B.A. Program
The undergraduate major in Community Studies combines on- and off-campus learning to prepare students to lead change on social justice issues. Students also learn how to carry out social science research and writing and to communicate effectively within a diverse society.
On campus, students complete a core curriculum that enables them to identify, analyze, and help construct strategies for social justice movements, nonprofit sector advocacy, public policymaking, and social enterprise. Additional topical coursework helps students develop expertise in a chosen impact area tailored to their interests, like labor, racial justice, affordable housing, education, environmental and climate justice, domestic violence, or art.
Off campus, students spend six months doing community-engaged field study and research, through which they participate in and analyze an organization’s social justice work to make a meaningful contribution to its mission. Students complete their field study independently, with guidance from faculty and an on-site supervisor from their chosen organization. This intensive and extended immersion is the distinguishing feature of the Community Studies major. You can find more information about our approach to academics on our Academics Overview page, or dive into the details of field study below.
Degree requirements
Community Studies Majors are required to take a total of 11 courses, including one lower-division course in preparation for the major, three topical classes, and seven upper-division core classes, two of which are 15-credit field study courses. Students are required to take all three topical courses prior to their field study, and must also successfully complete a senior capstone project prior to graduation. The UCSC General Catalog outlines requirements for both first-year and transfer students in the major.
Learning outcomes
All students in the program will build eight specific competencies, across two major categories:
Critical thinking
- Demonstrate deep knowledge of the history, causes, and contemporary manifestations of specific social justice issues related to health and economic inequality.
- Deconstruct institutional power residing in private enterprise, government, the media, and the nonprofit sector.
- Analyze how communities attempt to overcome problems associated with inequality, cultural stigma, prejudice, and discrimination.
- Articulate research questions, methods, and findings appropriate to social science inquiry.
- Demonstrate analytical writing ability that effectively integrates theoretical and experiential knowledge about social justice.
Community engagement
- Identify, analyze, and help to construct strategies for social change through participation in the social justice work of an organization.
- Exhibit ethnographic observation skills by maintaining a regular record of detailed field notes.
- Demonstrate effective communication with the diverse constituencies involved in social justice work.
What can you do with a degree in community studies?
The Community Studies program’s interdisciplinary curriculum and the practical, real-world experience that our students gain through field study, provides our graduates with many options for graduate work and professional careers.
UCSC Community Studies graduates have gone on to rewarding careers in health care, K-12 education, public policy, social work, urban planning, higher education, and law. Our alumni are affordable housing advocates, labor organizers, mental health counselors, journalists, entrepreneurs, and more. Almost 100 of our alumni have founded their own non-profit social justice organizations, and others serve as board members or executive directors for nonprofits.
Meet our students and alumni
Seeyade Gizachew: Health justice advocate shares insights one year after UCSC graduation
Gizachew, a first generation college student double majoring in community studies and psychology, completed her field study with RYSE Youth Center. This transformed into a full-time role as a health justice coordinator, creating educational programming for young people.
Susan True: CEO of Community Foundation Santa Cruz County
As a community studies major at UCSC, True was deeply engaged in local nonprofits. Now, she’s a major philanthropy leader in the region. In 2024, Community Foundation Santa Cruz County invested $38 million in the Santa Cruz region and beyond. True’s work channels her lifelong commitment to community service into meaningful, lasting impact.
Pearl Ibeanusi: Double major at the intersection of education and health
Ibeanusi applied her classroom knowledge through her six month field study with the City of San José. She worked in a community-facing role supporting pandemic-related eviction protection programs. She won several scholarships, including one from the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation, to support her studies.
More student stories
More alumni stories
Admissions requirements
First-year students
High school students who plan to major in Community Studies at UCSC should complete courses required for UC admission.
Prospective majors are encouraged to become involved in their own communities, for example, through neighborhood, church, or school-based projects.
Transfer students
This is a non-screening major, easily accommodating fall transfer students. General education requirements should be completed before arriving at UCSC. Prior coursework in politics, sociology, psychology, history, anthropology, economics, health, geography, or community action is encouraged but not required. Transfer students should meet with the Community Studies Program advisor as early as possible to develop their academic plan of study. General information for transfer students can be found on the Services for Transfers and Re-entry Students (STARS) website.
Additional course transfer information
While it is not a condition of admission, students from California community colleges are advised to complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in preparation for transfer to UCSC. Transfer course agreements and articulation between the University of California and California community colleges can be found on assist.org.