Degree Requirements

Letters and Science Degree Requirements

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Overview

The College of Letters & Science awards the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. To earn the B.A., you must successfully complete all requirements listed on this page. For help keeping track of your progress, view the Assess Degree Progress page. 

All requirements are designed to ensure that you acquire the background and the breadth you need for further learning, as well as depth of knowledge in your field of interest.

Your degree requirements can be divided into four major categories outlined below:

UC, Campus, College and Major requirements

UC, Campus, College & Major requirements are courses you're required to take. These are sometimes referred to as "subject" requirements. 

Unit Requirements

Unit requirements and restrictions represent the minimum number of units needed in different areas to complete your degree. 

Residence requirements

Residence requirements represent units you must earn while you are a student in the College of Letters & Science at UC Berkeley. 

GPA requirements

GPA requirements represent the minimum GPA you must earn in your UC coursework and in your major. 

University, Campus, and Major Requirements

University of California Requirements

Campus Requirement

Major Requirements

Review major requirements through your major's website and by working with your Undergraduate Major Adviser. You may explore majors through the Academic Guide. For more support finding a major, see the Explore Majors & Minors page. 

College of Letters & Science Requirements

Letters and Science Requirements*

Essential Skills

Seven-Course Breadth

  • Arts & Literature
  • Biological Science
  • Historical Studies
  • International Studies
  • Philosophy & Values
  • Physical Science
  • Social & Behavioral Science

See the Seven-Course Breadth page for more information on all breadth requirements. 

*UC IGETC Certification and UC Reciprocity satisfies both Essential Skills and Seven-Course Breadth.

Unit Requirements and Restrictions

Unit Requirements

You are required to earn:

  • 120 total semester units. This includes transfer credit admitted to the Berkeley record and advanced high school units admitted to your college record. Of the 120 total, the following is required:
    • 36 upper division units (courses numbered between 100-199). Graduate-level courses numbered between 200-299 may also apply those units to the Upper Division Unit requirement.
    • 6 upper division units outside your major department or department cluster. This can be included in your 36 upper division total. Units earned in cross-listed courses (indicated by a “C” prefix) for which your major department is one of the sponsors are not applicable. 
    • 1/3 Passed (P) Grade Limit. Passed grades may account for no more than one third of the total units completed at UC Berkeley (including Fall Program for First Semester (FPF), UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), or UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC)) toward the 120 overall minimum unit requirement. Transfer credit is not factored into the limit. 

Unit Restrictions

Special Studies Courses

No more than 16 units from courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, or 199 may be applied to the degree. 

Physical Education Activity Courses

No more than 4 units may be applied to the degree.

Professional Courses

No more than 6 units from courses numbered 300-499 may be applied to the degree.

Residence Requirements

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus (excluding courses taken through UC Extension) as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet a College Adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete:

  1. At least 24 units in residence as an L&S student. 
  2. At least 2 semesters in residence as an L&S student. To count as a semester in residence, at least 6 units must be passed.* 

*You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the two required for Senior Residence, provided that you successfully complete 6 units in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the College.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, Berkeley Global Internships, UC Natural Resource System (NRS), the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC), or the UC Center in Sacramento program (UCCS) may meet the Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP or UC Extension) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

As an L&S student, you must also complete a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses in residence, 12 of which must be in your major program.

U.S. Military Students

If you were in active service in the U.S. military in the year preceding your EGT, you can meet with an L&S adviser to learn more about senior residence exceptions that may apply to you.

Intercampus Visitor Program, UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), Berkeley Study Abroad, UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC), UC Center in Sacramento program (UCCS), UC Extension, Incomplete, and Transfer units do not count for senior residence. If you have any questions about whether units will apply to residence requirements, meet with an L&S College Adviser. 

GPA Requirements

For graduation, students must earn a 2.0 minimum GPA (C average or higher) in all courses undertaken at UC. This includes grades from: 

  • Regular UC Berkeley coursework
  • UC Summer Sessions
  • UC Education Abroad Program
  • UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC)
  • Certain courses from UC Berkeley Extension (see UC Berkeley Extension in the Transfer Credit section to understand which courses are transferable)

Additionally, students must earn a 2.0 minimum GPA in all upper division courses required for the major.

