Choosing Your First-Semester Courses

For the first semester, freshmen are expected to enroll in at least 12 units, including the following courses:

1.  Environmental Design 1 (3 units)

2.  Reading and Composition, usually R&C A or College Writing R1A, depending on your AP exam scores. See “University of California Entry-Level Writing Requirement & Reading and Composition Requirement” (4-6 units) below.

3.  Math, Statistics or Biological Science

• Architecture majors should enroll in Math (usually 16A or 16B, depending on your AP exam scores). See “Choosing Your First Math Course” (3 units) below.
  
• Landscape architecture majors can enroll in an approved Biological Science breadth course (2-4 units)
• Urban studies majors should enroll in Math 16A or Statistics 2 (3, 4 units)

4.  If you need an additional course to reach 12 units, consider taking one of the following:

• A freshman seminar
• A student-taught DeCal course
• A course to fulfill a breadth requirement or the American Cultures requirement

You should be taking courses numbered 1-99 during your first semester. Courses with numbers 100 and above are for advanced students only.

UC Berkeley's Schedule of Classes and General Catalog are available on the web. The latter includes course descriptions for all departments and information on University requirements and academic policies. It may be purchased from the Cal Student Store via mail order at (800) 766-1546.

University of California Entry-Level Writing Requirement & Reading and Composition Requirement

• IF you have fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement with a sufficient test score, with transfer credit, or by passing the Analytical Writing Placement Exam (formerly the Subject A Exam), then you should enroll in a course that satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement (unless you have sufficient AP/IB/A-Level/transfer credit to satisfy the Reading and Composition requirement). You can use the College of Letters and Science breadth search engine to find open Reading and Composition courses.
   
• IF you took the Analytical Writing Placement Exam but did not pass, then you should enroll in the 6-unit College Writing R1A course in Fall 2009.
   
• IF you have not fulfilled the Entry-Level Writing Requirement and have not taken the Analytical Writing Placement Exam by the beginning of the fall semester, you must take the placement exam, conducted on the Berkeley campus. Contact College Writing Programs for more information. Results will be available in the College Writing Program Office, 112 Wheeler Hall, 3-4 weeks after the exam date. You will need to delay taking the appropriate composition course(s) until Spring 2010. Please be aware that the Analytical Writing Placement Exam may be taken only once.
   
• Consult with your major adviser at CalSO if you are not sure which level of Reading and Composition you are required to take.

Choosing Your First Math Class

The math department provides a useful guide to choosing your first math class at Berkeley. You can take the on-line placement exam to help you choose between Math 32 (pre-calculus), Math 16A (appropriate for most social science majors), and Math 1A (appropriate for engineering, math and science majors). It is also possible that you have satisfied the architecture and urban studies quantitative requirements with AP math or statistics. See Transferring Credit on this advising website for more information.

Advanced Placement and Other Exam Credit

Students who have Advanced Placement, transfer, or other exam credit may have fulfilled some of CED’s breadth requirements and/or may be eligible to take more advanced math or reading and composition courses.

Information on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced Level credit can be found on this website under Transferring Credit. If you do not know your exam scores yet, estimate them and select your classes according to that estimated score. If your estimated score is incorrect, you may need to add or drop a class later.

Evaluation of Transfer Work

If you have transfer credit from a California community college, check ASSIST to see whether it will be accepted in satisfaction of a CED course requirement. If your courses are not articulated on ASSIST, your adviser will need to evaluate them. If this is the case, please send a copy of your transcript and a detailed course description to:

Susan Hagstrom
Undergraduate Services Manager
College of Environmental Design
232 Wurster Hall #1800
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1800

Please specify which requirement you want each transfer course to fulfill.