Graduate Education

Graduate education embraces study for all degrees and certificates beyond the bachelor's degree—principally, the master's and doctoral degrees. Graduate degrees fall into two broad categories:

Degrees Offered

For a complete list of degrees offered at UC Berkeley and links to the programs offering them, see the Graduate Division website .

Interdisciplinary Graduate Degrees

Berkeley has established graduate programs in a number of fields that cut across conventional departmental lines yet comprise distinct cores of knowledge. These programs are administered by faculty from several related departments, comprising an approved “graduate group.” If it is a joint degree, faculty from another campuses are included.  In the list of graduate degrees offered at Berkeley available through the Graduate Division website  mentioned above, interdisciplinary graduate programs are indicated by a footnote (“1”).

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Minors: the "Designated Emphasis"

Berkeley has a variety of interdisciplinary minors for doctoral students, called “Designated Emphases.” A “Designated Emphasis” is defined as an area of study constituting a new method of inquiry or an important field of application relevant to two or more existing doctoral degree programs, and are administered by participating faculty in an approved “graduate group.” You are required to complete the academic work in the Designated Emphasis in addition to all the requirements of the doctoral program. You must apply to a DE before you take the qualifying examination, as you must have faculty representation from the Designated Emphasis on your qualifying examination and dissertation committees as well as completing special course work. The DE also appears on your diploma. For more information, contact the DE graduate group of interest. DE graduate programs offered:

• Communication, Computation, and Statistics
• Computational and Genomic Biology
• Computational Science and Engineering
• Critical Theory
• Dutch Studies
• Energy Science and Technology
• Film Studies
• Folklore
• Global Metropolitan Studies
• Jewish Studies
• Nanoscale Science and Engineering
• New Media
• Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
• Science and Technology Studies
• Women, Gender, and Sexuality

Graduate Admissions

Applying for Admission

A complete list of graduate academic departments, the degrees offered, and the deadlines for application can be found here .

You must file a completed Graduate Division application to be considered for admission, in addition to any supplemental documents specific to the program for which you are applying. The online application can be found here . There are exceptions to this general rule. Applicants to Haas School of Business master’s programs, the Doctor of Optometry in the School of Optometry, the Information School’s Master of Information and Data Science, or programs at the School of Law should not use this application but should contact those schools directly.

You must pay an application fee by credit card when you apply. The application fee is not refundable. US citizens or current permanent residents who can demonstrate financial need are eligible to apply for a waiver of the application fee. Contact the Graduate Admissions office at gradadm@berkeley.edu for further information.

Admission Requirements

The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

1. A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution
2. Sufficient undergraduate work to undertake graduate work in your chosen field
3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) 

Many departments or groups have additional requirements, including the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or other tests and higher GPA minimums. Department contact information can be found here .

Satisfying minimum standards, however, does not guarantee your admission, since the number of qualified applicants far exceeds the number of places available. As a result, many well-qualified applicants cannot be accommodated.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Most degree programs require applicants to take a standardized test such as the General Test of the GRE, a Subject Test of the GRE, the GMAT, MCAT, OAT, or LSAT. Check with the department to which you are applying for specific test requirements and deadlines. For more information, or to register for the GRE, consult their website , or call 1-866-473-4373.

International Applicants

International applicants must fulfill all previously stated admission requirements and have an excellent command of the English language before beginning graduate study at Berkeley; students cannot be admitted to graduate standing to learn English. If you are applying from a country in which English is not the official language, you are required to submit official evidence of English language proficiency. There are two standardized tests you may take, the Test of English Language as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). TOEFL is currently administered in two formats: paper-based (PBT) and Internet-based (iBT). Minimum score and other requirements for these tests are listed on the Admissions section of the Graduate Division website. Individual academic departments may choose to require a higher score than the minimum requirement set. Further information on TOEFL can be found online here  or by calling 1-877-863-3546 or 1-609-771-7100. IELTS information can be found online here .

