phd graduation berkeley

Berkeley Commencement

For Graduates

Get ready for the big day! Register by April 12 to get your name in the program.

Where can you stay? Plan ahead so you can enjoy the day.

Congratulations, Class of 2024! The campuswide Commencement for all undergraduate and graduate students, in every school and college, is on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at California Memorial Stadium. As you plan your day, keep checking here for updates on how to have a smooth, memorable experience.

Registration and Tickets

Check back in the spring for details.

Department Graduations

• PhD Student Handbook

Graduation and Degree Conferral

Expected graduation term (egt).

Your Expected Graduation Term (aka "EGT") is the term in which you expect to file your dissertation. To be eligible for filing, your EGT must be the current term in which you intend to file. You may update your EGT using the eForm available in CalCentral (My Dashboard > Student Resources Card > Change of Expected Graduation Term Request).

Commencement

The School of Social Welfare’s Commencement Ceremony is held at the conclusion of the spring semester each year. Details about the ceremony are posted on our Social Welfare Commencement website in early January.

Doctoral candidates who will have their PhD degree conferred in the current academic year (fall, spring, or summer) are eligible to participate in our Spring Commencement Ceremony. Since a complete draft of the dissertation is due to the dissertation committee two months before filing, students planning to participate in the spring graduation ceremony should note the implicit March cut-off for participation in commencement, and plan accordingly.

Degree Conferral

Your official degree conferral date is not the date on which you submit your dissertation. Degrees are officially awarded three times a year, in May, August and December. Your degree will be posted to your transcript approximately 10 weeks after the conferral date of your degree. For salary or employment purposes, however, you have completed all requirements for the PhD on the date you file your dissertation with the Graduate Division. You may request a “Certificate of Degree Completion” from the Graduate Division once your dissertation is accepted.

Diplomas are automatically mailed free of charge from the Office of the Registrar four months after graduation to the address you have on file in CalCentral. Once you no longer have access to campus student systems you may submit a Diploma Mailing Request Form. For more information please visit Office of the Registrar: Transcripts and Diplomas.

Verification of Enrollment or Degrees

You may request Student Self-Service Enrollment Verification or Official Verification of Attendance and Degrees directly from the Office of the Registrar; for information and instructions please visit Verification of Enrollment/Degrees.

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Educating leaders. Creating knowledge. Serving society.

Doctoral commencement

2:00 p.m. pdt, thursday, may 20.

More departmental greetings

Download a printable copy of the 2021 Berkeley Engineering Commencement program (PDF)

Virtual procession

Student slides

Campus commencement links.

Class of 2021 virtual ceremony (May 15) and in-person, student-only processions (May 16-20, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily)

Graduation Info for Chemistry Graduate Students

Registration Filing Fee Graduate Appeals Procedures

Registration

Registration requirements for Ph.D. students are relatively informal. Each student during their first year in the program must see an academic advisor during the Enrollment period each semester to work out a schedule that best suits the student's individual needs. There is flexibility in the choice of courses that a student may take, particularly after the first year. See suggested course sequences for first year students in various sub-disciplines of chemistry below. In addition to lecture courses, there are three kinds of courses you can get course credit for. These are:

Seminar (Chemistry 298- sections 1-8). Student can register for up to 3 seminars for 1 unit only, every semester. Enrollment in a seminar means regular attendance at (a) seminars given by outside speakers and Berkeley faculty appropriate to a student's area of specialization, (b) student seminars in at least one of the two divisions of the graduate program, and (c) group seminar organized by a student's research group. Enrollment is on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U) basis.

Research (Chemistry 299). Since the Ph.D. is a research degree, each student in the Ph.D. program is expected to show progress in research every semester. In the first semester each student should choose a field of interest and a research director. Since new students do not have a research director when registering for the first time, they will normally sign up for research under the Department Chair's name. (Chemistry 299-section 1). Once a research director has been chosen, students should sign up for research units under their research advisor.

Research is always variable in the number of units, ranging from 1-9 and must be taken for a letter grade. A student's load of formal classes and seminars will determine the number of research units that he/she will sign up for each semester, i.e., sign up for formal classes and seminars, then fill up your schedule with as many Chemistry 299 units are you need to bring your schedule up to 12 units. All students are required to carry a total of 12 units each semester, while in the program.

Teaching (Chemistry 300). Students enroll for 2 units of Chemistry 300 during the semesters in which they serve as teaching assistants. Student must enroll for a letter grade in the Chemistry 300 section for the course they are teaching.

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Filing Fee is a reduced fee for graduate students who have completed all requirements for the degree, except for filing the master's thesis or doctoral dissertation or taking the master's comprehensive examination.

To be approved for the use of the Filing Fee a student must be continuously enrolled during all periods of study and research that have required the use of University facilities or faculty consultation. Two semesters of approved withdrawal status is permitted; however, the student must be registered in the semester or summer (4 units minimum in summer) immediately preceding the one for which Filing Fee status is requested. For example, to use the Filing Fee in Fall, you must have registered in the previous spring or summer; and to use the Filing Fee in the Spring, you must have been registered during the previous Fall semester.

Filing Fee is valid for the length of the semester for which Filing Fee status has been approved, up to the deadline for a degree in that semester. The Filing Fee may be used only once. However, students currently in a graduate program who have used the Filing Fee to file a master's degree in spring semester 2002, or in a prior semester, will be permitted to apply for the use of Filing Fee for the doctoral degree.

Students may not hold an academic graduate student appointment (i.e., GSR, GSI) while on Filing Fee. You should consult the Department on other means of financial support while on Filing Fee status. Filing Fee status for those students with their financial support coming from LBNL is prohibited - unless they are paid as a Student Assistant.

Students must apply for the Filing Fee by the end of the first week of classes of the semester in which they intend to file.

Graduate Appeals Procedure

In accordance with the provisions of the Graduate Adviser's Handbook (Appendix A, pages 19-24), it is necessary for the Chemistry Department to have a procedure for appeals of "those administrative or academic decisions that terminate or otherwise impede the progress of a Berkeley graduate student toward his or her academic or professional degree goal." The following procedure has been established:

1. A graduate student who has been dismissed from graduate standing, who has been placed in a probationary status, or whose academic progress has otherwise been impeded by administrative or academic decision, has the right to appeal that decision. The individual making such a decision is obligated to inform the graduate student of his or her right to appeal under these procedures. 2. The appeal should be lodged, in writing, within 14 calendar days after the student is made aware of the decision. The written appeal should be delivered to the Chair of the Chemistry Department. If the appeal pertains to a decision made by a Vice Chair of the Department or by the student's research director, a copy of the appeal must be delivered to that individual as well as to the Department Chair. 3. Upon receiving the written appeal, the Department Chair will appoint an ad hoc committee to consider it. The ad hoc committee will normally consist of the three Vice Chairs of the Department, plus one professor to be named by the student. If the decision being appealed was made by one of the Vice Chairs, that person will not serve on the ad hoc committee. In such a case, the Department Chair will appoint a fourth member of the committee from the Chemistry Department faculty. The ad hoc appeals committee will be constituted within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of the written appeal. 4. Within twenty-one (21) calendar days after receipt of the written appeal in the Chemistry Department office, the ad hoc appeals committee will meet to consider the appeal. The committee will make a written recommendation to the Department Chair, who will make the final decision on the appeal. The Department Chair will notify the student of the outcome of the complaint within sixty days from written receipt of the appeal. 5. If the decision on the appeal is negative, the student has the right to further appeal to the Dean of the College of Chemistry or to the Dean of the Graduate Division, as provided in Appendix A of the Graduate Adviser's Handbook. 6. The full Graduate Appeals Procedure (approved April 27, 1998) is available at the Graduate Division website.

• Equity & Inclusion

Class of 2023 Engineering Doctoral Degree Commencement

Special Event | May 18 | 9-11 a.m. |   Zellerbach Hall

Sponsor:   College of Engineering

The College of Engineering will host a commencement ceremony for Doctoral degree graduates of the Class of 2023, their family and friends on Thursday, May 18.

Target audiences:  Faculty, Staff, Students - Graduate, Students - Undergraduate, Cal Parents

Open to audience:  All Audiences

Attendance restrictions:  All graduates must register in order to participate. All guests, including infants and children, must have a ticket to attend the commencement ceremony. More info coming soon.

Tickets required  

Ticket info:  Information on ticket purchases will be shared soon. All guests, including infants and children, must have a ticket to attend the commencement ceremony.

Registration required  

Registration info:  Information on graduate registration will be shared soon. All graduates must register in order to participate.

Event Contact:   [email protected]

Access Coordinator:  Sarah Kweller,   [email protected] ,  510-643-6898

Graduate Admissions and Degree Programs

Berkeley EECS graduate programs rank first and second in the nation and provide one of the best educational experiences anywhere. Our graduate students are immersed in an intellectually rigorous, interdisciplinary, globally aware environment, and have the opportunity to study and do research with faculty world-renowned for their innovation and discovery.

