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.
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 (Advanced Digital Animation) 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 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.
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:
- All seven courses for the minor must be completed with a passing letter grade.*
- The overall GPA for those (seven) courses must be at least 2.0.
- 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
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I get a minor in CS? The Computer Science minor requires the completion of CS 61A, CS 61B, CS 61C, and CS 70 and three upper-division CS/EECS courses.
- What is the GPA cut-off for the Minor? To 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-.”
- How do I get into classes? Read our separate FAQ about how to get into CS classes. All students may enroll in CS61A, CS61B, and CS70, space permitting. CS minor students do not receive priority in CS61C or upper-division CS classes. We recommend taking 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.
- Lower-division classes may be fulfilled at community colleges. View this list of CA Community Colleges that usually offer classes equivalent to CS 61 A/B/C.
- 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.
- 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.