Graduate students who plan to teach but do not speak English as a native language and do not hold a bachelor's degree from an institution in the United States must demonstrate oral English proficiency to be eligible for appointment as a graduate student instructor (GSI). In those countries where the iBT TOEFL has been introduced, English language proficiency is determined by the speaking section score of the iBT TOEFL. In those countries where the iBT TOEFL is not available, students can demonstrate their proficiency by taking and passing the Test of Spoken English (TSE) before enrolling in Berkeley or the SPEAK test offered on the Berkeley campus. Information on passing scores, testing options, and language courses can be found on the GSI Teaching and Resource Center's website .

Special Circumstances

Readmission

If you have previously registered and withdrawn and want to re-enroll or have completed any graduate degree program at Berkeley, you must file an "Application for Readmission," a form obtainable from the Registrar's website . A nontransferable, nonrefundable readmission fee must accompany the "Application for Readmission" when first submitted, or the application will not be reviewed. A "Statement of Legal Residence" (downloadable from the Registrar's website ) must also be submitted. Note: Approval of readmission is not guaranteed. The Graduate Division and your department, school, or group will review your application and academic record and notify you whether your readmission has been approved.

Duplication of Higher Degrees

Duplication of degrees is not permitted. Students may enroll for a second academic or professional degree if the second degree is in a distinctly different field.

Notification of Action on Admission

A written notice from the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies is the only valid and official proof of admission. You will be advised as soon as possible after a decision has been reached. Normally, acceptance letters for admission only will be issued between February and March for the coming fall semester.

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Role of Faculty Graduate Advisers

To advise you regarding your program and issues that arise with selecting programs of study, status in the program, and other concerns, head graduate advisers who are tenured faculty are appointed by the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies for each degree program. Head Graduate advisers:

1. Endorse applications for candidacy for higher degrees and for qualifying examinations
2. Approve readmission applications and petitions 
3. Assist the Graduate Division in the enforcement of Graduate Council regulations, particularly those relating to registration, admission to graduate courses, and maintenance of acceptable scholastic performance (Head graduate advisers are often assisted by other faculty graduate advisers who assist students in selecting programs of study and endorse petitions for study list changes)

You may also have an individual or major adviser frequently appointed in the earlier stages of your training. The individual or research advisers may be the same individuals as the major’s official graduate advisers. You should keep in close touch with your individual adviser and should confer with your official graduate adviser about your program of study.

Basic Requirements for Graduate Degrees

The Master's Degree

A partial description of basic Master’s degree requirements follows. For complete and up-to-date information, refer to the Guide to Graduate Policy .

Academic Residence Requirement

A minimum of two semesters of academic residence is required for the master's degree. Academic residence is defined as enrollment in at least four units in 100-200 series courses, but enrollment in 12 units per semester is required for all degree programs except for self-supporting degree part-time degree programs.

Transfer of Credit

A maximum of four semester or six quarter units completed in graduate status at an institution outside the University of California system may be transferable if: 

1. The units were not required for the completion of a previous degree
2. The units involved are equivalent to work normally offered within your current program of study and were completed previously in graduate status at an institution of high standing
3. The grade recorded was at least a B; and (4) you have an overall scholastic record (at least a 3.3 GPA) at both your original institution and at Berkeley

Note: The units transferred cannot be used to reduce the minimum required in the 200-series courses or the minimum residence requirement.

Concurrent Enrollment- UC Berkeley Extension

Courses taken concurrently through UC Berkeley Extension but held on the Berkeley campus under the instruction of a regular member of the Berkeley faculty are not applicable toward a Berkeley master's degree unless they have the "BX" designation. These courses are intended to provide Extension students with an opportunity to take courses that would not ordinarily be available to them. Concurrent enrollment cannot replace normal registration by Berkeley graduate students, nor may it be used to accumulate credit toward a Berkeley degree by an individual not formally admitted to graduate standing at Berkeley.

Master's Degree Plans

If you work toward a master’s degree on the Berkeley campus, you will pursue one of two plans, as authorized for your program. Many programs require more units than the minimums listed below.

• Plan I requires a minimum of 20 semester units of upper division and graduate courses and a thesis. At least 8 of these units must be in graduate courses (200 series) in your major subject. Course units are not granted for the thesis.
• Plan II requires a minimum of 24 semester units of upper division and graduate courses, followed by a comprehensive final examination administered by your school, department, or group. At least 12 of the units must be in graduate courses (200 series) in your major subject.

