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The unit requirements in the College are designed to ensure that you focus your studies in the liberal arts and sciences, that your studies are at an appropriate level of sophistication, and that you are exposed to scholarly approaches and material other than those of your major.

Summary of Unit Requirements

120-Unit Minimum

• You must complete at least 120 semester units to graduate.
• You may take more than 120 units as long as you graduate in no more than eight semesters (counting all the institutions you have attended).

60 L&S Units

• Of the 120 units it takes to graduate, you must complete at least 60 in L&S courses (courses offered by an approved major program in the College).

36 Upper Division Units

• Of the 120 total units, you must complete at least 36 in upper division courses (numbered 100-199).

6 Upper Division Units Outside Your Major Department

• Of these 36 upper division units, you must complete at least 6 units from courses offered outside your major department. Courses outside your major department that are cross listed with courses offered by your department may not be used to fulfill this requirement.

130-Unit Maximum after Eight Semesters

If you stay in college more than eight semesters, you may not continue beyond the semester in which you complete more than 130 units.

Guidelines for Satisfaction of the 60 L&S Unit Requirement

• If courses from outside the College of Letters and Science are required for your major, you may use these courses to fulfill both major and L&S unit requirements.
• If you are using an approved course offered by one of Berkeley's professional schools and colleges to fulfill your breadth requirements, you may also use the course to satisfy L&S unit requirements.
• You may use graduate-level courses (numbered 200-299) to satisfy L&S unit requirements.
• If an Interdepartmental Studies (IDS) course is sponsored by a department in the College of Letters and Science, you may receive L&S units for the course.
• Courses numbered 300-499 and physical education activities courses will not be counted toward the 60 units required in Letters and Science.

Non-L&S Units

You may include in your program as many as 60 units from courses in other schools and colleges at Berkeley. These units count toward the 120 units you must have to graduate but are not credited toward L&S unit requirements.

Maximum Allowable Units for Certain Kinds of Courses

In each of the areas listed below, the maximum number of units you may apply toward your degree is:

• 4 units of physical education activities courses
• 5 units of computing service courses: Computer Science 3, 3S, the CS9 courses; IDS 110, IDS 110L; Engineering 77 and Engineering 77N.
• 1 unit toward graduation for any computing service course taken after completion of Computer Science 61A (formerly 60A);
• 6 units from courses numbered 300-499 (or equivalent courses elsewhere);
• 16 units of special studies courses numbered 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199.

Courses with Variable Units

Some courses are offered on a variable-unit basis. You are responsible for completing the number of units assigned on your class schedule for variable-unit courses. If you fail to complete this number of units, you risk receiving a failing grade in the course. In some cases, instructors may assign a split grade in a course for students who do not complete all the work for which they have contracted. For example, if you are taking a course that is offered on a split-graded basis and you complete only 3 of the 4 units that you have agreed to take, you will receive a passing grade for the units completed and a grade of F or NP for the uncompleted unit. Not all variable-unit courses are offered on a split-graded basis, however. Consult your instructor to learn on what basis a course will be graded, contract initially for as few units as possible, and complete all the units you have agreed to take.

Progress Toward Your Degree

To earn your degree in four years, you should successfully complete 30 units of course work each year.

• A 15-unit class schedule each semester is considered to be a normal course load.
• A 13-unit class schedule is a minimum course load.
• A class schedule of fewer than 13 units must be authorized by the Office of Undergraduate Advising.

Minimum Progress Requirement

It is important to maintain minimum progress toward a degree. The rule for determining minimum academic progress states that you must have successfully completed a number of units no fewer than the number of semesters in which you have been enrolled on the Berkeley campus, less one, multiplied by 15. For the purpose of this regulation, summer session will not be counted as a semester. If you fail to satisfy minimum progress, you will not be allowed to register in subsequent semesters. Failing to satisfy minimum progress may also affect your eligibility for financial aid. If you are a student from abroad, failing to maintain minimum progress can affect your international student status. If you fail to achieve minimum academic progress, your continued enrollment is subject to the approval of the dean.

Course Load Reminder

Course Load		Units
Normal		15 per semester
Minimum		13 per semester
Maximum		20.5 per semester

Exceptions:

Minimum - You may request permission to take fewer than 13 units if you:

• work 15 hours per week or more at a paid job
• have family responsibilities
• are a senior honor student doing an honors thesis
• have health-related problems
• are a graduating senior

Even though you may be enrolled in fewer than 13 units, you are considered a full-time student if you pay full tuition and fees. Note: if you have financial aid, you should check with the Financial Aid Office about the minimum unit requirements for your particular aid package.

Application forms are available in the Office of Undergraduate Advising.

Maximum - To request permission to take more than 20.5 units:

• see your College adviser if you are undeclared
• see your major adviser if you have officially declared a major.

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. 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 University Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

• You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Senior Residence Requirement

• After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 4 passed units. Neither Intercampus Visitor, EAP, or UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units may be applied to this requirement.
• You may use a Berkeley summer session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that you successfully complete 4 units of course work 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 (EAP) or the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.