This program is available only to Berkeley EECS and CS L&S Undergraduates. It is a five year combined Bachelor/Master's program geared toward outstanding and highly motivated students who desire a program of study that offers greater breadth than is practical in the B.S. or B.A. programs alone.
The Five Year Bachelors/Masters Program, called the 5th Year M.S. Program for short, offers qualified Berkeley EECS and L&S CS undergraduate students a unique opportunity to begin graduate study during their undergraduate years, thereby accelerating the Masters degree by requiring only one additional year beyond the Bachelors degree. This is not a concurrent degree program. Students earn their Bachelors degree first and then the Masters. However, careful planning during the undergraduate program allows motivated students to begin a research project and complete some Master's course requirements while still in undergraduate standing. Depending on how quickly a student progresses through the undergraduate program, the additional graduate year may come sooner than the fifth year at Berkeley.
The 5th Year M.S. requirements are identical to those of the M.S. that is regularly obtained by Ph.D. students along the way, including a mandatory research project with written report or thesis. Applicants to the 5th Year M.S. program are considered separately from those applying for a Ph.D. and can later apply for admission for the Ph.D., where they will be considered in competition with other Ph.D. applicants. The M.S. component of this program is equivalent to the "M.S.-only" program except that there is an additional breadth requirement. Upon completion of the program, one receives either a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EE) or a Master of Science in Computer Science (CS).
This program is geared toward students who would like to pursue an education beyond the B.S./B.A., allowing them to achieve greater breadth and/or depth of knowledge, and who would like to try their hand at research as well. It is not intended for students who have definitely decided to pursue a Ph.D. immediately following graduation. Those students are advised to apply for a M.S./ Ph.D. program at Berkeley or elsewhere during their senior year. Students who have been accepted into the Five Year B.A./M.S. or B.S./M.S. are free to change their minds later and apply to enter the Ph.D. program or apply to a Ph.D. program at another university. Note that admission is competitive with all our Ph.D. applicants.
Applicants must have been an undergraduate major in EECS or L&S CS (including Community College Transfers) and have graduated in Fall 2022 or whose anticipated graduation will be in Spring 2023. The minimum GPA to apply is a 3.0, but it is preferred that applicants have a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA.
The Fall 2024 Graduate Admission application for EECS is now open. Interested applicants must submit an official application through the UC Berkeley Graduate Division website. The deadline to apply is December 11, 2023, at 8:59 pm PST.
Late applications will not be accepted. Admissions decisions will be announced by February by email.
The program is focused on inter-disciplinary training at a graduate level; with at least 8 units of course work outside EECS required. Students will emerge as leaders in their technical and professional fields.
Serve as a GSI, backdate Graduate Standing, transfer of credit, change degree goal, maximum duration of program, projects with industry.
The EECS 5th Year Masters degree is self-funded. You can see "Graduate Academic" tuition and fees on the Registrar's website.
We are able to nominate a small number of exceptional newly admitted CS Masters students each year for the Siebel Award ($35,000). The results of this award nomination are not available until July.
5th Year MS students who wish to serve as GSIs are considered by petition to the Master's Advisor. Written approval from your research advisor must include an explanation of how a GSI appointment will not delay your graduation.
The 5th year MS program entails three main components:
| Date | Proceeding |
|---|---|
| October | Info Session |
| December | Application deadline by 8:59 pm PST |
| February | Admissions decisions announced |
| April 15 | Statement of Intent to Register Deadline |
| August | Orientations, UC Berkeley Campus, Classes Begin |
Because of the requirement to complete the Masters portion of the program in only one year, it is essential for you to have identified a research advisor before you apply to the 5th Year MS program. Several faculty will actively seek students from this program. In general, you can pursue an independent project or join a project team, but you will need to submit an independently written Masters report before you graduate that shows your independent contribution to the research.
gradadmissions@eecs.berkeley.edu
215 Cory Hall