Advancement to Candidacy: Master's Plan I

All students under Master’s Plan I who plan to file a thesis are required to submit an approved advancement to Candidacy application no later than the end of the fifth week of the semester in which your degree will be awarded. You must be advanced to candidacy to be eligible to receive your degree. The Advancement to Master’s Candidacy form is downloadable from the Graduate Division website . The application must be approved by the head graduate adviser of your program. You should consult your adviser as early as possible about your thesis committee. 

The Master's Thesis

If you are following Plan I, described above, you must submit a thesis, according to the Library-designated format described in Thesis Filing Guidelines . For filing deadlines, refer to the Graduate Division website .

The thesis explicates results obtained in an original investigation of a problem. The problem in question is discreet in scope; however, the thesis should be comparable to a doctoral dissertation in style and organization.

You must submit your thesis to a committee of three members of the faculty appointed by the Graduate Division, one of whom may be chosen from a department other than that of your major subject. You are required to confer with all members of your committee before beginning your thesis. If your thesis involves use of human subjects or animal, see that subsection below. The Graduate Division will also not accept a thesis that involves human or animal subjects without official evidence of an approved protocol number from the appropriate committee.

Use of Human Subjects or Animal Subjects

If the research for a master’s thesis involves the use of human subjects, the student is required to have an approved protocol from the Committee for Protection of Human Subjects  before beginning any research. Students using human subjects also must complete the “Course in the Protection of Human Subjects” (referred to as the CITI course), which is available online at citiprogram.org , and print out the certificate of completion. The certificate of completion must be submitted with the advancement form.

Students whose research projects involve the proposed use of live vertebrate animals must contact the Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) at 642-8855 before the initiation of research and, if so advised by the ACUC: (a) the faculty member who is supervising the research must obtain ACUC approval prior to any proposed use of live vertebrate animals, and (b) the student must ask the ACUC to inform the Graduate Division of the adviser’s approved Master Animal Use Protocol number within six months of the advancement to candidacy date.

The Doctoral Degree

The doctoral degree is awarded in recognition of a student’s knowledge of a broad field of learning and for distinguished accomplishment in that field through an original contribution of significant knowledge and ideas that demonstrates high critical ability.

Basic requirements for the doctoral degree are described in the sections below. However, consult with your individual program to verify all its program requirements, in particular what courses must be undertaken. For complete and up-to-date information on specific topics, refer to the Guide to Graduate Policy .

Academic Residence Requirement

A minimum of two years or four semesters of academic residence is required for the PhD degree. For a joint doctoral degree, a minimum of one year of academic residence is required at each campus.

Foreign Language Requirement

Your program may have a foreign language requirement which ensures that you have the ability to acquire wide knowledge in your field of study and to keep up with foreign developments in your field. You are urged to complete the foreign language requirement early in your graduate career. You must fulfill the foreign language requirement before admission to the qualifying examination and advancement to candidacy. If you are a prospective student, you are urged to inquire about the foreign language requirement as soon as possible and, if you can, to fulfill it while still an undergraduate. In some graduate programs, applicants for admission must have satisfied the foreign language requirement before applying.

Qualifying Examinations

Before you are admitted to doctoral candidacy, you must pass an oral qualifying examination administered by a four- or five-member committee approved by the Graduate Division on behalf of the Academic Senate’s Graduate Council. You must be registered in the semester in which you take the examination. To be eligible to apply to take the qualifying exam, you must have removed any previous deficiencies in training, including incomplete grades in courses that your graduate adviser required for your program. You must have at least a B average in all coursework you undertook in graduate status, and you must have fulfilled any language requirement(s).

Note: Your program may have performance standards that are higher than the minimum B average required by the Graduate Division. They may also require passage of preliminary examinations before a student is eligible to apply for the qualifying examination.

Advancement to Candidacy

As soon as possible after passing your qualifying examination, you must submit an approved Advancement to Candidacy petition. The form is downloadable from the Graduate Division website . It must be endorsed by your head graduate adviser and dissertation chair. Payment of a fee is required when you file the application, and you must have completed all doctoral degree requirements except the dissertation before you may be advanced to candidacy.