Join Our Team

 We welcome your application to our competitive graduate programs. We look forward to the mixture of backgrounds and approaches that each new group of graduate students brings to us.

Industry-Oriented Degree Programs

Berkeley EECS offers two degrees for planning a career in industry.

• Master of Engineering (MEng)
• Five Year Master of Science (5th Yr M.S.)

Research-Oriented Degree Programs

Berkeley EECS offers three degrees for planning a career in industrial R&D and teaching. The Master of Science (M.S.), the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and the combined M.S./Ph.D.

• Apply to the M.S. or Ph.D. Research Degree Programs

Quick Links

• Adding the EECS/CS M.S. From Another Department
• Joint Master's in EECS and Public Policy (M.S./M.P.P.)
• Graduate Fellowships
• Recommended Coursework
• EECS Ph.D. Student Guide

Equal Access to Application Assistance Program

The student-run Equal Access Assistance (EAAA) program aims to ensure that all applicants to higher degree programs (M.S./Ph.D.) at Berkeley EECS have access to guidance on the higher degree application process. One current (or recent graduate) in EECS will provide feedback on your statement of purpose, personal history statement, CV/resume, and other application materials in advance of higher-degree application deadlines in the fall semester.  This feedback will be Berkeley- and admissions-focused, as opposed to grammar or formatting advice.

Application for admission to Berkeley EECS is a process that must be completed separately; participation in EAAA does not guarantee admission nor affect the admissions decision-making process in any way.

More information about the EAAA

Molecular and Cell Biology

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The Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley offers a Ph.D. program focused on the molecular mechanisms inherent to life. This program integrates research with a modern training curricula, teaching, and career mentorship. Our Department is highly interdisciplinary - comprising the Divisions of Cell Biology, Development & Physiology, Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Neurobiology, Biochemistry, Biophysics & Structural Biology, and Genetics, Genomics, and Development – and this is reflected in our students and training. The program is also highly collaborative with related programs and Institutes on campus, thus allowing students the flexibility to explore all aspects of modern biological research. Please click on the links below to learn more about our areas of research on the main department website or use the menu at the top to navigate to areas of interest within the graduate program.

Cell Biology, Development & Physiology

Biochemistry, biophysics & structural biology.

Preparing for Graduation

If you’re approaching graduation, congratulations! This page will help you make sure you take the necessary steps for everything to go smoothly. 

Definitions

While students often use “graduation” to mean multiple things, the university uses the following terms: 

Graduation refers to you officially earning your B.A. degree and finishing your time as an undergraduate student. Expected Graduation Term (EGT) therefore refers to the term in which a student plans to complete their degree. Review for degree completion will begin at the end of your EGT term (which can be found on your CalCentral Dashboard).  

Commencement refers to the ceremonies students attend to celebrate graduation. There is both a general ceremony for all students as well as departmental ceremonies. You can walk in a spring commencement ceremony if you will officially graduate any time between the Fall semester before the ceremony to the Fall semester after the ceremony (exceptions to walk earlier or later can sometimes be made if you will be studying abroad). Check out the Commencement Website  for more information.

If you will not be enrolled at UC Berkeley in your EGT term, or withdraw in your EGT term, you may need to take extra steps to keep your spot on the degree list. See the FAQ below. 

Graduation Deadlines

Click on your EGT Term below to find deadlines for: 

• Changing your EGT term
• Submitting an L&S Minor Completion form to your Minor Adviser
• Completing an Incomplete grade required for graduation
• Completing transfer coursework required for graduation
• Submitting transcripts for transfer work required for graduation

Fall 2023 Graduation Deadlines

For students with or requesting Fall 2023 EGTs

Spring 2024 Graduation Deadlines

For students with or requesting Spring 2024 EGTs

Summer 2024 Graduation Deadlines

For students with or requesting Summer 2024 EGTs

Steps to Prepare for Graduation

1. check your degree progress.

L&S uses the Academic Progress Report (APR) to clear most students for graduation, so check this tool in your CalCentral to make sure the non-major portions of your APR accurately reflect your progress. See the  Assessing Degree Progress page for more support. 

If you have any incomplete or missing grades you do not intend to finish in your academic record, we recommend seeing an L&S College Adviser regardless of what your APR says to review your unit counts. 

See your Major Adviser(s) and Minor Advisers (if applicable) if you need support confirming that your major/minor requirements are on track for completion. 

2. Confirm your Expected Graduation Term (EGT) 

Check the Academics tab on your Cal Central to find your EGT term (located under your photo). These terms are automatically issued reflecting graduation in eight semesters for freshmen or four semesters for transfers. 

If your EGT is set to the term you plan to finish ,  and you will be enrolled at UC Berkeley during that term, you do not need to take further action.

If you want to move your EGT to a different term , see the FAQ section below for more information on moving your EGT.  

If you will not be enrolled in your EGT term , see the FAQ section below for extra steps. 

3. Declare all majors and minors in advance

Adding minors, changing majors, and adding double majors are all actions that must be taken before your EGT term. Simultaneous degrees should be added at least two terms prior to graduation. See our Majors/Minors section for more about these options. 

If you wish to change your major or declare a double major/simultaneous degree in your final semester, you will be ineligible to graduate that term and must change your EGT to a future term, even if you do not plan to be enrolled in that term (see FAQ for extra steps if you will not be enrolled). 

Possible Exception: Undeclared in EGT Term

If you are undeclared and are able to declare a major in your EGT term, you will be allowed to graduate. However, some major departments will not allow students to declare in their final term, so check with your intended major department in advance. You may need to move your EGT term if you cannot declare in your final semester. 

4. Fees, Diploma Mailing Address, and Commencement Activities

If you take the above steps, you will be reviewed for graduation at the end of your EGT term. If all degree requirements are cleared, you will be graduated. While not handled by L&S Advising, you may also need or want to take the following actions:

• Pay off all outstanding fees in order to be eligible to request transcripts, receive your diploma, and more. See your Finances tab on CalCentral to check for outstanding balances. 
• In CalCentral, edit your contact information to add a Diploma Mailing Address. 
• If you would like to participate in Commencement activities (graduation ceremonies), see UC Berkeley's Commencement webpage for more information. 

Graduation FAQ

Can i move my egt.

You can request to change your EGT. If you are changing to a current term, you must make the request prior to the deadline.

You may submit an Expected Graduation Term Change Request form if you would like to move your EGT to:

• an earlier term
• a summer term
• the next Fall/Spring term and are sure you are under the unit ceiling
• a ninth semester (fifth semester for transfers) for declared double majors

If you wish to move your EGT to a future Fall/Spring term, but are not sure you will be at or under the unit ceiling (or if you know you will be above the unit ceiling), you will need an appointment with an L&S College Adviser to see if taking extra semesters will be possible.

Learn more on our Unit Ceiling and Semester Limit page. 

Not enrolled in UC Berkeley or withdrawing during EGT term - Extra steps

Fall or spring.

If you are planning to graduate in a Fall or Spring semester and will not be enrolled in UC Berkeley during that semester, or if you withdraw from that semester, fill out the  Non-Registered EGT Request form  to make sure you are on the degree list. If you do not take this step, you will not be on the list of students reviewed for graduation

Taking courses at UC Berkeley Extension does not count as being enrolled at UC Berkeley. You will need to fill out this form.

If you are planning to graduate in a Summer semester and will not be enrolled, we recommend meeting with an L&S College Adviser to determine the right steps to take, as procedures for Summer degree lists are complex and more likely to change year to year. 

After Dismissal

If you were dismissed but believe you can graduate without readmission, see our Readmission After Dismissal page and review "Readmission After Dismissal for Graduation Purposes Only" to understand steps needed. 

Transfer Credit

If you are taking classes elsewhere, review the additional information below about taking coursework at another institution during your EGT term. 

Taking transfer coursework / studying abroad in EGT term

If you are completing courses at another institution in your EGT term, the academic calendar at the transfer institution must list the last day of the term as being on or before the deadline listed in the Graduation Deadlines section below. If the term ends after that deadline, even if your courses end before that date , you would need to move your EGT to the following semester.

Make sure you have satisfied your residence requirements (see Degree Requirements ) before taking coursework at another institution in your final term. You should also review our Transfer Credit page to make sure your credit will transfer correctly. 

If you will not be enrolled at Cal...

...review the “Not enrolled in UC Berkeley during EGT term - Extra steps” FAQ above.

If you are attending UCEAP in your final semester...

...you will use the following guidelines to determine your EGT (you may need to meet with an L&S College Adviser to determine your eligibility for moving an EGT to a later semester/term): 

If your Fall UCEAP program ends by December 31, you should have a Fall semester EGT.

