Rethinking Education Beyond the Classroom
Education isn't limited to the classroom walls. It happens across human lifespans, through cultural practices, within community organizations, across political institutions, and inside evolving technological spaces.
The Bachelor of Arts in Education and Society (EDSO) at UC Santa Barbara is an interdisciplinary major designed to critically examine education as a social, political, cultural, and psychological phenomenon. Built on a commitment to justice and human dignity, EDSO equips students with the empirical research tools, theoretical frameworks, and community-engaged experiences to transform educational systems and serve diverse communities.
What can I do with my EDSO degree?
Become a Scholar
Conduct cutting-edge research on educational processes and influences and build a strong foundation for top graduate programs (M.A./Ph.D.) in education, psychology, sociology, or social policy.
Become an Educator or Learning Specialist
Prepare for competitive entry into graduate credential programs for elementary (preK–6) or special education (preK–12) teaching, or direct learning in informal settings like museums and afterschool programs
Become a Policy or Higher ED Leader
Drive institutional change by analyzing and designing educational policy, evaluating public programs, advocating for systemic equity, or leading student-centered initiatives in university administration.
Become a Community Advocate or Youth Specialist
Empower youth and families through non-profit program leadership, community outreach, and social advocacy, or prepare for graduate study in social work (MSW).
Coursework
Core Areas
Where does educational change begin? Explore the three foundational areas that frame the EDSO degree.
Learning & Teaching
Understand the dynamics of educational encounters across formal preK-12 and higher education settings, as well as informal environments like museums, afterschool programs, and evolving technological and virtual spaces.
Culture & Communities
Explore how human development, language, identity, and cultural practices shape learning across diverse local, national, and global contexts; understand the role of socialization of children, youth and adults in education.
Policy & Institutions
Analyze how educational organizations operate, evaluate the impact of local and national policies, and investigate how systems can be reformed to pursue justice and support human dignity inside and outside educational contexts.
Advanced Pathways
No matter where your ambitions lead, the EDSO major provides the customizable coursework, hands-on practicums, and Advanced Pathways to build a degree that fits your goals.
Explore how people learn math and science, and discover how to make STEM fields engaging, inclusive, and accessible to all learners.
Connect climate justice and sustainability with learning, preparing to lead environmental education in schools and communities.
Understand how diverse minds grow, think, and develop across the lifespan to effectively support children, youth, and families.
Build practical research and data skills to measure program impace, answer bug questions in the field of education, and drive evidence-based change.
Examine how power and equity shape schooling, and gain the tools to advocate for social justice, representation, and more inclusive learning spaces.
Investigate how language, culture, and literacy shape identity, with a strong focus on supporting multilingual learners and diverse communities.
Distinctive Features of the Major
Interdisciplinary Inquiry
We critically examine education as a combined social, cultural, political, and psychological phenomenon with expertise from the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, and STEM.
Advanced Pathways and Co-Curricular Learning
Go beyond classroom theory by engaging in critical research, program evaluation, and hands-on design across formal and informal learning settings.
Across the Lifespan, Beyond the Classroom
We explicitly conceptualize education beyond standard classroom instruction, studying learning across the entire human lifespan in both formal environments (preK-12 and higher education) and informal contexts (families, community organizations, afterschool programs, and ecological settings).
Comprehensive Career Preparation
Turn your passion for education into action, by using the customizable pathways to support your future academic and professional ambitions.
Program Learning Outcomes
What will you know and be able to do as an EDSO major? Our 7 Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) prepare graduates to analyze, design, and lead educational change across three core domains and integrated civic research skills.
Read more about each PLO below!
Core Area: Learning & Teaching
1. Learning & Development in Context
Explain and compare key theories of human development, and use them to interpret how individuals and groups acquire knowledge, skills, and dispositions across diverse contexts.
2. Design & Support of Learning Environments
Analyze and critique the design of learning environments, programs, tools, or activities, and evaluate evidence-based improvements that support participation, inquiry, and growth across formal and informal settings.
Core Area: Culture & Communities
3. Culture, Identity, & Community Membership
Analyze how culture, identity, community membership and social relations shape learning and development, drawing on interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks.
4. Community Engagement & Equity
Engage ethically and collaboratively with communities, organizations, or partners, demonstrating the ability to recognize community-based knowledge and to evaluate strategies for promoting inclusion, belonging, and equitable participation.
Core Area: Policy & Institutions
5. Systems, Institutions, & Governance
Analyze how educational systems and related institutions are structured, governed, and resourced, and evaluate how institutional arrangements and organizational dynamics shape learning opportunities, community outcomes, and social equity.
6. Policy, Power, & Public Decision-Making
Critically examine education policies and political processes, assessing their assumptions, intended and unintended consequences, and implications for diverse communities; and develop evidence-based recommendations or arguments that contribute to informed public decision-making.
Integrated Scholarly & Civic Engagement Skills
7. Inquiry, Research, & Public Communication
Conduct and communicate original inquiry into a question relevant to learning, community life, or systems change by collecting and analyzing evidence and presenting findings clearly for audiences, such as policymakers, practitioners, community partners, or researchers.
Want to see these outcomes in action?
Take a deep dive into our courses to see how you can make your education come to life, or learn about our minors to support your current major!
Ready to shape the future of Education?
Apply for the all-new Education and Society Major! View application requirements, timelines, and connect with an advisor to start your journey today.
Take your Learning Beyond the Classroom
Apply your skills directly in local K-12 schools, community organizations, and faculty research labs across Santa Barbara County. See how our Practicum offerings enact our program outcomes and prepare you for a future in Education.