Advancement to Candidacy and Reduced Nonresident Supplemental Tuition

For graduate students who have been advanced to candidacy for the doctorate, annual nonresident supplemental tuition is reduced by 100 percent, subject to the understanding that: graduate doctoral students may receive the reduced nonresident supplemental tuition rate for a maximum calendar period of three years; and all such students who continue to be enrolled or who re-enroll after the three-year period will be charged the full nonresident supplemental tuition rate that is in effect at that time.

Satisfactory Academic Progress and Normative Time

Normative time is the elapsed time (calculated to the nearest semester) recommended by program faculty and approved by the Graduate Council that students would need to make satisfactory program in completing requirements for the doctorate. Normative time has two components:

1. Time from the beginning of the student’s graduate work to advancement to doctoral candidacy; and
2. Time in candidacy until the dissertation is filed. Graduate programs have total normative times ranging from five to seven years (10 to 14 semesters); most programs have the standard University of California norm of six years. In order for a student to be considered in good standing, the student must be progressing within the normative time established for his or her program and the student is responsible for being aware of the program’s normative time standards.

Annual Review of Doctoral Candidates: the Academic Progress Report

The Graduate Council requires all doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy to meet annually with at least two members of their dissertation committees to discuss progress during the last year and to set goals for the next. Prior to the meeting, students complete the online Academic Progress Report (APR) by logging on to GLOW . The dissertation chair reads the student’s report, and works with the student to schedule a progress meeting, and records the results in the APR. For full information, see the Graduate Division website .

The Doctoral Dissertation

The dissertation, the product of independent investigation under faculty supervision, is the capstone requirement for the doctoral program. The dissertation must be submitted to the committee in charge (see below) and must receive its approval. The dissertation must be filed according to Graduate Division procedures . For filing deadlines see the Graduate Division website . You are to work under one of two plans, as authorized for your degree program:

• Plan A: On behalf of the Graduate Council, the Graduate Division appoints a committee of five Academic Senate members which determines whether you have met the requirements for the degree. Three members of the committee, one of whom must be from a department other than that of your major subject, guide you in research and judge the merits of your dissertation. The entire committee conducts a final oral examination dealing with the relationship between your dissertation and the general field of study in which the subject of the dissertation lies. Admission to the final oral examination may be restricted to the members of the committee, members of the Academic Senate, and guests of equivalent rank from other institutions.
• Plan B: On behalf of the Graduate Council, the Graduate Division appoints a committee of three Academic Senate members, one of whom must be an Academic Senate member outside the unit administering your degree program. This committee may require any necessary conferences to elucidate the subject treated in the dissertation. After submission of the dissertation but before final action is taken upon it, the committee may, at its discretion, require you to defend the dissertation in a formal oral examination.

After your committee has approved your dissertation, you will file your manuscript with the Graduate Division (318 Sproul Hall). 

Programs using Plan A: Buddhist Studies, Interdisciplinary Program, Logic and the Methodology of Science
Programs using Plan B: All other programs not listed above

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Further Information on Academic Policies and Procedures

For up-to-date and detailed information, see the Graduate Division website  for current students and the Guide to Graduate Policy .

Academic Opportunities

Exchange Programs

Graduate students not enrolled in self-supporting professional degree programs who are in good standing may participate in several campus exchange programs. These programs enable them to take advantage of research facilities, courses, and faculty expertise that might not be available at Berkeley. Applications and further information on all of the programs are available at the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall, 642-7330, degrees@berkeley.edu ). Note: Berkeley students will not automatically receive credit for courses taken at schools that are not part of the University of California system. For information on transferring credit, see t he Degree Requirements section.

University of California Intercampus Exchange Program for Graduate Students

This program allows students to study at any of the other UC campuses. This privilege is available to graduate students who would like to associate with fields of study not available on the home campus, or who seek the use of special facilities and collections. This privilege will be granted where there is evidence of serious and high-quality scholarship.

The Berkeley registration fee entitles students to library, health service, and other privileges at the host campus. Students who participate in the intercampus exchange program can receive credit for courses they take at the host campus. Students in self-supporting programs at Berkeley cannot enroll in state-supported courses at another UC.

