letter of Explanation: Half to one-page explanation of request and why the course(s) meet the requirements for substitutionOfficial catalog description of course(s)Course syllabus, including assigned readings/assignmentsA screenshot of UCSC Education courses completed (from MyUCSC).If petitioning an individual studies course, include a signed Individual Studies Course Petition.
- Step 3: Email the completed documents to educationadvising@ucsc.edu.
Independent study and research
Contact Education Department faculty members to discuss your idea for an individual study course or research, and ask if they would be willing to sponsor/supervise you. It is best to initiate this process in the quarter prior to which you plan to do the study. A student’s faculty sponsor cannot be a visiting professor, lecturer, or graduate student.
An individual studies course can be a 2-unit or 5-unit course. A 2-unit course requires about six hours of work per week, and a 5-unit course requires about 15 hours of work per week. Individual studies courses do not automatically fulfill major or minor requirements. In order for your individual study to be considered for substitution of a major or minor requirement, please complete the petition for course exception process described in the section above.
Enrollment process for independent study
- Step 1: Secure a faculty sponsor, as described above.
- Step 2: Complete a Petition for Undergraduate Individual Studies Course, ask your faculty sponsor to complete and sign the form, and submit it to the Education Department Undergraduate Advisor.
- Step 3: If the individual studies course is approved, the Advisor will provide a class number to enroll. Enroll in the course by the add/drop/swap deadline and with the approved grade option marked by your sponsoring faculty member.
Undergraduate enrollment in the Master of Arts in Education and Credential Program
Per California Education Code Section 44320(a), undergraduates of California State University and University of California campuses are allowed to enroll in any of the courses from our Master of Arts in Education and Teaching Credential Program.
Undergraduate students who wish to enroll in an M.A./credential course should contact the director of teacher education to determine if they are suitably qualified for the course of interest. If it is determined that the undergraduate student has sufficient knowledge and experience, as well as access to necessary course requirements (e.g., methods courses require access to TK-12 classrooms in order to complete course assignments), the undergraduate student will be referred to the M.A./credential program coordinator.
UCSC students will then be provided an add code, and non-UCSC students will be provided information on how to enroll through UCSC Extension Open Campus/Concurrent Enrollment. Admission requires approval by the course instructor.