[2][3] Students in SSE at UCI undergo a multidisciplinary program that examines real-world social and environmental issues, involves the students in off-campus internships and[2][4] SSE offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, including bachelor's, professional master's, and Ph.D.s.

Founded by Arnold Binder, the program intended to address social problems of the day by promoting research and training that crossed disciplinary boundaries and held direct relevance to public policy and social issues.

A second social ecology building on campus opened in 1996, the same year that new Ph.D. programs in Urban and Regional Planning and Environmental Health Science and Policy were approved by the Academic Senate.

SSE faculty were also involved in launching UCI's public health program and law school.

[7] Core courses introduce B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. Social Ecology students to integrative concepts and methods drawn from systems theory and ecology, while also emphasizing the value of applying multiple disciplinary perspectives to the analysis of community problems.

The field study curriculum requires all undergraduate Social Ecology students to complete internships at local sites to encourage experiential learning and community-engaged scholarship.

SSE research centers focus on institutional, legal, political, environmental, and social issues.