Overview
Disability Studies is a multifaceted field that examines the nature, meaning, and consequences of disability. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Disability Studies is an interdisciplinary, community-based, capstone major. It appeals to undergraduates seeking a conceptual and practical understanding of disability as a foundation for graduate or professional studies and/or careers across a broad spectrum of professions. The major curriculum recognizes disability as a central part of our lived experience; a critical dimension of social, cultural, and political identity; and a frequent target of discrimination and exclusion. Through foundational courses, interdisciplinary electives, community-engaged course work, and a senior capstone research project, students in the major learn to think critically about disability as a core aspect of the human experience, preparing them to enact transformational change across disability communities and beyond.
Capstone Major
The Disability Studies major is a designated capstone major. Students have the option of completing a capstone seminar (Disability Studies 191) or independent research project (Disability Studies 198A and 198B, or 199A and 199B) that enables them to use knowledge and skills acquired through previous coursework to engage, under the guidance of a faculty member, in a research or creative project that results in a final paper or other product.
Learning Outcomes
Entry to the Major
Students must first complete all preparation for the major courses. Students must have a UC grade-point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better in those courses and an overall GPA of 2.0. Students are accepted into the major on a rolling basis but no later than the end of spring quarter of their junior year.
Incoming first-year students may be admitted as Disability Studies pre-majors on acceptance to UCLA. Pre-major students must apply for major standing by the end of spring quarter of their junior year. All other students must first complete Disability Studies 1, and then contact the undergraduate counselor in A316 Murphy Hall to request pre-major standing.
Transfer applicants to the Disability Studies major with 90 or more units must complete the following preparatory courses prior to admission to UCLA: one social theory course; one race, identity, and society course; one humanities and ethics course; and one data analysis course. Disability Studies 1 must be taken at UCLA once a transfer student is admitted to the University.
Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.
Major Requirements
Preparation for the Major
Social Theory
Race, Identity, and Society
Humanities and Ethics
Data Analysis
The Major
Core (5 units)
Disability-Centered Electives (8 units)
Disability Studies
Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Disability (16 units)
Category 1: Health Humanities and Bioethics
Category 2: Access and Social Change
Category 3: Representation, Embodiment, and Disability Cultures
Category 4: Global and Historical Perspectives
Internship or Research Practicum (8 units)
Option 1
Option 2
Capstone (5 or 6 units)
Honors Program
Policies
All courses must be completed with a 2.0 or better grade-point average.
Each course must be taken for a letter grade, and students must earn a C or better grade in Disability Studies 101W.
Disability Studies 101W and one quarter of Disability Studies 195CE or 196 must be taken prior to the capstone.
Admission: The honors program is open to majors with a 3.5 departmental and a 3.0 overall grade-point average (GPA). Students with lower GPAs may petition for admission to the program. Students should apply by winter quarter of the junior year. For application forms and more information, contact the departmental counselor in A316 Murphy Hall.
Requirements: To receive honors at graduation, students must have at least a 3.5 GPA in courses applied toward the major (including 198A and 198B) and an overall GPA of 3.0.