If your Fall UCB program ends after December 31, you should have a Spring semester EGT.

If your Spring UCEAP program ends by May 31, you should have a Spring semester EGT.

If your Spring UCEAP program ends after May 31, you should have a Summer term EGT.

If your plan to enroll in Summer UCEAP, you should have a Summer term EGT.

Make sure to submit your official transcripts by the deadlines for your EGT semester (see semester deadlines above).

Continuous Enrollment UC Berkeley Extension courses

Extension offers some courses that allow students to enroll anytime. These are called continuous enrollment courses. You should be aware of potential challenges these classes can present if taken during your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). 

For each EGT, there is a deadline by which any transfer coursework must be completed. The transfer coursework also must have a published last day of the term that meets this deadline. See our deadline links on this page to find specific deadlines to your EGT.

Because there is no set term for continuous enrollment courses, Extension transcripts often list an end date that does not reflect when you completed the course, but may instead reflect when the instructor finalized the grade. If the course is needed for you to graduate, this can result in you needing to move your EGT to a future term.

We recommend you work with your instructor and the Extension registrar to ensure that your Extension transcript accurately reflects the date you completed your coursework.   

Changing/Adding a Major in EGT Term

If you are declared a major and either change your major or declare a double major/simultaneous degree in your final semester, you are ineligible to graduate that term. You must move your EGT to a future term, even if you will not be enrolled (see the "Not enrolled in UC Berkeley or withdrawing during EGT term - Extra steps" FAQ above).

However, if you are  undeclared and then declare a major in your final semester, you will be allowed to graduate. Some majors will not declare a student in their final term. Check with your intended Undergraduate Major Adviser for department policies. 

Incomplete Minors

If you have not completed your minor by the end of your EGT term, your EGT term will NOT automatically be moved to a future term. I f you have completed all campus, university, college, and major requirements, you will be automatically graduated even if you have not completed your minor . You would need to move your EGT before you are cleared for graduation if you wished to finish your minor.

Proving you finished degree requirements or have final degree requirements in progress

To explore options for speeding up the degree review process, see the Office of the Registrar’s information under “ Prove I Graduated Before Degrees Are Posted .”

If a prospective employer or graduate school needs an official statement that you will be completing your degree requirements prior to the posting of your degree, L&S College Advisers can also provide a “Letter of Intent to Graduate.” This letter will verify, during your last term, that successful completion of current courses will fulfill your remaining requirements for the degree. 

If you would like an Intent to Graduate letter, first get a statement from your Undergraduate Major Adviser verifying completion of your major requirements with in-progress coursework and make an appointment with an L&S College Adviser . An L&S College Adviser will run a progress check for your other requirements and if all requirements are complete or in progress, we will write you a letter confirming you will graduate upon successful completion of your coursework in that semester. 

Preparing for What's Beyond Graduation

Remember that we have resources on campus to help you prepare for career, graduate school, or professional school!  Berkeley Career Engagement (link is external) has many career events to get you connected with prospective employers, can review resumes and help students with application packets for graduate/professional schools, and can help you strategize to make your transition to your next step go as smoothly as possible. 

If you're feeling lost about your options or are having second thoughts about whether you're heading in the right direction, you're not alone! Visit the  Career Library (link is external)  to do some exploration. 

Remember, your tuition covers both of the career services above, so take advantage while you're still enrolled if you can! If you're already at the end of your undergraduate experience, contact each center individually to see what services for alumni are available. 

Still Have Questions?

Click to get advice.

Related Pages

Assessing Degree Progress

Dean's List / Honors

Unit Ceiling and Semester Limit

PhD Program

**new** graduate student guide, expected progress of physics graduate student to ph.d..

This document describes the Physics Department's expectations for the progress of a typical graduate student from admission to award of a PhD.  Because students enter the program with different training and backgrounds and because thesis research by its very nature is unpredictable, the time-frame for individual students will vary. Nevertheless, failure to meet the goals set forth here without appropriate justification may indicate that the student is not making adequate progress towards the PhD, and will therefore prompt consideration by the Department and possibly by Graduate Division of the student’s progress, which might lead to probation and later dismissal.

Course Work

Graduate students are required to take a minimum of 38 units of approved upper division or graduate elective courses (excluding any upper division courses required for the undergraduate major).  The department requires that students take the following courses which total 19 units: Physics 209 (Classical Electromagnetism), Physics 211 (Equilibrium Statistical Physics) and Physics 221A-221B (Quantum Mechanics). Thus, the normative program includes an additional 19 units (five semester courses) of approved upper division or graduate elective courses.  At least 11 units must be in the 200 series courses. Some of the 19 elective units could include courses in mathematics, biophysics, astrophysics, or from other science and engineering departments.  Physics 290, 295, 299, 301, and 602 are excluded from the 19 elective units. Physics 209, 211 and 221A-221B must be completed for a letter grade (with a minimum average grade of B).  No more than one-third of the 19 elective units may be fulfilled by courses graded Satisfactory, and then only with the approval of the Department.  Entering students are required to enroll in Physics 209 and 221A in the fall semester of their first year and Physics 211 and 221B in the spring semester of their first year. Exceptions to this requirement are made for 1) students who do not have sufficient background to enroll in these courses and have a written recommendation from their faculty mentor and approval from the head graduate adviser to delay enrollment to take preparatory classes, 2) students who have taken the equivalent of these courses elsewhere and receive written approval from the Department to be exempted. 

If a student has taken courses equivalent to Physics 209, 211 or 221A-221B, then subject credit may be granted for each of these course requirements.  A faculty committee will review your course syllabi and transcript.  A waiver form can be obtained in 378 Physics North from the Student Affairs Officer detailing all required documents.  If the committee agrees that the student has satisfied the course requirement at another institution, the student must secure the Head Graduate Adviser's approval.  The student must also take and pass the associated section of the preliminary exam.  Please note that official course waiver approval will not be granted until after the preliminary exam results have been announced.  If course waivers are approved, units for the waived required courses do not have to be replaced for PhD course requirements.  If a student has satisfied all first year required graduate courses elsewhere, they are only required to take an additional 19 units to satisfy remaining PhD course requirements.  (Note that units for required courses must be replaced for MA degree course requirements even if the courses themselves are waived; for more information please see MA degree requirements).

In exceptional cases, students transferring from other graduate programs may request a partial waiver of the 19 elective unit requirement. Such requests must be made at the time of application for admission to the Department.

The majority of first year graduate students are Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs) with a 20 hour per week load (teaching, grading, and preparation).  A typical first year program for an entering graduate student who is teaching is:

First Semester

• Physics 209 Classical Electromagnetism (5)
• Physics 221A Quantum Mechanics (5)
• Physics 251 Introduction to Graduate Research (1)
• Physics 301 GSI Teaching Credit (2)
• Physics 375 GSI Training Seminar (for first time GSI's) (2)

Second Semester

• Physics 211 Equilibrium Statistical Physics (4)
• Physics 221B Quantum Mechanics (5)

Students who have fellowships and will not be teaching, or who have covered some of the material in the first year courses material as undergraduates may choose to take an additional course in one or both semesters of their first year.

Many students complete their course requirements by the end of the second year. In general, students are expected to complete their course requirements by the end of the third year. An exception to this expectation is that students who elect (with the approval of their mentor and the head graduate adviser) to fill gaps in their undergraduate background during their first year at Berkeley often need one or two additional semesters to complete their course work.

Faculty Mentors

Incoming graduate students are each assigned a faculty mentor. In general, mentors and students are matched according to the student's research interest.   If a student's research interests change, or if (s)he feels there is another faculty member who can better serve as a mentor, the student is free to request a change of assignment.

The role of the faculty mentor is to advise graduate students who have not yet identified research advisers on their academic program, on their progress in that program and on strategies for passing the preliminary exam and finding a research adviser.  Mentors also are a “friendly ear” and are ready to help students address other issues they may face coming to a new university and a new city.  Mentors are expected to meet with the students they advise individually a minimum of once per semester, but often meet with them more often.  Mentors should contact incoming students before the start of the semester, but students arriving in Berkeley should feel free to contact their mentors immediately.

Student-Mentor assignments continue until the student has identified a research adviser.  While many students continue to ask their mentors for advice later in their graduate career, the primary role of adviser is transferred to the research adviser once a student formally begins research towards his or her dissertation. The Department asks student and adviser to sign a “mentor-adviser” form to make this transfer official.  

Preliminary Exams

In order to most benefit from graduate work, incoming students need to have a solid foundation in undergraduate physics, including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, special relativity, thermal and statistical physics and quantum mechanics, and to be able to make order-of-magnitude estimates and analyze physical situations by application of general principles. These are the topics typically included, and at the level usually taught, within a Bachelor's degree program in Physics at most universities. As a part of this foundation, the students should also have formed a well-integrated overall picture of the fields studied. The preliminary exam is meant to assess the students' background, so that any missing pieces can be made up as soon as possible. The exam is made up of 4 sections, as described in the  Preliminary Exam Policy *, on the Department’s website.  Each section is administered twice a year, at the start of each semester. 

