Media Studies

Media Studies is an impacted ("capped") major. Due to very high demand, special restrictions on declaration of the major are in effect. Transfer students must apply during their first semester. Non-transfer students must apply prior to exceeding 80 units of post-high school coursework. See the department website for details.

The emphasis of the Media Studies major at Berkeley is analytical and historical, with a focus on the roles and impact of the major mass media on American life, not on specific media production skills. Using approaches from a range of disciplines in the social sciences and humanities, students further their understanding of contemporary media; its structure, history, content, consequences, and policy implications.

Lower Division Requirements and Prerequisites* for the Media Studies Major

*(prerequisites are lower division requirements that must be completed before declaring the major)

One course from each of the following groups:

• History 7B, 124A, 124B, or 131B
• Political Science 1
• Anthropology 3, Economics 1, Psychology 1 or Psychology 2, Sociology 1 or Sociology 3
• Media Studies 10*

Note: Students must have completed at least three of these courses, including Media Studies 10 or an equivalent course, when applying for admission to the major.*

Applications to the major may be submitted during the fall and spring semesters from the fourth through the fifteenth week of the term. Applications are available on the bulletin board outside the Media Studies office.