Degrees Offered at University of California Berkeley
The University of California Berkeley appears in our ranking of 30 Great Colleges With An Increasing Student Population.
The University of California Berkeley is home to 14 different schools and colleges: Chemistry, Education, Engineering, Environmental Design, Haas School of Business, Information, Journalism, Law, Letter’s and Science, Natural Resources, Optometry, Public Health, the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy and the School of Social Welfare. Within those colleges and schools, there are over 300 degree programs available at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Students seeking a bachelor’s degree will find many of the traditional liberal arts majors, such as chemistry, biology, psychology and business administration. There are also more unique majors, including Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies, astrophysics, Celtic studies, Chicano/Latino studies, city planning, Bosnian language and literature, geospatial information science and technology, history of the built environment, LGBT studies, peace and conflict studies, Russian language, literature and culture, sustainable design and Tibetan studies. There are also pre-med, pre-health and pre-law programs.
UC Berkeley also has dozens of options for graduate study. Some of the more specialized areas include a Ph.D. in Vision Science, an M.T.M in Translational Medicine, an MRED+D in Real Estate Development and Design, an M.Eng and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, a Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases and Immunity, an M.F.A. In Art Practice and a Ph.D. in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology. Students can also earn their Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy and their J.D., LL.M, and J.S.D in Law.
UC Berkeley edX is the university’s global campus. Through this program, students can find online classes and lectures, as well as over 16,000 hours of content in the form of webcasts and videos. Many of these webcasts can be accessed by the general public for free to help engage the general public in lifelong learning.
UC Berkeley also encourages students to learn and experience the world around them. Through the University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), students have the opportunity to spend a month, semester or year in one of 46 countries through UC’s 416 study abroad programs. Some examples of UC’s study abroad options include studying language and culture at Peking University in Beijing, learning about community health and sustainability at the University of Ghana and studying global cities and urban realities in London and Paris.
About the University of California Berkeley
The University of California was founded in 1868 and since then has celebrated 150 years of innovation and research. In 1922, UC anatomy professor Herbert M. Evans was part of the team that discovered vitamin E while vitamin K was discovered 13 years later by another faculty member. In the 1940s, the influenza vaccine was developed by faculty member Wendell Stanley. In 1943, UC Berkeley faculty helped to develop the atomic bomb in the laboratory directed by UC Berkeley physics professor Robert Oppenheimer. The University of California Berkeley’s significant contributions to science and technology continued with discoveries of the breast cancer gene, immunotherapy, a malaria treatment, robotic legs, CRISPR gene editing and most recently, a discovery that led to the development of the first synthetic anti-malarial medication.
Throughout UC Berkeley’s history, there have been over two dozen faculty members who have earned a Nobel Prize and over 30 alumni who have earned this distinguished honor. The most recent alumni Nobel winner was 1985 alumna Frances Arnold who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry for her work on the directed evolution of enzymes.
The U.S. News and World Report ranked UC Berkeley as the No. 1 public university in the United States, as well as the No. 4 university overall. In 2017, the Shanghai Rankings placed UC Berkeley as the #1 public university in the world, with the U.S. News and World Report ranking it as No. 4 for “Best Global University”. Time Magazine Money ranked the university as No. 1 for business majors and the U.S. News and World Report ranked it as No. 1 for chemistry and environment/ecology.
University of California Berkeley Accreditation Details
The University of California Berkeley is fully accredited under the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Several of UC Berkeley’s departments have also earned program-specific accreditations, including:
- Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
- Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)
- Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC)
- Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB)
- Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
- National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)
- California State Department of Education
- National Association of School Psychologists
University of California Berkeley Application Requirements
Admission to UC Berkeley is highly competitive. In 2018, the university received nearly 90,000 applications and admitted only 15% of those. The average GPA of admitted freshmen is 3.92 unweighted or 4.45 weighted. For accepted students submitting ACT scores, the 25th percentile was a score of 29 while the 75th percentile was a score of 35. The SAT score range was 1340 for the 25th percentile to 1530 for the 75th percentile.
University of California, Berkeley places a significant emphasis on the number of college preparatory, honors and advanced placement courses a student takes during high school, as well as the 10th and 11th grade GPA. Test scores are also given priority consideration. Applicants should also submit evidence of exemplary achievement in athletics, performing arts, community service or employment.
UC Berkley’s application period begins August 1st with a deadline of November 30th. Applicants are notified of admissions decisions by the end of March, with a deadline to accept admissions offers of May 1st.
Tuition and Financial Aid
The average in-state tuition and fees, not including housing, meal plans or books, for the University of California Berkeley is approximately $14,200 per year for both undergraduate and graduate tuition. Students who are not California residents also pay an additional $29,000 per year in nonresident supplemental tuition.
UC Berkeley offers an extensive array of need-based and merit-based financial aid. All admitted students are automatically considered for scholarships and no additional application is required. Students can also receive local, state and federal aid in the form of scholarships, grants, work-study, and student loans. California residents might also be eligible for the Cal Grant, which is financial aid that can be used at California public colleges and universities. These grants are typically given to students that demonstrate financial need and are pursuing their first undergraduate degree.
More information on the University of California Berkeley’s variety of undergraduate and degree options can be found on their website.