Information for Fall 2023 Admitted Students:

Welcome new bears! Data Science is classified as a high-demand major for new students admitted beginning in Fall 2023. Data Science has not historically been restricted; all students who meet the lower-division criteria have been allowed to declare. If you were recently admitted for Fall 2023 and would like more information about Data Science at UC Berkeley, please connect with us by filling out this contact form. We'll get back to you with updates about our program as they become available, as well as opportunities to engage with the Berkeley Data Science community.

Eligibility to Declare

For students admitted to UC Berkeley prior to Fall 2023:

The prerequisites to declare the L&S Data Science major are: Foundations of Data Science, Calculus I, Calculus II, Linear Algebra, Program Structures, and Data Structures. The lower-division domain emphasis course is not required in order to declare.
All prerequisites to declare must be completed for a letter grade and passed with a 'C-' or higher.
Students must achieve a 2.0 Grade Point Average in Data 8, Linear Algebra, and Data Structures to be eligible to declare. The grades earned in Calculus I & II and Program Structures will not be factored into this GPA requirement.
If a student chooses to take more than one upper-division course toward the major prior to declaring, they must have a minimum 2.0 Grade Point Average in all upper-division courses completed toward the major at the time of declaration.
The Data Science major follows UC Berkeley policy on repeating courses; you may repeat a course only if you received a grade of D+, D, D-, F, or no pass (NP), and if you have taken the course only once before. You must repeat the course for a letter grade. Both grades will show on your transcript, but only your most recent grade will be calculated into your GPA for declaration of the major.
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Prerequisites to Declare

Requirement	Preferred Course	Alternate Course Options
*Foundations of Data Science	Data C8 (also listed as CompSci/Stat/Info C8)	See note regarding Data C8 substitutions.
Calculus I	MATH 1A or N1A or approved high school exam credit	MATH 10A or MATH 16A
Calculus II	MATH 1B or N1B or approved high school exam credit
*Linear Algebra	MATH 56 (offered as Math 91 in F22) or MATH 54/W54/N54 or STAT 89A	PHYSICS 89 or EE/EECS 16A+16B (both required)
Program Structures	COMPSCI/DATA C88C (formerly COMPSCI 88) or COMPSCI 61A	ENGIN 7
*Data Structures	COMPSCI 61B or 61BL
Data 8, Linear Algebra, and Data Structures must be completed with an average GPA of 2.0 to declare the major. The Data Science BA accepts Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and A-Level exam credit for the calculus requirements only, per the UC Berkeley Math department guidelines*. Exam credit is not accepted for the Domain Emphasis or other major requirements.

When can I apply?

The application for the Data Science major is open from the 4th week of each term through the week after Finals, including during the Summer.

Please submit your application no earlier than the last 3 weeks of the term in which you will complete your prerequisites.

Major Declaration Form Availability

Fall 2023: Sept 11, 2023 - Jan 2, 2024

First day to apply with prerequisites in progress in Fall 2023: November 27, 2023. Applications will be reviewed after final grades are available.

Spring 2023: Feb 6 - May 19, 2023

First day to apply with prerequisites in progress in Spring 2023: April 24, 2023. Applications will be reviewed after final grades are available.

Summer 2023: June 12 - August 18, 2023

First day to apply with prerequisites in progress in Summer 2023: July 24, 2023. Applications will be reviewed after final grades are available.

How do I apply?

Complete the Data Science BA worksheet and L&S Program Planning Sheet (no signatures required).
Upload your completed forms via the application link below.
Once your application has been approved, the change will be reflected on CalCentral.

Complete the Data Science BA worksheet and either the L&S Double Major Application or Simultaneous Degrees Application (you may obtain advisor signatures from your other major first, but this is not required).
Upload your completed forms via the application link below.
Once your application has been approved, a Data Science Advisor will email you back with your signed forms. You will need to obtain any other required signatures and submit your completed packet to your College Advising office for final approval.

Complete the Data Science BA worksheet, L&S Program Plan and the L&S Major Declaration form. No signatures are required.
Upload your completed forms via the application link below.
Once your application has been approved, a Data Science Advisor will email you back with your signed L&S Major Declaration. You will need to submit this with your completed Change of College application to the L&S College Advising office.

Apply here

If you have already submitted your application, please note that processing this year may be delayed depending on when final grades are available.

You do not need to meet with an advisor or obtain any advisor signatures on your forms PRIOR to submitting them.

*If you are declared in the Data Science minor, you will be dropped from the minor when you declare or add the Data Science major, as students may not earn a major and minor in the same field.

Exceptions

The exceptions to major declaration policy described below apply to any student. If you would like to request an exception other than those described below, please consult with a Data Science advisor.

P/NP Exceptions:

Based on changes to L&S policy, courses completed at UC Berkeley with a grade of Pass in Fall 2022 (due to the UAW strike), Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 (due to the Covid-19 instructional disruption) will count toward Data Science major requirements, including prerequisites to declare the major. See the L&S Fall 2022 Late Grading Option Change Modification and L&S Covid P/NP policy modifications for more information.
Courses taken P/NP in Fall 2022 are not currently counting on your Academic Progress Report toward Data Science major and minor requirements. We are working with campus on updating this and hope to have APRs corrected later in Spring semester. In the meantime, you do not need to notify us that you elected P/NP for a major or minor class in Fall 2022 - this will be automatically updated for all declared students.

Declaration Exceptions:

Any student taking one or more declaration courses in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, or Summer 2021 may declare the Data Science major at the end of any of these terms if they have completed all required courses to declare, received letter grades of C- or higher for the courses taken prior to Spring 2020, and receive grades of Pass or C- or higher for the courses taken in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021. The 2.0 GPA requirement to declare will be waived for students meeting these criteria and declaring in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 or Summer 2021.
For example, a student who completed Data 8 with a C and Math 54 with a C- prior to Spring 2020, and completes CS 61B with a Pass in Fall 2020 will be eligible to declare the Data Science major at the end of Fall 2020.

Declaring The Major