Prerequisites for Applying to UC Berkeley's Graduate Programs

The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

1. A bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution. (If you are in your final year of studies and you expect to earn your degree by mid-August of the following year, you may feel free to apply. If you are admitted, you will be required to provide proof at that time that you have earned your bachelors, usually in the form of a final, official transcript from your school.)
2. A satisfactory scholastic average, with a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) if you attended an American university or a university that uses a similar 4.0 scale. If you attended a university that does not use the 4.0 system, please do not try and convert your grades to our system--just leave that section blank if it does not allow you to enter your GPA. Also, if you are on an alternative system and are not sure if you meet the requirements, please contact our assistants by emailing gradadmissions at eecs dot berkeley dot edu.
3. The General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Please see the required materials/data section for more information about the GRE.
4. If you received or are a candidate to receive a degree from an institution outside the United States, please read the Graduate Division section on Minimum Degree Requirements for International Applicants.

SUGGESTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT A TECHNICAL BACKGROUND THAT WISH TO APPLY TO OUR PROGRAM IN CS

We do not require applicants to have a technical background. However, a certain foundation may be needed for a successful applicant. Though there are no set class requirements, these are the courses that we SUGGEST you consider.

• Math 1A, 1B = college level calculus
• Math 54 linear algebra and differential equations
• CS70 = discrete mathematics and probability theory (no equivalents available)
• CS61A = take at UCB (no equivalents available)
• CS61B = data structures (most commonly found at community colleges)
• CS61C = machine structures (only partial equivalents at most community colleges)

The junior/senior level, or specialized courses in computer science that you take will depend on what field of CS you want to study in grad school. Traditionally, the best approach is to obtain a broad education in CS. Therefore a list of Berkeley courses that could satisfy this are:

• CS150 = Components and Design Techniques for Digital Systems
• CS162 = Operating Systems and System Programming
• CS164 = Programming Languages and Compiler Design
• CS170 = Efficient Algorithms and Intractable Problems*

*Since there are no set upper division requirements in CS at UC Berkeley other than CS170, it is hard to tell students of this sort what upper division tech courses to take. Again, it depends on your areas of interest. You should receive guidance from experts in the various fields of CS to decide what would be best for you.

Also, please keep in mind that these are NOT required courses, just suggestions.

 

Questions? Please contact EECS Graduate Admissions.