Degree Requirement FAQ

May I take one course to satisfy multiple requirements?

It depends! Sometimes a course can satisfy multiple requirements. Sometimes there are limitations. See the overlap rules below:

Seven-Course Breadth

One course can only apply to a single breadth requirement. If a course lists multiple breadths it may satisfy, this means you have options of which breadth it satisfies. Also, a maximum of two classes from a single department or department cluster may apply to Seven-Course Breadth. The Academic Progress Report will shuffle courses to different breadth requirements if needed, but if you would like to manually switch which breadth a course satisfies, you may fill out an APR Correction Form.

Other General Education Requirements

Aside from the exception noted above regarding Seven-Course Breadth, courses may apply to multiple general education areas. For example, a course can count for American History, American Cultures, and one breadth requirement.

It is rare to find Essential Skills classes that count toward multiple general education areas.

Major/Minor and General Education requirements

In L&S, you are allowed to apply a course to both a major requirement and general education requirements (ex: a course may count toward your major and a breadth requirement). This overlap is also allowed between an L&S minor requirement and general education requirements. This is not true of all undergraduate colleges at UC Berkeley, which is important to keep in mind if you plan to change colleges.

A maximum of two classes from a single department or department cluster may apply to Seven-Course Breadth. If your major includes courses from multiple departments, it may be possible to use more than two courses that count for your major toward Seven-Course Breadth as long as there are no more than two courses from a single department or department cluster.

Double Majors and Simultaneous Degrees

You can overlap up to two upper division (#100-199) courses between two majors. If you declare more majors, as of Fall 2020, this limit applies overall. Make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser to get a clear understanding of how overlap rules work with more than two majors.

Minor

You can overlap up to one upper division (#100-199) course between a minor and a major. As of Fall 2020, no overlap is allowed between L&S minors. See our Minors page for more information.

Can high school exam scores satisfy Seven-Course Breadth?

Students admitted in Fall 2018 and beyond may not use high school exam scores (i.e. AP, IB, GCE) for breadth. Students must complete a college-level course. 

For students admitted Spring 2018 and prior, a limited number of GCE A Level exams can be accepted for Seven-Course Breadth. See the Seven-Course Breadth page for more information.

Can high school exam scores satisfy other GE requirements?

Possibly! The following general education requirements have the potential to be satisfied by exam scores:

  • Entry Level Writing

  • American History

  • American Institutions

  • Reading and Composition

  • Quantitative Reasoning

  • Foreign Language

To explore which scores you would need to satisfy these requirements, please follow the links on this page to explore each individual requirement. 

You may find more information about how exam scores may satisfy unit or major requirements on our High School Exam Scores page.

Can I satisfy degree requirements at another school?

Entry Level Writing

If it has not already been satisfied by the time you start taking courses at UC Berkeley as a new student, and if you do not pass the AWP Exam, Entry Level Writing must be satisfied by completing College Writing R1A at UC Berkeley. 

See the Entry Level Writing page for more information. 

Reading and Composition

R&C may not be taken at another institution until the Entry Level Writing (ELW) requirement is satisfied. If ELW is satisfied, then you may take R&C at a California Community College. However, make sure you fully understand the agreement you are reading, especially if you are attending a quarter school. We recommend meeting with an L&S College Adviser to make sure you are interpreting transfer agreements correctly. 

Other General Education Requirements

Other general education requirements are able to be satisfied with transfer credit, though this is not a guarantee that you will be able to find transfer courses for every requirement. There are also other considerations, such as residence requirements. It may be helpful to discuss your plans for taking transfer coursework with an L&S College Adviser. 

Major/Minor requirements

You should consult your intended or declared major/minor adviser to determine if major/minor requirements may be taken elsewhere. 

Transfer Credit Information

For more information on transfer credit, please see our Transfer Credit page.