American Cultures (AC)

How can I complete the American Cultures (AC) requirement?

• The AC requirement may be taken for a letter grade of C- or better, or on a Passed/Not Passed basis.
  
  
• There are courses that satisfy the AC requirement at some California community colleges. Check the list of American Cultures courses at other colleges.
  
  
• American Cultures is a Berkeley campus requirement - the one course that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take in order to graduate.
  
  
• AC courses are a cornerstone of the Berkeley curriculum, providing integrative and comparative analyses of race, culture and ethnicity in the United States. There are many courses that can satisfy the requirement, both lower (#1-99) and upper division (#100-199).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q - As a junior or senior, can I still take a lower division AC course?

A - Yes.

Q - I think that I may have taken an AC course at another university? How can I check on this?

A - Look on the American Cultures website for information about Transcript Questions and Petitioning.

Q - How do I know if I have satisfied this requirement or not?

A - You can easily check on BearFacts or Info-BEARS by calling 510-642-9400 and selecting "Profile Information" from the "Personal Information Menu." Also, once you have completed your first term at CAL, the University requirements of Entry Level Writing, American History, American Institutions, and American Cultures will show up on the top of your transcript (student record) as either "requirement satisfied" or "required."

Seven-Course Breadth

Reading & Composition