Planning for a Major

The decision on the choice of a major is a very important one and should be made on the basis of your interests and abilities as well as your career goals. You should look carefully into the programs available by using this catalog and by visiting departments in which you are interested. Your adviser can help you explore the possibilities of interdisciplinary majors, which you take by declaring a group major or field major. If the major you are interested in is offered in more than one college or division, your adviser can help you choose the one that best suits your academic goals.

You are strongly urged to declare your major as soon as possible and should begin thinking about possible majors in your first year at Berkeley. Some majors require a full four years to complete; most majors require that some or all of the lower division major requirements be completed before you may be accepted into the major. Since you are expected to be accepted into a major by the time you have completed 60 units, these lower division major requirements should be planned into your program for the first two years. It is possible for you to plan a program that would include preparation for more than one major, an easy task if the majors in question have some lower division requirements in common.

Some majors are very crowded and cannot accommodate all applicants. You should consult closely with the departments in which you have an interest to learn of any restrictions that have been placed on entry to the major.

Declaration and Change of Major

Regulations and procedures for declaring the major vary for each college. You may, at any time up to the last semester of residence, file a petition for a change of major. (This policy does not apply to students in the College of Engineering.) You must secure approval for this action from the dean or other authorized person in the college or department to which you are transferring.

Preparation for Graduate Study

If you are preparing for study toward a higher degree, you should learn, as early as possible, the entrance and degree requirements of your graduate field, in order to include all prerequisite steps in your undergraduate program.

Undergraduate Degrees

African American Studies, B.A.

American Studies, B.A.

Anthropology, B.A.

Architecture, B.A.

Art (History of), B.A.

Art (Practice of), B.A.

Asian Studies, B.A.

Asian American Studies, B.A.

Astrophysics, B.A.

Business Administration, B.S.¹

Celtic Studies, B.A.

Chemical Biology, B.S.

Chemical Engineering, B.S.

Chemistry, B.A. or B.S.²

Chicano Studies, B.A.

Chinese Language, B.A.

Classical Civilizations, B.A.

Classical Languages, B.A.

Cognitive Science, B.A.

Comparative Literature, B.A.

Computer Science, B.A. or B.S.³

Conservation and Resource Studies, B.S.

Dance and Performance Studies, B.A.

Development Studies, B.A.

Dutch Studies, B.A.

Earth and Planetary Science, B.A.
•Undergraduate specializations: Atmospheric Science, Environmental Earth Science, Geology, Geophysics, Marine Science

Economics, B.A.

Engineering, B.S.
•Undergraduate majors: Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Computational Engineering Science, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering), Engineering Mathematics and Statistics, Engineering Physics, Environmental Engineering Science, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, and eight double major programs

English, B.A.

Environmental Economics and Policy, B.S.

Environmental Sciences, B.A., B.S.⁴

Ethnic Studies, B.A.

Film, B.A.

Forestry and Natural Resources, B.S.

French, B.A.

Gender and Women’s Studies, B.A.

Genetics and Plant Biology, B.S.

Geography, B.A.

German, B.A.

Greek, B.A.

History, B.A.

Integrative Biology, B.A.

Interdisciplinary Studies Field Major, B.A.

Italian Studies, B.A.

Japanese Language, B.A.

Landscape Architecture, B.A.

Latin, B.A.

Latin American Studies, B.A.

Legal Studies, B.A.

Linguistics, B.A.


Mathematics, B.A.

Mathematics, Applied, B.A.

Media Studies, B.A.

Microbial Biology, B.S.

Middle Eastern Studies, B.A.

Molecular and Cell Biology, B.A.

Molecular Environmental Biology, B.S.

Molecular Toxicology, B.S.

Music, B.A.

Native American Studies, B.A.

Near Eastern Studies, B.A.

Nutritional Science, B.S.

Operations Research and Management Science, B.A.

Peace and Conflict Studies, B.A.

Philosophy, B.A.

Physical Sciences Field Major, B.A.

Physics, B.A.

Political Economy, B.A.

Political Science, B.A.

Psychology, B.A.

Public Health, B.A.

Religious Studies, B.A.

Rhetoric, B.A.

Scandinavian, B.A. (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish)

Slavic Languages and Literatures, B.A.

Social Welfare, B.A.

Society and Environment, B.A.

Sociology, B.A.

South and Southeast Asian Studies, B.A.

Spanish, B.A.

Statistics, B.A.

Theater and Performance Studies, B.A.

Vision Science, B.S.⁵




¹ The Haas School of Business requires completion of 60 semester units for admission into its program.