BSE Degree Requirements

BSE Degree Requirements

UC, Campus, and College Requirements

University of California Requirements

Campus Requirement

Breadth Requirements 

7-Course Breadth Requirement

  • Arts & Literature

  • Biological Sciences

  • Historical Sciences

  • International Studies

  • Philosophy and Values

  • Physical Sciences

  • Social and Behavioral Sciences

Essential Skills

Educational Sciences Major Requirements

13 Major Course Requirements

  • Teaching and Learning (3)

  • Educational Contexts in a Global World (3)

  • Education and Social Transformation (3)

  • Educational Fieldwork, Research, and Project Capstone (2)

  • Elective (2)

Unit Requirements and Restrictions

Unit Requirements

In order to receive a Bachelors in Science in Educational Sciences, students are required to earn:

120 total semester units. This includes transfer credit admitted to the Berkeley record and advanced high school units admitted to the college record. Of the 120 total, the following is required:

  • 36 upper division units (courses numbered between 100-199). Graduate-level courses numbered between 200-299 may also apply those units to the Upper Division Unit requirement.

  • 6 upper division units outside the Education department. This can be included in the 36 upper division total. Units earned in cross-listed courses (indicated by a “C” prefix) for which a student’s major department is one of the sponsors are not applicable. 

1/3 Passed (P) Grade Limit. Passed grades may account for no more than one third of the total units completed at UC Berkeley (including Fall Program for First Semester (FPF), UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), or UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC)) toward the 120 overall minimum unit requirement. Transfer credit is not factored into the limit. 

Unit Restrictions

Special Studies Courses: No more than 16 units from courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, or 199 may be applied to the degree.

Senior Residence 

Students must have 2 terms of residence at the Berkeley School of Education to graduate. Summer Sessions can be counted as one of the terms with a minimum of 6 units passed, if the student is enrolled in the BSE.

NOTE: The BSE residence requirement is waived for students with an EGT of Summer 2024 or Fall 2024. During these two terms, students in the Berkeley School of Education may satisfy their senior residence in the College of Letters and Science, any other College, or a combination.

BSE Term Limit

  • Students who entered UC Berkeley as a freshman have eight semesters to complete the Educational Sciences degree.

  • Students who entered as a transfer student have four semesters to complete the Educational Sciences degree.

  • Semesters are defined as Fall and Spring terms. Summer Sessions do not count towards semester limits. 

  • One additional semester is granted to students who are completing a simultaneous degree. The petition for extension must be signed by both major advisors.