Educational Studies Dual Major

The dual major in educational studies is designed for students who are interested in an education that integrates field-work and research in a range of educational settings, including classrooms, museums and non-profits whether they aspire to become educators, activists, policymakers or deepen their knowledge of education as informed citizens.  

The dual major in educational studies is committed to deepening our understanding of educational institutions and the processes necessary to bring about systemic changes that lead to equity and access to a first-rate educational experience for all students. In addition to core courses and electives taught by educational studies faculty, our dual major benefits from a wide array of cross-referenced courses offered by other departments and programs, including Gender and Women’s Studies, Anthropology, History, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Theatre and Dance and others. Although the interdisciplinary major does not lead to teacher certification, we do advise students from across the University on pathways to teaching.  

The dual major in educational studies requires (32 credits) each completed with a C+ or better.  Any education course to be applied for a future teacher licensure requirement must be completed with a grade of B- or better. The dual major cannot be declared until after a first major has been declared and students must have a UNH undergraduate GPA of a 2.50 or better at the time of declaring. The required minimum overall GPA in major coursework is 2.50.

Required courses

Candidates for a degree must satisfy all of the University Discovery Program requirements in addition to satisfying the requirements of each individual major program. Bachelor of arts candidates must also satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement.

Students who are interested in a dual major in Educational Studies will need to file an Intent to Dual Major Form. The form is available from the program website at cola.unh.edu/education. For more information, please contact education.department@unh.edu.

GOAL ONE: Our students effectively analyze the social dimensions of education, to include issues of culture, gender, equity, health, and economics. Specifically, students will:

• demonstrate understanding of the roles of gender, race, ethnicity, and economic class in effecting education in formal and informal settings.
• demonstrate understanding of the history and politics of education including the principles, assumptions and impacts of school reform initiatives, education, international development and economic globalization as well as alternatives for defining and pursuing diverse conceptions of education, quality of life, and equity.
• demonstrate understanding of how economics and markets shape private and public actions and outcomes with respect to education on local, regional, national and global scales.
• demonstrate understanding of the origins, similarities and differences among concepts of diversity, universality, pluralism, multiculturalism, and cosmopolitanism and their implications for education in formal and informal at a variety of scales.
• demonstrate cultural self-awareness and cultural sensitivity in analysis, synthesis, visioning, design and intervention related to studies in education.
• demonstrate an understanding of the role of public health related to education at various scales.

GOAL TWO: Our students engage diverse histories of education in the context of civic engagement, activism, and commitment to equity and justice for Social Good. Specifically, students will:

• demonstrate understanding of the relationship between awareness and action and be able to articulate theories of ethics and civic engagement in the context of educational initiatives on local, national and international levels.
• demonstrate understanding of the principles, assumptions and frameworks of educating for equity and justice from diverse perspectives.
• critique these issues based on their direct experience in "engaged learning" projects as well as in historical social movement analogues, including civil rights, abolition, environmental movements, and women's suffrage.