Entering students are encouraged to take this exam as soon as possible, and they are required to attempt all prelims sections in the second semester. Students who have not passed all sections in the third semester will undergo a Departmental review of their performance. Departmental expectations are that all students should successfully pass all sections no later than spring semester of the second year (4th semester); the document entitled  Physics Department Preliminary Exam Policy * describes Departmental policy in more detail. An exception to this expectation is afforded to students who elect (with the recommendation of the faculty mentor and written approval of the head graduate adviser) to fill gaps in their undergraduate background during their first year at Berkeley and delay corresponding section(s) of the exam, and who therefore may need an additional semester to complete the exam; this exception is also further discussed in the  Preliminary Exam Policy * document.

* You must login with your Calnet ID to access Physics Department Preliminary Examination Policy.

Start of Research

Students are encouraged to begin research as soon as possible. Many students identify potential research advisers in their first year and most have identified their research adviser before the end of their second year.  When a research adviser is identified, the Department asks that both student and research adviser sign a form (available from the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North) indicating that the student has (provisionally) joined the adviser’s research group with the intent of working towards a PhD.  In many cases, the student will remain in that group for their thesis work, but sometimes the student or faculty adviser will decide that the match of individuals or research direction is not appropriate.  Starting research early gives students flexibility to change groups when appropriate without incurring significant delays in time to complete their degree.

Departmental expectations are that experimental research students begin work in a research group by the summer after the first year; this is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged.  Students doing theoretical research are similarly encouraged to identify a research direction, but often need to complete a year of classes in their chosen specialty before it is possible for them to begin research.  Students intending to become theory students and have to take the required first year classes may not be able to start research until the summer after their second year.  Such students are encouraged to attend theory seminars and maintain contact with faculty in their chosen area of research even before they can begin a formal research program. 

If a student chooses dissertation research with a supervisor who is not in the department, he or she must find an appropriate Physics faculty member who agrees to serve as the departmental research supervisor of record and as co-adviser. This faculty member is expected to monitor the student's progress towards the degree and serve on the student's qualifying and dissertation committees. The student will enroll in Physics 299 (research) in the co-adviser's section.  The student must file the Outside Research Proposal for approval; petitions are available in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.   

Students who have not found a research adviser by the end of the second year will be asked to meet with their faculty mentor to develop a plan for identifying an adviser and research group.  Students who have not found a research adviser by Spring of the third year are not making adequate progress towards the PhD.  These students will be asked to provide written documentation to the department explaining their situation and their plans to begin research.  Based on their academic record and the documentation they provide, such students may be warned by the department that they are not making adequate progress, and will be formally asked to find an adviser.  The record of any student who has not identified an adviser by the end of Spring of the fourth year will be evaluated by a faculty committee and the student may be asked to leave the program. 

Qualifying Exam

Rules and requirements associated with the Qualifying Exam are set by the Graduate Division on behalf of the Graduate Council.  Approval of the committee membership and the conduct of the exam are therefore subject to Graduate Division approval.  The exam is oral and lasts 2-3 hours.  The Graduate Division specifies that the purpose of the Qualifying Exam is “to ascertain the breadth of the student's comprehension of fundamental facts and principles that apply to at least three subject areas related to the major field of study and whether the student has the ability to think incisively and critically about the theoretical and the practical aspects of these areas.”  It also states that “this oral examination of candidates for the doctorate serves a significant additional function. Not only teaching, but the formal interaction with students and colleagues at colloquia, annual meetings of professional societies and the like, require the ability to synthesize rapidly, organize clearly, and argue cogently in an oral setting.  It is necessary for the University to ensure that a proper examination is given incorporating these skills.”

Please see the  Department website for a description of the Qualifying Exam and its Committee .   Note: You must login with your Calnet ID to access QE information . Passing the Qualifying Exam, along with a few other requirements described on the department website, will lead to Advancement to Candidacy.  Qualifying exam scheduling forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.   

The Department expects students to take the Qualifying Exam two or three semesters after they identify a research adviser. This is therefore expected to occur for most students in their third year, and no later than fourth year. A student is considered to have begun research when they first register for Physics 299 or fill out the department mentor-adviser form showing that a research adviser has accepted the student for PhD work or hired as a GSR (Graduate Student Researcher), at which time the research adviser becomes responsible for guidance and mentoring of the student.  (Note that this decision is not irreversible – the student or research adviser can decide that the match of individuals or research direction is not appropriate or a good match.)  Delays in this schedule cause concern that the student is not making adequate progress towards the PhD.  The student and adviser will be asked to provide written documentation to the department explaining the delay and clarifying the timeline for taking the Qualifying Exam.

Annual Progress Reports

Graduate Division requires that each student’s performance be annually assessed to provide students with timely information about the faculty’s evaluation of their progress towards PhD.  Annual Progress Reports are completed during the Spring Semester.  In these reports, the student is asked to discuss what progress he or she has made toward the degree in the preceding year, and to discuss plans for the following year and for PhD requirements that remain to be completed.  The mentor or research adviser or members of the Dissertation Committee (depending on the student’s stage of progress through the PhD program) comment on the student’s progress and objectives. In turn, the student has an opportunity to make final comments. 

Before passing the Qualifying Exam, the annual progress report (obtained from the Physics Student Affairs Office in 378 Physics North) is completed by the student and either his/her faculty mentor or his/her research adviser, depending on whether or not the student has yet begun research (see above).  This form includes a statement of intended timelines to take the Qualifying Exam, which is expected to be within 2-3 semesters of starting research.  

After passing the Qualifying Exam, the student and research adviser complete a similar form, but in addition to the research adviser, the student must also meet with at least one other and preferably both other members of their Dissertation Committee (this must include their co-adviser if the research adviser is not a member of the Physics Department) to discuss progress made in the past year, plans for the upcoming year, and overall progress towards the PhD.  This can be done either individually as one-on-one meetings of the graduate student with members of the Dissertation Committee, or as a group meeting with presentation. (The Graduate Council requires that all doctoral students who have been advanced to candidacy meet annually with at least two members of the Dissertation Committee. The annual review is part of the Graduate Council’s efforts to improve the doctoral completion rate and to shorten the time it takes students to obtain a doctorate.)

Advancement to Candidacy

After passing the Qualifying Examination, the next step in the student's career is to advance to candidacy as soon as possible.  Advancement to candidacy is the academic stage when a student has completed all requirements except completion of the dissertation.  Students are still required to enroll in 12 units per semester; these in general are expected to be seminars and research units.  Besides passing the Qualifying Exam, there are a few other requirements described in the Graduate Program Booklet. Doctoral candidacy application forms can be picked up in the Student Affairs Office, 378 Physics North.

Completion of Dissertation Work

The expected time for completion of the PhD program is six years.  While the Department recognizes that research time scales can be unpredictable, it strongly encourages students and advisers to develop dissertation proposals consistent with these expectations.  The Berkeley Physics Department does not have dissertation defense exams, but encourages students and their advisers to ensure that students learn the important skill of effective research presentations, including a presentation of their dissertation work to their peers and interested faculty and researchers.

Philosophy Ph.D. Program

Approved by Graduate Council and Graduate Division, Nov. 10, 2008. These requirements apply prospectively beginning with those admitted for Fall 2009. Students who entered the program under the old requirements may choose either to continue under that regime or to adopt the requirements below.

The Ph.D. program is designed to provide students with a broad knowledge of the field of philosophy, while giving them opportunities to work intensively on the issues that interest them the most. During the first stage of their graduate education, students meet the Department's course distribution requirements and prepare to take the qualifying examination. This examination assesses the student's strengths in areas chosen by the student in consultation with supervising faculty. After passing the exam, students advance to candidacy and begin writing the Ph.D. thesis. A detailed explanation of the requirements for the Ph.D. in Philosophy follows.

Before Advancing to Candidacy

During the first stage of the program, students are expected to acquire a broad background in philosophy and develop their philosophical abilities by fulfilling the following requirements:

First Year Seminar

A one-semester seminar for first-year graduate students only, conducted by two faculty members, on some central area of philosophy.

Logic Requirement

The Logic Requirement has two components:

• Completion of Philosophy 12A or its equivalent, with a grade of B+ or better.
• Completion of 140A or 140B with a grade of B+ or better. Courses with a comparable formal component including, in most cases, courses in the 140 series may satisfy this requirement, with the approval of the Graduate Advisor.

Both parts of the requirement may be fulfilled by successful completion of equivalent logic courses before arriving at Berkeley. Whether taken at Berkeley or elsewhere, courses taken in fulfillment of the logic requirement do not count towards the eight-course distribution requirement.

