Requirements: Upper Division

Policies

To satisfy the requirements of the major, all courses must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a 'C-' or higher.
Students must maintain a 'C' average in courses taken for the major, and in the upper-division courses taken for the major.
A minimum 2.0 overall Grade Point Average is required to remain in good standing.
Effective Fall 2024, students may complete a maximum of 3 upper-division courses toward the Data Science major at other institutions outside of UC Berkeley, including UC EAP. (Students admitted to UC Berkeley prior to Fall 2024 who are eligible to and elect to continue following L&S College requirements must meet the L&S requirement on residency in the major, which requires a minimum of 12 upper-division units toward the major to be completed at UC Berkeley.)

See details about each of the upper-division requirements and the lists of courses that satisfy each in the drop-down menus below.

Requirements: Upper-division

Beginning in Fall 2024, the Data Science B.A. degree is offered by the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. In order to graduate, students must plan to meet all College requirements in addition to major requirements.

The Data Science major requires a minimum of 8 upper-division courses, totaling a minimum of 28 upper-division units. Along with Computational and Inferential Depth, Probability, Modeling, Machine Learning, Decision Making, and Human Contexts and Ethics (all detailed below), students will also select and complete a Domain Emphasis. Learn more about the Domain Emphasis requirement here.

A single course may not be used to fulfill more than one requirement within the requirements of the major.

Data Science BA Worksheet [PDF]

Acceptable courses:

Data 100. Principles and Techniques of Data Science (4 units)
Substitution option (valid through Fall 2018 only):
- STAT 133 (3 units) + STAT 135 (4 units) + CS 61A (4 units)

A student will be required to take one course in probability. An understanding of probability is essential for dealing with uncertainty and randomness, the algebraic properties of estimation, the ability to formulate and comprehend stochastic simulations, and many other aspects of data science theory and practice.

Acceptable courses:

DATA / STAT C140. Probability for Data Science (4 units)
EECS 126. Probability and Random Processes (4 units) [formerly EL ENG 126]
IND ENG 172. Probability and Risk Analysis for Engineers (4 units) [formerly offered for 3 units]
MATH 106. Mathematical Probability Theory (4 units)
STAT 134. Concepts of Probability (4 units)

Probability is a prerequisite to most, if not all, of the approved courses to meet the Modeling, Learning, & Decision-Making requirement, so all students should plan to complete Probability at least 1 full semester before their expected graduation term, not including summers.

**Students may only count ONE of these three courses towards the major: IND ENG 173 or STAT 150 (from C&ID), or EECS 126 (from Probability).

A student will be required to take two courses comprising 7 or more units from a list of advanced courses providing computational and inferential depth (C&ID) beyond that provided in Data 100 and the lower division (see below).

It is recognized that, currently, some of these courses have prerequisites that are not formally within the major, so for some combinations students may need to use electives to complete those. However, many options are available that do not place such demands.

*Not all courses on the approved list may be available for Data Science majors to enroll in every semester.

ASTRON 128. Astronomy Data Science Laboratory (4 units)
*COMPSCI 161. Computer Security (4 units)
*COMPSCI 162. Operating Systems and Systems Programming (4 units)
*COMPSCI 164. Programming Languages and Compilers (4 units)
*COMPSCI 168. Introduction to the Internet: Architecture and Protocols (4 units)
*COMPSCI 169 or 169A or W169 or W169A. Software Engineering (3-4 units)
*COMPSCI 169L. Software Engineering Team Project (2 units) may be combined with COMPSCI 169A or W169A, may not be combined with COMPSCI 169
COMPSCI 170. Efficient Algorithms and Intractable Problems (4 units)
*COMPSCI 186 or W186. Introduction to Database Systems (4 units)
COMPSCI 188. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (4 units)
DATA 101. Data Engineering (4 units) offered as CS 194 in Spring 2021
DATA 144. Data Mining and Analytics (3 units) formerly offered as Info 154
ECON 140. Economic Statistics and Econometrics (4 units)
- OR ECON 141. Econometric Analysis (4 units)
EECS 127. Optimization Models in Engineering (4 units)
EL ENG 120. Signals and Systems (4 units)
EL ENG 123. Digital Signal Processing (4 units)
EL ENG 129. Neural and Nonlinear Information Processing (3 units) [no longer offered]
ENVECON C118 / IAS C118. Introductory Applied Econometrics (4 units)
ESPM 174. Design and Analysis of Ecological Research (4 units)
IND ENG 115. Industrial and Commercial Data Systems (3 units)
IND ENG 135. Applied Data Science with Venture Applications: Data-X (3 units)
IND ENG 142B. Machine Learning and Data Analytics II (4 units)
IND ENG 160. Nonlinear and Discrete Optimization (3 units)
IND ENG 162. Linear Programming and Network Flows (3 units)
IND ENG 164. Introduction to Optimization Modeling (3 units)
IND ENG 165. Engineering Statistics, Quality Control and Forecasting (4 units)
IND ENG 166. Decision Analytics (3 units)
IND ENG 173. Introduction to Stochastic Processes (3 units)
INFO 159. Natural Language Processing (4 units) [formerly 3 units]
INFO 190-1. Introduction to Data Visualization (4 units) - only when offered with this topic [formerly 3 units]
MATH 156. Numerical Analysis for Data Science and Statistics (4 units)
NUC ENG 175. Methods of Risk Analysis (3 units)
PHYSICS 188. Bayesian Data Analysis and Machine Learning for Physical Sciences (4 units) [formerly offered as PHYSICS 151]
STAT 135. Concepts of Statistics (4 units)
STAT 150. Stochastic Processes (3 units)
STAT 151A. Linear Modelling: Theory and Applications (4 units)
STAT 152. Sampling Surveys (4 units)
STAT 153. Introduction to Time Series (4 units)
STAT 158. The Design and Analysis of Experiments (4 units)
STAT 159. Reproducible and Collaborative Statistical Data Science (4 units)
STAT 165. Forecasting (3 units)
UGBA 142 - Advanced Business Analytics (3 units) offered as UGBA 147 prior to Summer 2023

*Not all courses on the approved list may be available for Data Science majors to enroll in every semester.

