The Minor in Computer Science

The minor program is offered through the College of Engineering and is open to all Berkeley undergraduates with a declared major other than EECS or CS. To be admitted to the CS minor, you must have acquired a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 in the required coursework.

CS courses are heavily over-enrolled and CS Minors do not receive enrollment priority into courses needed to complete the minor. As a consequence, completing the CS Minor will typically require enrollment during Summer Sessions.

Course Requirements

Lower Division Prerequisites

Upper Division Requirements

Three upper-division courses in CS or EECS¹ ²

¹CS199, 198, 197, 195, select 194, and various seminars and EE upper divs do not count. Approved 194 & graduate courses are posted here. If you are unsure, please check with the CS Advisors.

²The following classes are the only non-CS/EECS classes that may also be used to fulfill this requirement: INFO 159, Data 101, STAT/DATA/CS C100, & NWMEDIA C203. NWMEDIA 190 may also be used to fulfill this requirement with the exception of during Fall 2023; students may take NWMEDIA 201-001 instead during Fall 2023. 

Upper-Division Enrollment Information

CS courses are heavily impacted. CS minors do not receive enrollment priority into CS 61C or CS upper-division courses during the fall or spring semester. Minors are encouraged to take classes during Summer Sessions since all students will have equal enrollment priority. Read more about our enrollment policy. Due to the high demand for CS upper-division courses, completion of the minor is not guaranteed.

Step 1: Application Process

To be considered for the CS minor, you must have a declared major other than CS or EECS and submit a CS Minor Application. Deadlines are as follows:

  • Students graduating Summer 2020 or earlier: submit applications by the last day of your final semester at Cal. Note you must also complete Step 2 by the deadline (see Step 2 for more information).
  • Students graduating Fall 2020 or later: must declare their minor 1 semester before graduation (e.g. by Summer 2020, if graduating in Fall 2020).
  • Submit the declaration application when you have at least four of the minor requirements completed; these can be any four of the requirements.
  • Minor applications are accepted year-round on a rolling basis. 

P/NP for Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021 & Summer 2021

Students in the Honors Program should take requirements for a letter grade in Summer 2021.

The faculty have voted that students in the CS minor program may take courses for their major and for their breadth area for P/NP during Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021.

Step 2: Completion of the Minor

Please submit the CS Minor Completion Form when you are enrolled in your last requirement(s) or by the Friday before RRR week of your last semester. For students graduating in summer, submit by the Friday before the last week of the term. Submit the form to the advisors in 349 Soda or send to cs-advising@cs.berkeley.edu.

If you are approved as a minor in the department, it will be annotated to your transcript.

For approval of the minor, all the following criteria must be met:

  1. All seven courses for the minor must be completed with a passing letter grade.*
  2. The overall GPA for those (seven) courses must be at least 2.0.
  3. You may only overlap one upper-division course between your declared major and the CS minor.

Students who do not submit the CS Minor Completion form signed by their major advisor by the stated deadline will not have their CS minor conferred.

*Exception: Classes for the CS Minor taken during Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 may be taken for Pass/Not Pass.

Contact

Antoine Davis, 377 Soda Hall, 510-642-7214

Lydia Raya, 349 Soda Hall, 510-664-4436

cs-advising@cs.berkeley.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How do I get a minor in LSCS?

    The Computer Science minor requires completion of CS 61A, CS 61B, CS 61C and CS 70, as well as three upper-division CS/EECS courses.

  2. What is the GPA cut-off for the Minor?

    To successfully complete the CS minor and receive a notation on your final transcript, you must complete the seven courses with a minimum 2.0 GPA for all the required courses for the program, with no grade below a "D-."

  3. How do I get into classes?

    The full CS enrollment policies may be found on our website here. All students may enroll in CS61A, CS61B, and CS70, space permitting. CS minor students do not receive priority into CS61C or upper-division CS classes. 

    It is recommended to take CS61C or an upper-division CS class during the summer to facilitate declaring and completing the CS minor. CS classes do not have reserved seating over the summer and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

  4. Can I replace CS 70 with Math 55?

    This is possible. Students who have completed Math 55 (or equivalent) should contact cs-advising@cs.berkeley.edu.

  5. I completed 4 requirements and turned in my CS minor declaration form, is that all I need to do?

    The CS minor application is a two-step process. After submitting the initial application, you must submit the CS Minor Completion Form signed by your major advisor when you are enrolled in your last requirement(s) or by the Friday before RRR week of your last semester. For students graduating in summer, submit by the Friday before the last week of the term. Students who do not complete step 2 will not have their minor conferred on their transcript.