Course Distribution Requirement

Before taking the Qualifying Exam the student must complete eight courses at the 100- or 200-level completed with a grade of A- or higher. At least four of the eight courses must be graduate seminars. The eight courses must satisfy the following distribution requirements:

Two of the eight courses must be in the history of philosophy: one in ancient philosophy and one in modern philosophy. The courses may be on any individual philosopher or group of philosophers drawn from the following lists:

• Ancient: Plato, Aristotle
• Modern: Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Spinoza, Leibniz, Kant, Hegel

Four of the eight courses must be in the following areas, with at least one course from each area:

• Area 1: Philosophical logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mathematics.
• Area 2: Metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of action
• Area 3: Ethics, political, social and legal philosophy, and aesthetics

A seventh course may be any Philosophy course in the 100 or 200 series except for 100, 195-199, 200, 250, 251 and 299.

An eighth course may be either any Philosophy course as specified above or a course from another Department which has been approved by the Graduate Advisor.

In exceptional cases, students may, at the discretion of the Graduate Advisor, meet one distribution requirement by presenting work done as a graduate student elsewhere: typically a graduate thesis or work done in a graduate-level course. Meeting a distribution requirement in this way will not count as meeting any part of the four-seminar requirement.

Language Requirement

Revised requirement approved April 4, 2022 by Graduate Council, for all graduate students who have not already passed the foreign language requirement.

Before taking the Qualifying Examination, the candidate must pass a departmental examination in a foreign language requiring the translation of 300 words in 90 minutes with the use of a dictionary. The language can be any foreign language containing a significant philosophical literature, provided that a faculty member qualified to administer the examination is available. An examination in an approved language may be waived upon approval of the Graduate Division if native ability in the language can be demonstrated through secondary school or university transcripts. A course sequence of four semesters (or six quarters), whether taken at UC or elsewhere, will be accepted in lieu of the language examination if the sequence was completed within four years of admission to Berkeley and the student earned an average grade of C or better.

The Qualifying Examination

Students should aim to take the qualifying examination by the end of the fifth enrolled semester and they must take it by the end of the sixth enrolled semester.

In order to take the examination the student must have fulfilled the department's course requirements and must have passed the language requirement.

The qualifying examination is administered by a committee of three faculty members from the department and one faculty member of another department. The members of this committee are nominated to the Graduate Division by the Graduate Advisor in consultation with the candidate.

Soon after assembling an examination committee, the candidate should, in consultation with this committee, write a 300-word description and compile a list of readings for each of three proposed topics for examination. Each topic should be centered on a major philosophical problem or question. Together the topics should reflect a balance of breadth and depth, and the Graduate Advisor must approve that they meet these criteria.

A week before the qualifying examination, the candidate should submit an overview essay of 1500-3000 words for each topic, which expands on the initial description. The essay should aim to lay out the central problem or question, to explain its importance, and to evaluate critically the attempts to resolve or answer it, with an eye to forming a view within, or about, the debate.

The qualifying examination itself will be a three-hour oral exam administered by the committee. The candidate's essays are meant to serve as a springboard for discussion in the exam. The purpose of the examination is to test the student's general mastery of philosophy. Students are expected to draw on the information, skills and understanding acquired in their graduate study and to demonstrate sufficient breadth and depth of philosophical comprehension and ability to provide a basis for proceeding toward a Ph.D.

If a student fails the qualifying examination, the examining committee may or may not recommend that a second examination be administered by the same committee. The second examination must be administered no sooner than three months and no later than six months following the first attempt. Failure on the second attempt will result in the student being automatically dismissed from the graduate program. (See Section F2.7 of the Guide to Graduate Policy .)

Students should advance to candidacy as soon as possible and they must do so no later than a year after passing the qualifying examination or the end of their sixth semester in the program, whichever comes first, to maintain satisfactory progress in the program. (An exception to the above policy will be made for those students who, having failed the qualifying exam in their sixth semester, may be granted the possibility to take it a second time in their seventh semester. In the case of a successful retake, the student must advance to candidacy by the end of the seventh semester.)

Before advancement to candidacy the student must constitute a dissertation committee consisting of two faculty members from the department and an outside faculty member from another department.

Prospectus Stage

In the semester after passing the qualifying examination the student must take two individual study courses of 4 units each with the two inside members of his or her dissertation committee for the purpose of preparing a dissertation prospectus.

The dissertation prospectus should be submitted both to the inside members of the committee and to the Graduate Advisor by the end of that semester. It should consist of about fifteen pages and outline plans for the dissertation. Alternatively, the prospectus may consist of parts of a possible chapter of the dissertation together with a short sketch of the dissertation project.

Following submission of the prospectus, the candidate will meet with the inside members of the committee for an informal discussion of the candidate's proposed research.

The Doctoral Completion Fellowship

The Doctoral Completion Fellowship (DCF) is a one-year fellowship available to graduate students who have advanced to candidacy and meet several additional conditions. Students are advised to review the eligibility requirements for the DCF .

Additional Requirements

Each student for the Ph.D. degree is expected to serve as a graduate student instructor for at least two semesters.

Dissertation seminar

Students in the first two years after declaring candidacy must register for the dissertation seminar (Philosophy 295) for at least one semester each year, during which they must present a piece of work in progress, and are expected to attend the seminar all year. (The seminar meets every other week.) All students working on dissertations are encouraged to attend the seminar.

Annual Meetings

At the end of each academic year, there will be a meeting of the student and both co-chairs of his or her dissertation committee to discuss the student’s progress over the year and his or her plans for the following year.

The Graduate Program

The Department of Mathematics offers Ph.D. programs in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. The department also supports students in the  Graduate Group in Logic and the Methodology of Science , an interdisciplinary doctoral program shared between the departments of Philosophy and Mathematics. At this time, we no longer offer a terminal Master's degree program.

To review the policies and procedures of the Graduate Program, please refer to our  Graduate Student Handbook .

Please note: Some Mathematics Advising Services have been moved to virtual platforms. You can find the latest information on UC Berkeley’s prevention and response efforts  related to COVID-19 here.

Graduate Program Contacts 

The Graduate Program is overseen by the Departmental Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs and the Graduate Student Affairs Officers. 

• Professor Tom Scanlon, Vice Chair for Graduate Affairs
• Clay Calder, Graduate Student Affairs Officer
• Christian Natividad, Graduate Student Affairs Officer 
• Vicky Lee, Director of Student Services

For Questions Regarding Math Graduate Admissions: Please see the Admissions web page  here . After reviewing the admissions website, if you have further questions please email [email protected] .

PhD Program

PhD Program in Business Administration

Welcome to the Berkeley Haas PhD Program! Partner with world-class faculty for a rigorous academic program in one of eight fields of study. Join a premier business school and a leading research university with a Nobel Prize-winning tradition – where you can seek new ideas and make an impact on global business and education.

The application for fall 2025 will open in September 2024, and close on December 2, 2024.

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Feel free to contact the PhD Admissions Office for more information.

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Berkeley Berkeley Academic Guide: Academic Guide 2023-24

Biotechnology.

About the Program

Visit Program Website

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds to apply to our Master of Biotechnology program. Admission to the program is based on a holistic evaluation process and provides multiple opportunities for you to demonstrate your scientific aptitude and potential to succeed during your time in the program and beyond. Our admissions committee takes many factors into consideration as they review each individual application. These factors include, but are not limited to:

• Undergraduate academic preparation: What relevant coursework have you taken? Can you explain any weakness in your academic record?
• Personal attributes: Are you motivated and curious? Have you demonstrated initiative and shown leadership? What challenges have you overcome in the past?
• Community building: What contributions have you made to advancing diversity and how does your lived experience help you understand issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging? Shared interests and goals: How do your interests or career goals align with the broader mission of our program?
• Minimum Requirements Degree: BA/BS in Biological Sciences or related field GPA: 3.00
• Required coursework: General biology, molecular biology and biochemistry, general chemistry, organic chemistry
• Recommended coursework: Basic statistics or biostatistics, calculus TOEFL/IELTS (international students only) Minimum TOEFL score: 90 for internet-based, 233 for computer-based, 570 for paper test Minimum IELTS score: 7.0 out of 9.0

Applying for Graduate Admission

Thank you for considering UC Berkeley for graduate study! UC Berkeley offers more than 120 graduate programs representing the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary scholarship. A complete list of graduate academic departments, degrees offered, and application deadlines can be found on the Graduate Division website .

Prospective students must submit an online application to be considered for admission, in addition to any supplemental materials specific to the program for which they are applying. The online application can be found on the Graduate Division website .

Admission Requirements

The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;

A satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and

Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.

For a list of requirements to complete your graduate application, please see the Graduate Division’s Admissions Requirements page . It is also important to check with the program or department of interest, as they may have additional requirements specific to their program of study and degree. Department contact information can be found here .