**Students may only count ONE of these three courses towards the major: IND ENG 173 or STAT 150 (from C&ID), or EECS 126 (from Probability).

A student will be required to complete one course in modeling, learning, and decision-making.

Acceptable courses:

*DATA/COMPSCI (C)182 or L182 or W182. Designing, Visualizing, and Understanding Deep Networks (4 units) - may not be available for Data Science majors to enroll in all semesters
COMPSCI 189. Introduction to Machine Learning (4 units)
DATA / STAT C102. Data, Inference, and Decisions (4 units)
IND ENG 142A. Introduction to Machine Learning & Data Analytics (4 units) - formerly offered as 142 for 3 units
STAT 154. Modern Statistical Prediction & Machine Learning (4 units)

Most Modeling, Learning, & Decision-Making courses require significant prerequisites including Probability. Check the Berkeley Academic Guide course listings for exact prerequisites.

Modeling, Learning, & Decision-Making courses are typically not offered in Summer Session.

Students will be required to take one course from a curated list of courses that support them in developing broadly applicable, disciplined ways of reasoning that grapple with the ethical stakes of data science related practices and technologies in living human contexts with real-world relevance.

The requirement aims to expand students’ ability to:

Analyze common assumptions of data-related practices and consider implications and alternatives;
Deepen their readiness to engage with non-technical forms of argumentation, perspectives rooted in social and humanistic inquiry, and diverse participants and publics;
Work meaningfully with human, societal, and ethical complexity; and
Strengthen crucial skills, centrally reading, writing, engaged presentation, and responsive discussion.

A range of data-related practices and methods are relevant to this requirement, including the data science lifecycle, data stewardship and governance, privacy and security-focused work, machine learning models, algorithmic decision systems, computational platforms, societal or organizational deployment of data and algorithms, justice and policy in relation to data and data technologies, and data ethics. The requirement is intended to provide a foundation for applications across varied domains, and for a lifetime of learning as new contexts and ethical questions emerge.

Acceptable courses:

AMERSTD / AFRICAM 134 or C134. Information Technology and Society (4 units)
BIO ENG 100. Ethics in Science and Engineering (3 units)
CY PLAN 101. Introduction to Urban Data Analytics (4 units)
DATA C104 / HISTORY C184D / STS C104. Human Contexts and Ethics of Data (4 units)
DIG HUM 100. Theory and Method in the Digital Humanities (3 units) - offered in Summer only
ESPM C167 / PUB HLTH C160. Environmental Health and Development (4 units)
INFO 188. Beyond the Data: Humans and Values (3 units)
ISF 100J. The Social Life of Computing (4 units)
NWMEDIA 151AC. Transforming Tech: Issues and Interventions in STEM and Silicon Valley (4 units)
PHILOS 121. Moral Questions of Data Science (4 units)

Domain Emphases give students a grounded understanding of a particular domain of data-intensive research, relevant theory, or an integrative intellectual thread. A Domain Emphasis is comprised of three courses chosen from a list. Each Domain Emphasis is rooted in a lower division course, which is typically also a prerequisite for the upper division courses.

See the full list of available Domain Emphasis options.

If needed to reach the minimum 28 upper-division units required for the major, choose an additional course from one of the following categories: Computational & Inferential Depth, Human Contexts & Ethics, or your selected Domain Emphasis.

Approved Exceptions/Substitutions

P/NP Grading Exceptions:

Based on changes authorized by L&S policy, courses completed at UC Berkeley with a grade of Pass in FALL 2022 will count toward Data Science major requirements, including prerequisites to declare the major. See the L&S Fall 2022 Late Grading Option Change Modification for more information.
Based on changes authorized by L&S policy, courses completed at UC Berkeley with a grade of Pass in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Summer 2021 will count toward Data Science major requirements, including prerequisites to declare the major. Please see the L&S P/NP policy modifications for more information.
Prerequisite courses taken on a P/NP basis before Fall 2018 will be accepted. Grades of ‘P’ earned will be evaluated as ‘C-’ for GPA calculation purposes. Courses taken on a P/NP basis after Summer 2018 will not be accepted.

Data Science Major

Lower-division Requirements

Upper-division Requirements

Domain Emphasis Requirements

Declaring the Major

Need Advising?

Data Science advisors are available to help! Email us at ds-advising@berkeley.edu, or find out about our other advising services.

Ready to declare?

Submit an application.

Overview

The major program is designed to provide integrative course experiences in the lower division and upper division, as well as the technical depth in computation and inference required for students to engage in data science upon graduation.

Data 100, Principles and Techniques of Data Science (CS/STAT C100), explores the data science lifecycle and focuses on quantitative critical thinking and key principles and techniques needed to carry out this cycle. It bridges between Foundations of Data Science (Data 8) and upper division courses.