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L&S Majors: Introduction

It is difficult to imagine a broader choice of majors than that offered by Berkeley’s College of Letters and Science. Here you may pick from among 70 majors across the arts and humanities, biological sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, and social sciences — or else you may opt for an interdisciplinary major.

You must declare a major before the first semester of your junior year. To explore the possibilities:

If you are sure of your choice, it is to your advantage to declare a major early, in order to receive a higher priority for enrolling in courses in your department. If you’re still exploring possibilities, take introductory courses related to majors you are considering and avail yourself of every opportunity to explore as many fields of knowledge as possible.

List of Majors

You may choose a major from the following list and obtain information on prerequisites and lower division requirements for L&S majors.

Arts & Humanities Majors

Biological Sciences

Physical Sciences

Social Sciences

Interdisciplinary Studies

What is a Major?

A major defines a framework for the student's studies. It is the sum of coursework, as outlined by learned faculty, necessary to establish:

  • An understanding of the breadth of the body of knowledge in a discipline, or several discipline in a interdisciplinary programs,
  • Competence in the fundamental skills and methodologies of the discipline(s) and
  • Understanding and skill at an appropriate depth in various aspects of the body of knowledge.

Take some time to read the descriptions of major and their required courses in the General Catalog to get a sense of what you will study. All majors have prerequisite courses that give student background knowledge and a working vocabulary related to the field. The number of prerequisites and how many must be completed before one can officially declare varies from major to major.

Minors

A minor is an optional program intended to add coherence to work outside your major. The basic requirements for completing a minor program are:

  1. Five upper division courses completed on a letter-graded basis.
  2. A GPA of at least 2.0 in upper division courses required for the minor.
  3. Completing work for the minor within the 130-unit maximum limit for graduation.

For more information on requirements and a list of minors, consult the General Catalog, your department, or the OUA minors page.

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