Where to apply?

Visit the Berkeley Graduate Division application page .

Master's Degree Requirements

Required course work (30 units total):, core lab courses.

Summer and Fall Semesters

Two integrated lab courses (MCELLBI 201A/B) are specifically designed to train students on state-of-the-art technologies and data analysis, including CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, stem cell culture, and bioinformatics. Students work closely with one another to run experiments, engage in data clubs, and discuss foundational papers in molecular biology.

The first lab course (MCB 201A) beginning in early July is a six-week bootcamp that combines in-depth lectures and discussions with hands-on laboratory sessions. The overarching goal of this class is to train students on the latest molecular techniques used in biomedical research and provide opportunities for students to connect with one another. By the end of this course, students will gain experience in cell culture, CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, and common molecular biology techniques, while also developing their communication and critical thinking skills.

In the Fall, students take their second lab course (MCB 201B), which continues building upon the work they accomplished during the six-week lab. This second lab course emphasizes bioinformatics and analysis of the data they have generated from lab experiments. Students will learn fluorescence microscopy, biostatistics, and analysis of big datasets. On-going data clubs and journal clubs continue to provide opportunities for students to hone their science communication and critical thinking.

Core Courses

Fall and Spring Semesters

Students are required to take all core courses during the Fall and Spring semesters.

The first of these courses (MCB 275) is offered in the Fall and serves to introduce students to the field of biotechnology. This class covers the history of biotechnology, its impact on medicine and society, as well as key methodologies used in the field. Students learn about important therapeutic areas and the range of career options available to them in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Alongside MCB 275, students are required to take MCB 227, a writing and professional development course that will provide coaching on professional career presentation and communication skills, preparing students for their internship interviews that take place towards the end of the Fall semester.

In the Spring semester, students will take MCB 288, a course on drug discovery. This practically-oriented course trains students on biotech workflows for drug discovery, providing them with a familiarity with sample preparation and handling, data management, and centralized databases. A Berkeley Stem Cell research seminar offered to students in the Spring provides opportunities to interact with the broader research community on campus.

Elective Courses

Electives courses during the Fall semester function to fill in any gaps in students’ conceptual understanding of molecular biology, and electives offered during the Spring semester enable students to tailor their program experience to concentrate more on business or scientific tracks.

Please see the Course Schedule page for an up-to-date list of elective courses offered.

Internship and Capstone Project

Spring Semester

The majority of students’ Spring semester is devoted to their internships and the completion of their capstone project.

Our program's signature component, a 3-4 month internship, takes place each semester. Our placement and selection process ensures that each student is placed at a local biotech company or campus lab that fits their scientific interests and career goals. During their internship, students will perform full-time research, while working closely with their internship mentor and faculty advisor to develop their capstone project.

Each student’s internship will culminate in the completion of their capstone project, an independent research project that the student has been working on during their internship. Once a week during the Spring semester, students will attend a capstone lecture course (MCB 289), where they will meet to discuss as a cohort their internship experiences and receive advice on their individual capstone projects. Towards the end of the program, students will put together a written report and present their work at a one-day research symposium attended by their cohort and faculty. The capstone project will be assessed by a committee composed of two faculty advisors with the student’s industry mentor providing informal feedback.

More information on the internship program and capstone project can be found on the Internship Program page .

Contact Information

Molecular & cell biology.

142 Weill Hall #3200

Phone: 510-643-3406

Program Director

Dr. Kunxin Luo

Department Co-Chair

Dr. Rebecca Heald

Dr. Matthew Welch

Academic Advisor

Dr. Tsai-Ching Hsi

[email protected]

Print Options

When you print this page, you are actually printing everything within the tabs on the page you are on: this may include all the Related Courses and Faculty, in addition to the Requirements or Overview. If you just want to print information on specific tabs, you're better off downloading a PDF of the page, opening it, and then selecting the pages you really want to print.

The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

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As a Berkeley graduate student, you’re part of a diverse community of change-makers known worldwide for innovation and academic excellence. At the College of Environmental Design, we’re committed to launching our students to be agents of environmental and social change, poised to make a tangible impact on our world. We offer six professional degrees and five academic graduate degrees, as well as opportunities for earning concurrent degrees within the college and with other Berkeley departments. Whichever you choose,  your CED degree will set you the path to succeed in your chosen field.  

Professional Degrees 

Our top-ranked, rigorous MArch prepares you for the practice of architecture in an environment that fosters design excellence and encourages multidisciplinary collaboration and experimentation. The nationally accredited professional program is committed to addressing the most pressing issues of our time, including the climate crisis, housing affordability, and the integration of technology into both research and practice. As an MArch student, you’ll be part of an international cohort of motivated and talented design students from diverse backgrounds and work with faculty who are leaders in their fields.

Master of City Planning (MCP)

Berkeley’s top-tier MCP is a two-year nationally accredited STEM program that empowers you to successfully practice planning in a variety of urban, metropolitan, and regional settings. As an MCP student, you’ll develop analytical, research, and communication skills, as well as expertise in various fields and subfields of city and regional planning. Berkeley’s MCP is distinguished by its focus on the human impacts of planning decisions, with particular attention to equity, diversity, and social justice.

Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)

Berkeley’s MLA program is known for centering ecological integrity and social equity. It offers accredited degrees in landscape architecture and environmental planning, which focuses on land use and the management of natural resources. You’ll study with faculty who have expertise in design, planning, urbanism, history, sustainability, hydrology, ecology, geographic information science, landscape modeling, and social practices. Your MLA will prepare you to serve as a leader in the field, building thriving communities in a world of rapid political, economic, and environmental change.

Master of Urban Design (MUD)

Berkeley’s MUD, the only degree program of its kind in California,  is a one-year interdisciplinary program of advanced study for architects, landscape architects, and planners who already hold professional degrees. As a MUD student, you’ll innovate design strategies for sites at the urban, suburban, and territorial scales and develop a practice supported by research and analysis that is grounded in economic, political, and social contexts.

Abbey Master of Real Estate Development + Design (MRED+D)

Integrating design with the fundamentals of real estate markets, the one-year Abbey MRED+D prepares you to build sustainable, equitable, and prosperous cities. The curriculum focuses on finance, urban economics, property and land use law, and project feasibility analysis, as well as  excellence in urban design, planning, and sustainability. As an MRED+D student, you’ll discover how  design thinking is foundational to producing the most valued — and valuable — real estate projects.

Master of Design (MDes)

A three-semester professional graduate program jointly offered with the College of Engineering, the MDes prepares you to be a thought leader in the area of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the internet of things. You’ll develop core skills in design process, prototyping, and communication, as well as a critical lens on technology and design. You’ll leave the program as an engaged and responsive designer with an informed awareness of people, contextual needs, and societal impacts.

Academic Degrees

Master of science in architecture (ms).

Our MS in Architecture is an academic, nonprofessional degree program that offers you the opportunity to engage in advanced research in the ever-broadening and increasingly complex subfields within architecture. Two tracks are offered:  Building Science, Technology and Sustainability , focused on how the environmental conditions and processes of buildings affect occupants, and History, T h eory and Society , which situates a history of the built environment in broad social, political, and cultural frameworks.

If you already have a professional degree in architecture and wish to continue to explore current design issues in a stimulating, rigorous, and experimental studio setting, our one-year MAAD post-professional program is for you. A year-long studio is at the core of this non-accredited program, and it’s integrated with seminars and lectures in design theory, history, digital applications, and building technology.

PhD in Architecture

Berkeley’s PhD program in architecture is interdisciplinary in outlook, reaching into the various disciplines related to architecture and incorporating substantial knowledge from outside fields. You have the option to choose between two areas of focus: Two tracks are offered:  Building Science, Technology and Sustainability , focused on how environmental conditions and processes of buildings affect occupants,  and  History, Theory and Society , which situates a history of the built environment in broad social, political, and cultural frameworks.

PhD in City & Regional Planning

The PhD in City & Regional Planning provides training in urban and planning theory and the practice of planning. You’ll work with faculty who have expertise in community and economic development, transportation planning, urban design, international development, environmental planning, and global urbanism. 

PhD in Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning

Berkeley’s PhD in Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning focuses on the theories and methods that underlie the field and the processes of planning and design as they relate to the solution of problems in the natural and urban environments. 

Concurrent Master of Architecture/Master of City Planning

Concurrent Master of Architecture/Master of Landscape Architecture

Concurrent Master of Architecture/ Master of Science in Engineering

Concurrent Master of City Planning/Master of City Landscape Architecture

Concurrent Master of City Planning/Master of Public Health

Concurrent Master of City Planning/Master of Science in Transportation Engineering

Concurrent Master of City Planning/Juris Doctor (Law)

Graduate Program Guide

Download a PDF of the most recent program guide below.

