An undergrad student’s guide to the College of Letters & Science!
Welcome! The College of Letters & Science (L&S) is the largest of UC Berkeley’s colleges and schools, encompassing five divisions — Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, and the Undergraduate Divisions — and over 75 majors across those divisions. Here’s a rundown of the basics for undergraduates.
All undergraduates work toward a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Regardless of what major you show interest in or intend to pursue before coming to Cal, if you’re admitted and enrolled into the College of L&S, you will be undeclared (including transfers, who typically declare in their first semesters of attendance).
At Cal, you’ll hear endless advice, learn about so many resources, and start seeing possibly unfamiliar vocabulary — it can be confusing or overwhelming to seek out all the answers yourself. I’ll make it easy! Here are my recommendations, quick guides to key college processes, and breakdowns of the “great big heart of UC Berkeley,” the College of L&S! This article will focus on support resources, major and minor advice, a graduation checklist, and outlining your semester.
Support resources
I’d like to introduce you to resources that you can use to get specialized or one-on-one assistance. Everyone’s requirements, progress, and paths are different coming into UC Berkeley, so I urge you to seek out assistance tailored to your experience.
College, major, and minor advisors: These are the professionals. It’s their entire job to know exactly how to help you find answers to your questions, meet major and minor requirements, and how to maximize your (sadly) limited time at Cal. Book appointments with L&S Advising for questions about college requirements like unit caps and breadth requirements. Look into specific major and minor advisors’ processes of appointments. Some larger majors/minors have several advisors while smaller ones may only have one. Major/minor advisors can help you plan which classes to take, how to meet all your major requirements to graduate on time, and give you advice about their specific department.
Tutoring: Cal has several free tutoring services to utilize, the first being the Student Learning Center. Read what programs they offer support with and Rachel’s Student Learning Center Intro. The second free tutoring resource I’d recommend is the Residential Tutoring Program — a team of online and in-person undergraduate tutors that can assist with lower-division math, physics, chemistry, and writing classes that work directly out of Unit 2 and Unit 3. Since they also offer late-night support from 8-10 p.m., they’re convenient to consult outside of typical school hours or during some late-night studying.
For transfers: The Transfer Student Center can help transfers navigate their time at Cal. From Academic Counseling, community workshops, and transition seminars, there’s much to explore! For more information, read Vincent’s Transfer Student? Start Here.
Major (and minor) advice
As someone who recently declared a double major and a minor, there are a couple parts of the process that I’d like to highlight.
Create a four-year plan: Major declaration forms will have you fill out a proposed four-year plan, so it’s good to have a sense of your path ahead of time. While you don’t need to list specific classes for many semesters in the future, you should at least know which requirements you intend to fulfill and when.
What a four-year plan looks like on the double major petition form. I keep track of all my classes in a spreadsheet so that I can easily fill them in when the time comes and for personal tracking purposes.
Be familiar with your major outline: This goes without saying and is partially implied in the previous point, but be aware that if you outline your 4-year plan with the utmost attention to detail, there’s always a chance of a deviation. Classes fill up, some classes are not offered every semester (maybe only in the fall or only in the spring), sometimes you really don’t connect with the teaching style and drop the class. Whatever it may be, prepare to be flexible!
Opportunities within your major: Many majors and departments offer or participate in programs like the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP), Mathematics and Physical Science (MPS) Scholars, DeCal classes, Study Abroad, and so much more. Take a bit of time to explore your home department’s webpage and find some fun and unique activities!
Double major vs. a simultaneous degree: Yes, there’s a major difference! A double major means you’re declaring two majors in L&S. If you’re eligible and correctly complete the double major petition, you should be all set. Simultaneous degrees are when you pursue a major in both L&S and a second major from outside of the college. Some of the other colleges and major programs require supplemental applications, so make sure you’re meeting all deadlines. Additionally, pursuing a simultaneous degree outside of L&S makes you responsible for not only the L&S graduation requirements, but also your second college’s requirements with limited opportunity for overlap. Be aware and be prepared!
Graduation checklist
As a student of the University of California (UC) and of UC Berkeley L&S, there are a pretty sizable number of requirements to meet before graduation. Let’s walk through what they are, how to meet them, and how to be efficient with your time.
UC requirements: The Entry-Level Writing Requirement and American History and Institutions Requirement must be met by all UC students. These can be met with standardized exam scores, coursework at Cal, or coursework from another college that is UC-transferable. Incoming freshmen also have the option to take the Entry-Level Writing Assessment, which can be helpful in choosing what level writing or reading class to enroll in.
Breadth requirements: Unless you’re a transfer student, all seven breadth courses must be satisfied at Cal. These requirements consist of the following: Arts and Literature, Biological Science, Historical Studies, International Studies, Philosophy and Values, Physical Science, Social and Behavioral Sciences. These classes may be taken Pass/No Pass if they’re not meeting a major requirement, but must be completed with a C- or better or a Pass (P).
A given course may only count towards one breadth requirement, even if it falls under multiple categories. CalCentral will automatically fill gaps when it comes to breadth requirements. If a “Course A” counts towards both Arts and Literature as well as International Studies but “Course B” only counts towards International Studies, “Course A” will count towards Arts and Literature and “Course B” will count towards International Studies, regardless of what order the classes were taken in. For more details, read Nolan’s L&S Breadth Requirements 101, complete with advice and class recommendations.
American Cultures requirement: From experience, this might be the most forgotten L&S requirement, and is one that many students don’t fulfill in high school or community college (but it can be taken “off-campus” — just take care to make sure it counts!). You must pass the course and it cannot be a Reading and Composition requirement. I recommend you get this done as soon as possible.
Unit requirements: L&S students must complete at least 120 total units (which includes transfer credit and advanced high school units), 36 of which should be upper division (which may include the necessary 6 units outside of your major department or department cluster). Additionally, at least two-thirds of your classes must be taken and passed with a letter grade.
GPA requirements: A minimum of a 2.0 GPA must be achieved across all courses taken at UC Berkeley and adjacent programs (such as Summer Sessions, UC Educational Abroad Programs, and others). A GPA of at least 2.0 must also be achieved in upper-division courses pertaining to your major.
Semester layout
Ok, you’ve started classes, and maybe you don’t like one of them, so how do you drop it? Is it too late? Well, how late is “too late” in the first place? Let’s dive into some general deadlines and what they mean.
Early drop deadline (EDD) is midnight on the Friday of the second week of instruction. Many classes will utilize this to free up space in the class — especially in impacted courses. Be aware of courses that employ this and their policies. Some classes will drop students with no notification if they are not attending class or submitting proof of enrollment to allow for waitlisted students to enroll.
Add/drop deadline is the deadline to add/drop/swap/change units that are not EDD. This falls on the Wednesday of the fourth week of the fall and spring semesters. Deadlines vary by session in the summer.
Grading options can be adjusted until the Friday of the 10th week of instruction during the fall and spring semesters. Deadlines vary by session in the summer.
Late change of class schedule can be applied in select situations to add, drop, or change the grading option after other deadlines have passed. All students are allowed a total of two late changes to their schedule for the duration of their time at UC Berkeley. This is only applicable in the fall and spring semesters and must be submitted by the last day of classes.
Congrats! You’re an expert now.
Hopefully, you Golden Bears in L&S are now equipped with the knowledge and vocabulary to successfully graduate from Cal with your B.A. I wish you the best of luck!
Milana Berhe, Class of 2028, is majoring in astrophysics and political science and minoring in creative writing.
Want more?
- New student? Start Here with resources for undergrads.
- Transfer Student? Start here.
- Here are some additional tips on Choosing Classes @ Cal.