Minor in Education Studies
Are you interested in shaping how and what schools teach, understanding the role school plays in society, exploring human learning, or pursuing a career in an education-related field? Consider complementing your major with a minor in education studies.
If you are interested in the Education Studies minor path to a teaching license, please refer to the Minor + Licensure requirements under Teacher Education.
An education studies minor will prepare you well for a variety of careers in related fields, including education policy, school psychology, higher education, and alternative classroom learning, such as museum education. It will also give you a solid foundation from which to pursue graduate studies in education-related fields.
To minor in education studies, you’ll complete six courses in all: two core courses, including Purpose and Politics of Education, and four electives from an approved list that covers policy, human development, and teaching and learning. If you wish, you may substitute an essay, thesis, or internship for the fourth elective.
Requirements for the Minor in Education Studies
Six courses (or the equivalent of 24 credits) are required to complete the education studies minor:
- two core courses, one of which is ED 150b, Purpose and Politics of Education, and
- at least four additional program electives
Program electives are listed at the end of the education course listings. A grade of C or better is required in each course taken for credit in the minor. Pass/Fail courses are not allowed.
Students my substitute successful completion of an essay, thesis, or internship, as described below, for the fourth elective course option:
- Essay: an approved research or honors essay, usually taken in the senior year. Students would receive credit for this essay through their department major, or ED 98a (Individual Readings and Research in Educaiton), or an independent study or research course approved by the director of the education program.
- Honors Thesis: a senior thesis in the student's major that has an emphasis on some aspect of education.
- Internship: ED 89a Applied Learning Seminar & Internship with Education Related internship
To Declare the Minor:
- review the requirements carefully
NB: If you are interested in the Education Studies minor path to a teaching license, please refer to the Minor + Licensure requirements under Teacher Education.
- COPY and DOWNLOAD the ED Studies declaration worksheet (revised as of 1/10/2024).
- read the directions (tab 1) and complete the worksheet (tab 2).
- email the completed form, or questions to education@brandeis.edu.
- please use the subject line: ED Studies minor declaration.
- we will also schedule a meeting for you with Prof. Rachel Kramer Theodorou, UAH, to select an advisor.
Expand All
A. ED 150b (Purpose and Politics of Education) is one of the two required core courses. This course is ordinarily offered every year.
B. A second core course to be selected from the following:
- AMST/ED 120a - History of Higher Education in the US
- AMST 150a - History of Childhood and Youth in America
- AMST 180b - Topics in the History of American Education
- ECON 59b - The Economics of Education
- ED 10a - Introduction to Teaching and Learning
- ED 101a - Literacy, Literature, and Social Justice (K-6)
- ED 101b - Teaching Science and History for Social Change (PK-6)
- ED 104a - Pedagogy in the Disciplines
- ED 105a - Structure, Concepts, and Best Practices in Mathematics (PK-6)
- ED 144a - Look Who’s Talking: Student Voice and Classroom Discourse
- ED 145a - Making the Grade: Equity and Assessment
- ED 161b - Religious Education in America
- ED 163b - Creativity and Caring (not offered after 2022)
- ED 165a - Reading and Talking Back to Research in Education
- ED 170a - Race, Power and Urban Education
- ED 173b - Psychology of Love: Education for Close Relationships
- SOC 104a - The Sociology of Education
- THA 138b - Creative Pedagogy
Students completing the Education Studies minor take at least four additional program electives, listed below. Students may have only two cross-over courses that meet requirements for both the teacher education (licensure) minor and the Education Studies minor.
As noted above, students may substitute successful completion of an essay, thesis, or internship for the fourth elective.
Not all courses are given in any one year. Please consult the Schedule of Classes each semester.
Schooling, Policy and Society
- AAAS 156a #BlackLivesMatter: The Struggle for Civil Rights from Reconstruction to the Present
- AMST/ED 120a History of Higher Education in the US
- AMST 150a The History of Childhood and Youth in America
- AMST 180b Topics in the History of American Education
- ANTH 61b Language in American Life
- ANTH 109a Children, Parenting, and Education in Cross-Cultural Perspective
- ANTH 180b Playing Human: Persons, Objects, Imagination
- ECON 59b The Economics of Education
- ED 75b Waltham Speaks: Multilingualism, Advocacy and Community (new in 2021)
- ED 121a Education and Equity in Modern American History
ED 155b Education and Social Policy
- ED 159b Philosophy of Education
- ED 161b Religious Education in America
- ED 170a Race, Power and Urban Education
- ENG 131b Decolonial Pedagogy
- HSSP 192b Sociology of Disability
- LGLS 141b Juvenile Justice: From Cradle to Custody
- NEJS 169b From Sunday Schools to Birthright: History of American Jewish Education
- NEJS 171b Tikkun Olam/Repairing the World: Service and Social Justice in Theory and Practice
- NEJS 235c Topics in Jewish Education
- SOC 104a Sociology of Education
- SOC 108a Youth and Democracy
- SOC 113b Sociology of Race and Racism
- SOC 138a Sociology of Race, Gender, and Class
- SOC 154a Community Structure and Youth Subcultures
- WMGS 151a Social Politics of Sexual Education
Human Development, Learning and/or Teaching
- COML/ENG 140b Children's Literature and Constructions of Childhood
- EBIO 33b Citizen Science: Bridging Science, Education and Advocacy
ED 10a - Introduction to Teaching and Learning (replaces ED 100a and 100b as of fall 2023)
ED 100a Exploring Teaching (Elementary & Preschool) (replaced by ED 10a as of fall 2023)
- ED 100b Exploring Teaching (Secondary) (replaced by ED 10a as of fall 2023)
- ED 101a - Literacy, Literature, and Social Justice (K-6)
- ED 101b - Teaching Science and History for Social Change (PK-6)
- ED 104a - Pedagogy in the Disciplines
- ED 105a - Structure, Concepts, and Best Practices in Mathematics (PK-6)
ED 107a Teaching and Learning Reading in Elementary and Preschools (if taken before 2021)
- ED 144a - Look Who’s Talking: Student Voice and Classroom Discourse
- ED 145a - Making the Grade: Equity and Assessment
- ED 158b Looking with the Learner: Practice and Inquiry
- ED 163b Creativity and Caring (not offered after 2022)
- ED 173b The Psychology of Love: Education for Close Relationships
- ED 175a Teaching of English Language Learners: Pre-K to 12 (if taken before 2021)
- ED 203a Teaching Multicultural Learners I (replaces ED 175a)
- ED/HRNS 168a Summer Camp: The American Jewish Experience
- ED/NEJS 170b Inside Jewish Education: Language, Literacy and Reading
- HRNS 206f Informal Jewish Education
- LING 110a Phonological Theory
- LING 197a Language Acquisition and Development
- MATH 3a Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers
- NEJS 169a Inside the Religious School Classroom
- NEJS 170a Studying Sacred Texts
- PSYC 33a Developmental Psychology
- PSYC 36b Adolescence and the Transition to Maturity
- PSYC 169b Disorders of Childhood
- THA 138b Creative Pedagogy