Majors and Minors

Change of College

Overview

If you are an undergraduate in another UC Berkeley college and are interested in changing into the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS), this page will provide an overview of eligibility criteria, how to apply, and important deadlines. 

Application for Change of College into CDSS

All students who are admitted to the College of CDSS do so declared in one of our majors, Statistics, Data Science, or Computer Science.

Changes of college into CDSS will not be approved for students who have not satisfied Entry Level Writing and are not on track to complete the Reading & Composition requirement by the end of their sophomore year (fourth semester). 

You must also meet senior residence (24 units and two terms at UC Berkeley after earning 90 units) while declared as a CDSS student. You can learn about these residence requirements on our Degree Requirements page. 

If you are uncertain whether you will meet either of these requirements or wish to learn more before submitting a Change of College request, meet with a CDSS College Advisor.

Students Admitted to UC Berkeley in Fall 2024 or later

If you were admitted in Fall 2024 in a non-CDSS major, you will need to apply to CDSS via the comprehensive review process to pursue these majors.

Students Admitted to UC Berkeley Before Fall 2023

If you were admitted before Fall 2023, you should remain in your current college until eligible to declare. The eligibility requirements will remain the same as the requirements for the year that you were admitted. Please see a Major Advisor to confirm those requirements. 

The deadline to declare a CDSS major is as follows:

Students with a Summer 2025 Expected Graduation Date: Students must submit an application into their desired major prior to the last day of instruction in Spring 2025 and must plan to enroll in at least 6 units in Berkeley Summer Sessions in order to fulfill senior residency requirements. Students must take a total of 24 units in Spring and Summer 2025.

Students with a Fall 2025 Expected Graduation Date: Students must submit an application into their desired major by the end of Spring 2025 in order to fulfill senior residency requirements, or by the end of Summer 2025 if taking at least 6 units through Berkeley Summer Sessions. Students must take a total of 24 units in Spring and Fall 2025, or Summer and Fall 2025.

Students with a Spring 2026 Expected Graduation Date or later: 
Students must apply and be declared in their desired major by the last day of classes of the semester prior to their EGT semester. For example: Students with a Spring 2026 EGT should be fully declared by their major by the end of Fall 2025. Students with a Fall 2026 EGT should be fully declared by their major by the end of Spring 2026. 

Summer semesters can count towards senior residency if 6 or more units are taken. Example: Students with a Spring 2026 EGT could apply and declare in Spring 2026 if taking 6 or more units and will complete 24 units between Spring and summer. Students with a Fall 2026 EGT could apply and declare in Summer 2026 if taking 6 or more units and will complete 24 units between Summer and Fall. 

Students Admitted to UC Berkeley in Fall 2023

If you were admitted in Fall 2023 and want to declare the Statistics major, you should remain in your current college until you have completed the prerequisites and are eligible to declare. Please see a major advisor to confirm those requirements.

If you were admitted in Fall 2023 and were admitted as an Intended Computer Science or Data Science major on your admissions application, then you have a guaranteed spot in that major, subject to completing prerequisites and maintaining good academic standing. You should be prepared to declare the major by Spring 2026 in order to meet senior residency requirements in CDSS. Please see an advisor in your intended major for more information on the declaration process.

If you were admitted in Fall 2023 and did not select Computer Science or Data Science on your admissions application, you will need to apply to CDSS via the comprehensive review process to pursue these majors. Applications will be available in the Fall semester and admission to the College is not guaranteed. Consult with a major advisor about eligibility to change or add these majors. 

Change of College out of CDSS

If you are currently a student in the College of CDSS and you wish to change into another college, you must be accepted into that college through their admission process. Until you are accepted into another college, you must follow all CDSS policies and are encouraged to continue making progress towards your CDSS major and degree. 

Adding a Minor

Minors are concentrations of study that require fewer courses and therefore represent less depth than a full major. Not all majors have a corresponding minor, and minors exist that do not have a corresponding major. It is therefore useful to explore the Berkeley Academic Guide’s Degree Programs page thoroughly to review all options. 

All minors must be declared prior to the first day of classes in the term in which you intend to graduate. For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A.

If you are a CDSS student, you will still need to finish your degree in your allowed semesters (8 for first-year students, and 5 for transfer students) even if you are adding a minor(s). You are allowed to declare as many minors as will fit into your semester limit. 

Minor Options at CDSS

Review information on the following minors within CDSS: 

• Computer Science
• Data Science 
• Statistics

Minor Options at Another College

You can declare a minor in a different college at Berkeley as long as the minor department will permit you to declare. You will not be responsible for the College requirements and general policies for the College that hosts your minor. 

For general policies around add/drop deadlines, late changes to class schedule, etc., please follow the policies and procedures of the College that hosts your major.

Meet with the Minor Advisor to understand requirements and policies for that minor. If you are a CDSS student pursuing a minor in another school or college with overlap policies that differ from CDSS, the stricter of the two minor policies applies to the minor program.

Course Overlap Rules

The number of allowed overlaps is determined by the minor. “Overlap” means that one upper division course (courses numbered 100-199) can be used to satisfy requirements for both your major and your minor. CDSS-housed minors including Data Science and Statistics, allow one upper-division course to overlap between the minor and the major. The computer science minor is under the purview of the College of Engineering. 

If you are a CDSS student pursuing a minor in another school or college with overlap policies that differ from CDSS, the stricter of the two minor policies applies to the minor program.
 

Dropping a Minor

If you need to drop your minor, please contact your Minor Advisor.

Comprehensive Review

Students wanting to change colleges into CDSS, have a simultaneous degree with CDSS, declare a double major within CDSS, or Change Majors within CDSS are required to go through the comprehensive review process. 

This applies to all students admitted in Fall 2024 and after, if admitted before Fall 2024 talk to your major advisor for more information on how to declare a CDSS major.

Requirements

If admitted as a first-year student:

• Must complete at least one semester with letter grades at UC Berkeley.
• Must be in good academic standing.
• Must be on track to finish Reading & Composition by the end of 4th semester: 
  • If first-year: First half of R&C completed by the end of the spring semester
  • If second-year: Both parts of R&C completed by the end of the spring semester
  • If third-year: Both parts of R&C completed to apply.
• Must be able to complete the degree in 8 total semesters. No extensions will be considered. See our EGT policies here.
• Must apply no later than the 6th semester and be on track to meet Senior Residency requirements. 
• Must complete or be enrolled in major courses to show adequate progress to finish major by EGT. (Details determined by each major)

If admitted as a transfer student:

• Must complete at least one semester with letter grades at UC Berkeley.
• Must be in good academic standing.
• Must apply during the first year (must be able to meet senior residency requirements).
• Must complete or be enrolled in major courses to show adequate progress to finish major by EGT. (Details determined by each major)

Application

Applications will be open on January 1st and closed on January 31st. 

• The application will include listing grades in major requirements and answering major-specific essay questions. Resumes and letters of recommendation will not be considered and should not be submitted.
• Students are allowed to apply to more than one major in CDSS in case they are not admitted into their first choice. 
  • Applications will be reviewed by all majors you rank. 
  • If more than one ranked major wishes to admit you, you will be admitted to the major you ranked highest. 
  • If your top choice does not admit you, but another major offers admission, you will be admitted to your next highest-ranking major. 
  • Do not rank a major you do not want to pursue.

Decisions

• Applications will be reviewed by college advisors, major advisors, and major faculty.
• Students will be informed of decisions by May.

For additional information and the application link, please reference this document for frequently asked questions.