The B.A. degree is designed for students who intend to enter one of the social service professions. The B.S. degree places a stronger emphasis on the acquisition of research skills that are vital to those students planning on entering graduate school. Undergraduate research and special studies Social Relations majors find many opportunities to take part in internship programs with social services agencies. Among these programs are internships with agencies focused on juvenile delinquency, teenage pregnancy, homelessness, domestic violence, and drug addiction. Students also may receive research grants to conduct research projects in community research or community service.
Undergraduates have access to the extensive computer facilities on campus for use in their studies.
The University Honors Program offers lower-division courses taught by distinguished faculty and introduces undergraduates to the challenges and rewards of scholarship and research from the beginning of their undergraduate careers. In the upper division, the program invites outstanding students to design and produce honors theses and projects under individual faculty supervision. Through the departmental Honors Program, highly qualified students are invited to conduct a research thesis of their own initiative and design in collaboration with a faculty member. Participation in the Honors Program is the capstone of an excellent education. Through the Education Abroad Program, UCR students can add an international perspective to their education by studying and living in another country while earning UC credit.