FAQs for High-Demand Majors are constantly being updated. For the latest information on HD Major policies and procedures, please refer back to this webpage regularly. For more information, email LSHDMajors@berkeley.edu and include your SID # in your email.
Last updated: July 2, 2024
Operations Research &
Management Science (Analytics)
1. Admission into L&S
Those who already know as high school students that they want a high-demand major should select that major on their UC Berkeley admissions application. If admitted to L&S, they will be guaranteed a spot in the major they selected, subject to completing the prerequisites, maintaining good academic standing in L&S, and filing a declaration form.
If you were admitted in Fall 2023 and selected any of the following majors on your Admissions application*, you still have a guaranteed spot in that major (subject to completing prerequites, meeting academic standards, and filing a declaration form). The L&S Comprehensive Review process no longer applies to the following majors:
*Computer science, data science, statistics - as of Fall 2023
Economics - as of Summer 2024
Psychology - as of Summer 2024
Global Studies - effective Fall 2024
Media Studies - effective Fall 2024
With the high-demand major policy, we are striving to improve the undergraduate student experience, make access to our high-demand majors more equitable, and help ensure that student enrollment grows sustainably.
The L&S high-demand major policy is designed to improve the student experience. In L&S, most of our 80+ majors are “open”— to declare that major, you need to take the prerequisite courses, meet academic standards in the College, and file a declaration form. However, there is a small subset of high-demand majors that have additional requirements to better match teaching capacity to student demand. Traditionally, to declare a high-demand major in L&S, students are required to have a minimum GPA in a specific set of courses (also referred to as major prerequisites). Students who.
Any student who adds or switches to a high-demand major will go through a comprehensive review for that major. Even if you are guaranteed a spot in one high-demand major, adding a second one (or switching to a different one) requires a comprehensive review.
If applying to the Sciences Po or HKU Dual Degree programs, please contact dualdegree@berkeley.edu.
No, the HD major policy does not apply to any L&S student who was admitted to UC Berkeley before fall 2023. Students should follow the admissions policies that were in place during the academic year in which they were admitted (See the Berkeley Academic Guide for the academic year in which you were admitted for more information).
Yes, current students can apply for one or more high-demand major(s) ONCE via comprehensive review. Students will also need to prepare an alternate, non-high-demand major plan.
For students who did not apply for a high-demand major at the time of application, there is no advantage to applying early for a comprehensive review.
First-year students applying to the College of Letters & Science with an interest in a high-demand major are highly encouraged to select that major on their UC Berkeley admissions application. If admitted to L&S, they will be guaranteed a spot in the major they selected, subject to completing prerequisites, meeting academic standards in L&S, and filing a declaration form.
Not all L&S majors offer a minor. Of the L&S high-demand majors, only Political Economy offers minor programs. The Psychology department and School of Public Health offer summer minors.
L&S does not have a comprehensive review process for any of its minor programs. The department that offers the minor determines the criteria to declare a minor. Please contact the department that offers the minor for more information on how to add the minor program to your degree plan.
Yes - students must apply for or officially declare the high-demand major no later than their 5th semester. This applies to students admitted in fall 2023 who are guaranteed a seat AND to students who are subject to comprehensive review.
