Mathematical & Physical Sciences Division

This is an archived copy of the 2021-22 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

With a full-time faculty of about 160, the Division of Mathematical & Physical Sciences seeks to expand our physical and mathematical understanding of the universe, from its microscopic substructure to its largest structures, from our own Earth to the edge of the universe and the beginning of time.  Discovery and understanding advance by the interplay between theory and experiment or observation, while mathematics and statistics provide the underpinning for this work.  Undergraduate majors include Applied MathematicsAstrophysicsEarth and Planetary ScienceGeologyGeophysicsMathematicsPhysics, and Statistics. Undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research with faculty in all disciplines. 

Our overall philosophy is that curiosity is our birthright as human beings — and every student has the capacity to explore scientific topics. By cultivating the skills to investigate and analyze our world, we create responses to fundamental questions. Encompassing five academic departments and the UC K-12 science teacher training program CalTeach, the Division of Mathematical & Physical Sciences empowers scientists at all stages of their careers, from first-year students discovering the illuminating power of math to Nobel laureates shedding light on the universe and all its contents. 

Undergraduate majors include Applied Mathematics, Astrophysics, Earth and Planetary Science, Geology, Geophysics, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics. Undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research with faculty in all disciplines.

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Contact Information

Mathematical & Physical Sciences Division

College of Letters & Science

101 Durant Hall

Phone: 510-642-3331

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Dean

Steven Kahn

mpsdean@berkeley.edu

Director of Academic Administration

Vinaya Gokarn

vinayagokarn@berkeley.edu

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