EDUC 478Introduction to Research Methods
Education · 4 units · Graduate professional courses (400-499)
Introduction to different approaches, designs, and methods of conceptualizing inquiry and gathering evidence in the social sciences, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches. Introduction also to ethical considerations in social scientific research. Lectures, readings, and assignments highlight these multiple methods of research and the norms for reporting research in the social sciences. Sessions are interactive with lectures, discussions, group work, and opportunities for individual consultations on projects. Readings exemplify different approaches and methods. Discussions and assignments focus on how material may inform the research process for the capstone project including conducting a literature review, constructing research questions and research design, constructing instruments, collecting and analyzing data, presenting research findings, and formulating a theory of change.
Letter grading.
When it runs
- Fall 2026
- Winter 2027
Scheduled, not typical — from UCLA’s Schedule of Classes, which publishes Fall 2025 through Spring 2027 and nothing before it.
Requisites
UCLA lists no requisites for this course.
Requires
Everything that has to come before this course, not just the courses named in the requisite above.
Nothing — this is an entry point.
Unlocks
What this course is a requisite for, and what those courses lead to in turn.
No course in the catalog lists this as a requisite.