General undergraduate program FAQs

Approximately 85 percent of incoming freshmen graduate from the College of Engineering and 91 percent from Berkeley overall.

New freshmen will complete an online orientation, Golden Bear Advising, in June. As part of Golden Bear Advising, freshmen will be guided in choosing courses for their first semester and will enroll in courses in July.

Yes, students may apply to pursue a minor. All of the engineering departments offer minors. Students may also consider pursuing a minor in another school or college. Students who are interested in a minor can get information about the requirements and admission standards from the department offering the minor. For a list of minors in the College of Engineering and links to minors offered in other schools and colleges visit coesandbox.berkeley.edu/academics/majors-minors/minors.

A student can expect to study at least three hours per week for every class unit. For example: 15 class units = 45 hours of study time per week.

Our majors are designed to be completed in four years (eight semesters). Academic advising and our structured four-year plans assist students in graduating on time. Although the College has a four-year graduation policy, there are times when an additional semester may be warranted. Four-year plans for first year students, and five-semester plans for transfer students, for all engineering majors can be found in the College of Engineering Undergraduate Guide.

The lower-division requirements for the EECS computer science option offered in the College of Engineering emphasize science and math and lead to a Bachelor of Science degree. Computer science in the College of Letters & Science requires a greater number of non-technical courses and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. More information about the two programs can be found on the EECS website.

Faculty and companies typically search for students who have completed their first and second year of engineering foundation courses. This means that securing an internship or research is most likely to occur in the junior and senior year or summer. Berkeley Career Engagement offers job and internship fairs throughout the academic year. For more information about research opportunities, visit the research websites for the College of Engineering and Berkeley campus.

Our professors welcome undergraduates in their laboratories, both during the academic year and for special summer projects. Many positions are paid. To see a comprehensive listing of undergraduate research experiences, visit the student research section.

Job prospects are very good for our graduates. Many students who are chosen for internships are hired by those same companies after they graduate. Others find great prospects with the help of job fairs and the Career Center. To learn more about the employment and graduate school choices made by our most recent graduates, visit the Career Destinations Survey page.

There is no preferred major for medical school. While any undergraduate major is acceptable, the pre-medical requirements including chemistry, physics, general biology, and sometimes calculus must be fulfilled. For more information, review Berkeley Career Engagement’s medical school page.

Yes, in fact, we encourage students to join student organizations and participate in recreational sports and outside interests. Berkeley Engineering offers over 70 different groups that students can join, and there are even more throughout campus. Visit our student life section for more information and a list of student teams and organizations.

All Berkeley Engineering students are assigned a faculty adviser, an Engineering Student Services (ESS) adviser, and a departmental adviser. Faculty advisers are mentors who help students select elective courses that align with the student’s career and education goals. ESS advisers help students navigate university and College of Engineering policies and procedures, and they are a lifeline for other questions and concerns that students may have during their academic career at Berkeley. Departmental advisers guide students toward opportunities within their field of study. They provide referrals to student groups related to the student’s major and handle all aspects of faculty advising and research opportunities. Peer advisers are also available to answer general questions regarding policy and course requirements during the academic year.

If you have questions specific to Berkeley Engineering’s application requirements, curriculum or student life, feel free to email Engineering Student Services.