UCLA Labor Studies Undergraduate Program

UCLA Labor Studies offers a wide-ranging curriculum on work, labor systems and the social, political and economic forces that shape the world.

In the United States, work is about more than just “making a living.” Our jobs influence our sense of identity, community and life opportunities. Employment is the most direct means to secure basic necessities, yet access to safe, fulfilling and fair work is deeply unequal across lines of race, immigration status, gender, sexuality, ability, education and economic status.

Labor Studies equips students with tools from sociology, economics, political science, ethnic studies and history, along with law, policy and public health, to analyze and challenge systems of inequality in modern society.

The UCLA Labor Studies Program is grounded in social movement theory, working-class history and experiential learning. Through our unique community internship program and summer research capstone, students directly engage with labor organizations and workers, applying what they learn in real time. Students conduct innovative research and are empowered to recognize their experiences, and those of their friends and families, as legitimate sources of knowledge and scholarship.