To be eligible for the Intercampus Exchange Program, a student must be registered at Berkeley by the semester deadline and have the approval of the Head Graduate Adviser, the Chair of the host department, and the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies at both Berkeley and the host campus. Students must apply for this program at least three weeks before the beginning of the term of enrollment at the host campus (all other UC campuses except Merced are on the quarter system). Applications are available from the Graduate Division, 318 Sproul Hall. Whenever possible, students should make personal arrangements with faculty members on both campuses to ensure that the courses, seminars, and facilities will be available to them.

Stanford-California Exchange Program

Students may participate in this program if they want to take courses that are not offered at Berkeley. Their participation must be approved by the Graduate Division, their departments, and Stanford University. Usually, students are not allowed to participate in the Stanford program until they have completed a year of graduate study at Berkeley. Participants register and pay the applicable fees at Berkeley and are exempt from tuition and fees at Stanford. Students who want to apply for this program must enroll in at least one course at Berkeley.

Exchange Scholar Program

This program permits doctoral students from Berkeley, Brown, the University of Chicago, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale to study at one of the other participating universities. Berkeley registration entitles students to student privileges at the host campus for up to a year. Usually, students are not eligible for this program until they have completed one year in a Berkeley graduate degree program. Students who wish to enter this program should familiarize themselves with its “Terms and Conditions” statement , which provides information on additional fees for which the student is responsible. For example, the host institution is responsible for assuring that hospitalization and health services are locally available. However, the host institution may charge the student additional fees for local health services. Students are not eligible for in absentia registration.

Cross-Registration Programs with Local Institutions

With the approval of the Graduate Division and the departments involved, students may attend any of the campuses of the California State University or the Community Colleges systems, as well as Dominican, Holy Names, Mills, and St. Mary’s Colleges, and John F. Kennedy University. Students may enroll for only one course per semester, and they must register and pay applicable fees at Berkeley. For more information, contact the Graduate Services: Degrees Office (318 Sproul Hall, 642-7330).

Graduate Theological Union (GTU) Reciprocity Program

Students registered at either UC Berkeley or GTU may take courses at the other institution, subject to appropriate academic approvals (Graduate Services Degrees, 642-7330).

Studying Abroad

Graduate students may be granted permission to study abroad. To be eligible, they must have completed at least one year in residence at Berkeley before departing for study abroad, and they must demonstrate appropriate language proficiency when required. Graduate students may be eligible to apply to most of the study centers under the University-wide Education Abroad Program (EAP). For more information, students should check the Berkeley Programs for Study Abroad website , or contact the program at 160 Stephens Hall, 642-1356, eapucb@berkeley.edu . Graduate students who study abroad must have the approval of their departments and the Graduate Division. Students in an EAP program are not eligible for in absentia registration.

To avoid jeopardizing their immigration status, international students in F or J status intending to participate in any of the exchange programs described above must consult with an international student adviser at the Berkeley International Office  (International House, 2299 Piedmont Avenue; 642-2818).

Individual (Ad Hoc) Doctoral Programs

To allow you to work in a field that, in its breadth, falls between that of a department and an interdisciplinary group, the Graduate Council permits the informal establishment of ad hoc programs leading to the PhD degree.

Note: You will be considered for an interdisciplinary program only if you have completed at least two semesters of graduate study in a doctoral program on this campus and have shown superior academic performance in your graduate studies here. To apply for an individual major, you must prepare a proposal for a course of study under the sponsorship of five faculty members. Final approval of every individual graduate program and admission of each student into such a program must be granted by the Graduate Council. You must complete degree requirements in accordance with Plan A of the Graduate Council policies, and the degree is awarded in the field approved. For more information, see the Graduate Division website .

Teaching and Research Appointments

At Berkeley, teaching assistants are called graduate student instructors (GSIs) and research assistants are similarly named graduate student researchers (GSRs). Many programs hire qualified graduate students as GSIs, readers and tutors as well as provide research appointments. Contact your department for more information and also refer to the Graduate Division’s What You Need to Know about being a GSI, GSR, Reader or Tutor .

Additionally, see the Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid  section of the Berkeley Bulletin.