2023-2024 History Graduate Program Guide (PDF)

What's inside.

• Program Overview
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Quarterly Newsletter From Dean Geeta Anand

March 27, 2024

Spring 2024

Dear Berkeley Journalism community:

With great optimism about the future of our school, I share with you news of the largest gift in the history of Berkeley Journalism: Alum  Angela Filo  (’99) and her husband  David Filo , the co-founder of Yahoo, have pledged $10 million to Berkeley Journalism.

This foundational gift in our five-year $54 million Campaign for Berkeley Journalism will give us the opportunity to support our students as never before and strengthen our world-class programs. We will begin by doubling the financial aid we offer to the incoming class this fall.

The gift advances our goal of changing who gets to be a journalist in this world. Increasing financial aid is key to liberating our graduates from the burden of student debt so they can go on to build careers in journalism.

In addition to directly providing endowment support for future generations of students, the gift provides a matching gift challenge to inspire other donors to create new Berkeley Journalism master’s fellowship endowments.

The gift will also enable Berkeley Journalism to expand its reporting on major issues, such as the climate crisis, and continue to address the decline of local news.

“Great journalism is essential to a thriving democracy,” said Angela Filo, a member of the school’s Advisory Board. “We have to invest in training the next generation of journalists who will ensure that communities have access to reliable and responsive information they can trust.”

Read the full announcement here about this extraordinary gift.

With elections threatened by disinformation, an accelerating climate crisis and ongoing violence globally, the role of journalists is more vital than ever before. So, too, is our role in educating the people we are counting on to hold the powerful to account and ensure that all stories are told.

Our democracy needs us to educate a new generation of exceptional fact-finders, storytellers and boundary breakers. This gift and our Campaign for Berkeley Journalism will enable us to achieve our ambitious vision that is essential to the future of journalism, democracy and our planet.

Geeta Anand Dean and Professor

What follows are some of the highlights from our prolific journalism community over the past few months. We share these snapshots knowing it is impossible for us to feature all of the accomplishments in this limited space. Please follow our social media channels to learn more about our community’s important work and accolades in real time. We ask for your grace if we have inadvertently left anyone out.

Campaign for Berkeley Journalism

It’s a big goal for a big vision. We’ve just publicly launched a five-year $54 million Campaign for Berkeley Journalism. We’re changing who gets to be a journalist. Reinventing climate journalism. Training the next investigative reporters. Supporting local news. And investing in a world-class journalism education. Please watch our Campaign video , learn more and get involved here .

Awards and Honors

Nani Sahra Walker (’18) with her Oscar for “The Last Repair Shop.”

It’s been quite a few months of awards and accolades for the Berkeley Journalism community.

Nani Sahra Walker (’18) and Professor Jason Spingarn-Koff (’01) were executive producers of L.A. Times Studios’ “The Last Repair Shop,” which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short.

Brian Howey (’22) won a George Polk Award for Justice Reporting, for a piece he developed — with Professor David Barstow ’s guidance while he was a student — on a deceptive police tactic used on the families of victims of police violence. Alum Brett Murphy (’16), was part of ProPublica’s team that won a Polk Award and the Selden Ring Award for reporting on the Supreme Court. Both Murphy and Howey are also finalists for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting.

Steve Saldivar (’10) was awarded the 2023 National Ruben Salazar award in Digital from the CCNMA Latino Journalists of California for “ The Zoot Suit Riots Cruise brings back ‘a forgotten era ,'” which was published in the Los Angeles Times.

Berkeley Journalism Advisory Board members Bill Whitaker (’78/’16) and Carrie Lozano (’05) were awarded top honors from the UC Berkeley Foundation and the Cal Alumni Association. Whitaker was named Alum of the Year and Lozano awarded the Campanile Excellence in Achievement Award. Whitaker said about his time at Berkeley: “We were photographers, writers, anchor people and camera people — we did it all. It was wonderful training for my life in journalism.”

Dean Geeta Anand and State Senator Steven Glazer were awarded service awards from the NorCal chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the oldest U.S.-based journalism organization of its kind.

Investigative reporters Brett Murphy (‘16) and Brian Howey (’22)

Student News

The Developing Your Blockbuster Investigative Story class pictured in the newsroom of the IRP, from left to right: Marissa Muller, Sasha Schell, Charles Ayitey, Saumya Gupta, Laura Fitzgerald, Professor David Barstow, Hana Beach, Beki San Martin, Kathleen Quinn, Max Harrison-Caldwell, Cayla Mihalovich, Tarini Mehta, Kate Raphael and Cara Nixon. Photo by Marlena Telvick.

Students in our Investigative Reporting Program have published major stories in leading publications over the past few months. IRP students and alums contributed to the second series of “ On Our Watch ,” a podcast on KQED about “New Folsom” prison. Cayla Mihalovich (’24) investigated how survivors of forced sterilization in California were denied reparations.

As part of the IRP’s “Aging in America” series funded by the SCAN Foundation, Holly McDede (’25) published a story on the push to urge specialized training for California police officers interacting with people with dementia. Luiz H. Monticelli (’25) was the photographer. Celeste Hamilton Dennis (’24) wrote “It’s a Crisis. Hoarding is Costing some Older People their Homes” in the San Francisco Chronicle, with photos by Florence Middleton (’24).

Class of 2024 student commencement speakers Tarini Mehta and Jeremiah O. Rhodes.

Current and former IRP students Bella Arnold (’24), Hanisha Harjani (’23), Simmerdeep Kaur (’24), Grace Marion (’24), Adam Solorzano (’24) and Krissy Waite (’23) contributed research to a story in The Guardian by the IRP’s Lisa Pickoff-White (’09), exposing how at least 22 Californians have died while being held face down by police since 2016.

In “Veil of fire and smoke over Richmond from what Chevron says is a flare,” first-year students Erika Zaro , Amaray Alvarez , Yichong Qiu and Reporter-in-Residence Fellow Ana Tellez-Witrago covered a breaking story about a fire at the Chevron refinery.

Negar Ajayebi (’25) was named a White House Correspondents’ Association scholarship recipient. Ajayebi has been a freelance audio journalist researching, editing and hosting podcasts for almost a decade. She’ll be attending a special luncheon for scholarship winners and the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in Washington, D.C. at the end of April.

Sasha Schell (’24) reporting in Brazil for his thesis project. Photo by: Cicero Pedrosa.

Alumni News

The New York Times Magazine recently published a 26-page cover story featuring Richard Barnes ‘ (’79) photographs documenting the collections of seven notable individuals who died in 2023, for its annual “The Lives They Lived” issue. Barnes was also featured in the fall/winter edition of California, the UC Berkeley alumni magazine, about the backstory of photographing “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski’s cabin, his first assignment for the magazine in 1998.

Richard Barnes’ (’79) photos were featured in a recent cover story in The New York Times Magazine.

At our annual “Cal @ Sundance” event in January, there was much to celebrate. Myah Overstreet (’23) debuted her thesis film, “To Be Invisible,” co-edited by Noah McMillan (’23) and William Jenkins (’23) — only the third student thesis to show at the festival. Professors Jason Spingarn-Koff and Jennifer Redfearn were supervising producers. Director, producer and cinematographer Daphne Matziaraki ’s (’16) “The Battle for Laikipi” competed in Sundance’s World Cinema Documentary Competition. Four alums worked on the film, including Maya Craig (’17), James Pace-Cornsilk (’16), Lauren Schwartzman (’18) and Emily Thomas (’18). Sweta Vohra (’10) produced “Power” (commissioned by Spingarn-Koff at Netflix), which also screened as a world premiere.

As an IRP student in the second-year seminar, “Developing Your Blockbuster Investigative Story,” with support from IRP Managing Editor Bernice Yeung , Iqra Salah (’23) produced a report on patients forced to turn to racketeers in Nigeria due to severe blood shortages, for Al Jazeera. Additional reporting by Linus Unah (’23).

Edward Wong (’98) and the cover of his new book “At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning With China.”

Lecturer and Advisory Board member Edward Wong (’98), a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times who reports on foreign policy from Washington, D.C., has a new book out titled “At the Edge of Empire: A Family’s Reckoning With China.” Named one of Foreign Policy’s Most Anticipated Books of 2024, it’s a dual narrative that tells the story of modern China by braiding an intergenerational family memoir with first-person contemporary reporting.

Pete Nicks (’99), Sean Havey (’14) and Chris L. Jenkins ‘ (’00) documentary “ Anthem ” (Proximity Media) had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and is available to watch on Hulu. Reflecting upon “The Star-Spangled Banner,” “Anthem” follows acclaimed composer Kris Bowers and music producer Dahi as they take a musical journey traveling across America to create a new sound, inspired by what our country’s national anthem might be if written in today’s time.

Director Alexis Bloom ‘s (’01) latest film “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg” recently premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is slated for release by Magnolia Pictures in May.

Jason Cohn (’98) and Camille Servan-Schreibrer ‘s (’98) latest film “ Modernism, Inc ” had its California premiere at the SF Indie Film Fest in February. Talia Mindich (’22) was the associate producer and assistant editor. Nina Goodby (’11) was assistant editor.

Faculty News

Professor Bill Drummond, Professor Lisa Armstrong, Berkeley undergraduates Sandhya Dharini Ganesan and Esther Jeromine Cannesson and Wendy Medina (’24) at the San Quentin Guild Commencement. Photo by Vincent E. O’Bannon.

Professor Jennifer Redfearn , who received UC Berkeley’s prestigious Philomathia Prize in January, used the honor to organize “Immersive Environmental Storytelling” and showcase multidisciplinary storytelling about the climate crisis.

Professor Edward Wasserman wrote a powerful op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle: “Why I still encourage my students to pursue journalism, even in the face of mass layoffs.”

Professor Lisa Armstrong wrote a story in The Guardian about why Black women are more likely to experience infertility than white women. Listen to a fascinating interview with her about the story here . She was also interviewed by KTVU about the crisis in Haiti. Armstrong and Professor Bill Drummond were on hand for the San Quentin Guild Commencement at the prison on March 15 (see photo above).

Professor Jennifer LaFleur was part of a Center for Public Integrity team whose investigation into the patchwork safety net for homeless students was recognized with a special citation in the Investigative Reporters & Editors’ Philip Meyer Journalism Award.

Our new spring lecturers include NPR Senior White House Correspondent Tamara Keith (’01) co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast, who is teaching a 5-week online political reporting course focused on the 2024 elections. Caron Creighton (’19), resident filmmaker at SFFilm FilmHouse teaches “Video Reporting and Storytelling.” Tom Giles , who works with Bloomberg’s San Francisco, New York and London bureaus, teaches “Covering Silicon Valley” as part of our new Business Journalism program, a joint initiative with Haas School of Business. The Washington Post’s Daron Taylor , a senior animator and video editor, teaches an online course called “Animating the News.” Ankita Mukhopadhyay Kumar , a journalist and documentary filmmaker, is teaching the Reporting on India class.

Lecturer Nick Romeo wrote “An Economics Lesson from Tolstoy” for The New Yorker. His recently published book “The Alternative: How to Build a Just Economy” was reviewed by The Guardian.

Lecturer Adam Hochschild ’s latest book “American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis” (Mariner) was named to History Today’s (Britain’s leading history magazine) 2023 Books of the Year list.

California Local News Fellowship

As part of our state-funded California Local News Fellowship program, forty reporters are working in newsrooms across the state, writing stories about housing and rent control, health care, prison life and more. Watch this brief video that features alum Williamena Kwapo (‘23), a reporter for the Black-owned Sacramento Observer.

In January, the program selected incarcerated journalist Steve Brooks as its 40th Fellow. Read about Brooks and the contributions he’s making to local news in the Bay Area.

The applicant pool for our second California Local News Fellowship cohort grew by 28 percent this year. By this fall, we will have almost 80 early career journalists — many of them graduates of our school — working at nearly 80 California outlets.

Ferriss-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellows

The 2024 Ferriss-UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellows have been announced and include alum Anne Marshall-Chalmers (’22). The groundbreaking fellowship, established by leading podcaster and bestselling author Tim Ferriss in 2021, is a project of the U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics. Launched in 2020, the BCSP was co-founded by Michael Pollan , a longtime faculty member at Berkeley Journalism.

Emeritus Professor Michael Pollan to speak at Zellerbach Playhouse on May 3. Photo by: Tabitha Soren.

March 27 : Investigative Reporting Program Managing Editor Bernice Yeung talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond at City Arts & Lectures, co-presented by the San Francisco Public Library, 7:30 pm at the Sydney Goldstein Theatre about his latest book, “Poverty, by America.”

April 3 : Professor Shereen Marisol Meraji talks with Hanif Abdurraqib at City Arts & Lectures, 7:30 pm at the Sydney Goldstein Theater about his new book, “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension.”

April 9 : Professor Ken Light hosts the Fotovision Lecture: An evening with photographer James Nachtwey at the David Brower Center in Berkeley. More information and tickets here .

April 12 : The 5th annual Media Mayhem virtual career fair and networking event, co-hosted by our student chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), will bring together recruiters from outlets such as The New Yorker, KQED, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, Associated Press, The Athletic, Seattle Times, Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, Mother Jones, Inside Climate News and Chicago Public Media, among many others. Our reputation is that our students are that good. Is your news organization interested in attending? Contact Director of Career Development Betsy Rate , here .

April 19–21 : 16th Annual Reva and David Logan Symposium on Investigative Reporting .

April 23 : The Possibility Lab presents Conversations with Possibility: Journalism & Public Policy featuring leading political reporters Marisa Lagos (KQED), Melanie Mason (’10) (POLITICO), and Laurel Rosenhall (’02) (Los Angeles Times). The reporters will discuss the important intersections between government, politics and journalism — and share best practices for current and aspiring policy practitioners. More info here .

Carrie Lozano

Filmmaker Carrie Lozano (’05), president and CEO of ITVS, will be the keynote speaker at Berkeley Journalism’s 2024 Commencement ceremony May 11. Read more here .

Through April 26 : The Reva and David Logan Gallery of Documentary Photography hosts “ For Better or Worse : The beauty and desperation of downtown San Francisco.” The exhibit of student work will be up until Friday, April 26. We invite everyone to stop by the school on weekdays to see these remarkable images in the halls of North Gate Hall.

May 3 : KQED’s Mina Kim talks with Emeritus Professor Michael Pollan at Zellerbach Playhouse about our individual and collective well-being, from changing what’s on our tables to what’s on our minds. The event celebrates Michael Pollan’s body of work and the establishment of a new Michael Pollan Narrative Journalism Fund at Berkeley Journalism. Tickets go on sale April 2.

Photojournalism students currently exhibiting their photos in the Logan Gallery clockwise from top left: Florence Middleton, Gisselle Medina, Samuel Tanner, Max Harrison-Caldwell, Shannon Faulise, Najim Rahim, Jule-Sophie Hermann, George Alfaro, Grace Marion, Khwaga Ghani and Emily Brower. Photos: Jule-Sophie Hermann.

First-year producers of the outstanding short documentaries that premiered at Showcase pictured in the courtyard of North Gate Hall with their J283 instructors Cassandra Herrman and Caron Creighton March 19, 2024. From left to right: Caron Creighton, Cassandra Herrman, Veronique Eshaya, Zoe Rosenblum, Matthew Busch, Liliana Cortés, Zane Karram, Cecil Egbele, Becca Duncan, Thomas Sawano, Denis Akbari, Walter David Marino, Amin Muhammad, Isabella Marzban, Sophia Sun, Nadia Akbar, Alicia Chiang, Neenma Ebeledike and Hallie Applebaum.

Alumni and student meetup at IRE and NICAR’s annual data journalism conference March 7-10 in Baltimore, hosted by Professor Jeremy Sanchez Rue (‘07).

About this letter : The Dean’s Quarterly News is sent to alumni, donors, students, faculty, media partners and others in Berkeley Journalism’s broad community. If you’d like to follow ongoing developments in real-time, find us on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , YouTube and X . Have alumni news or accomplishments to share? Please send it, along with a high-res headshot and bio to [email protected] . Are you hiring? Please reach out to [email protected] . Want to learn more about donating to the school? Contact [email protected] . Sign up for our mailing and events lists  here .

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Geeta Anand. Photo by Christopher Michel. Dear Berkeley Journalism Community, We live in a moment like no other. The threats to democratic culture posed by weaponized disinformation, partisan disharmony, and…

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Opportunity for early and mid-career journalists to report on food systems

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2024 Fall MATH 126 002 LEC 002

Alabama’s secret weapon: Sign-stealing, note-passing graduate assistants

LOS ANGELES — Nate Oats has built Alabama into a men’s basketball power with a clear philosophy: be the “most prepared coach” who leads the “most prepared team.”

Moments after the Crimson Tide upset North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, Oats promised his team would enjoy a “short-lived celebration” — 30 minutes, tops — before turning its attention to Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown against Clemson. The 49-year-old coach, who played at Division III Maranatha Baptist and coached at the high school level in Michigan for more than a decade, said he would have a full game plan “together by breakfast time.” Sure enough, he arrived at Friday’s media availability looking a bit haggard, admitting it had been a “long night” with “not much sleep.” Such is life with Alabama one win away from its first Final Four.

There is perhaps no better example of Oats’s obsessive attention to detail and preparation than his heavy reliance upon an unheralded staff of graduate assistants, a handful of basketball devotees whose names don’t even appear on the team’s website.

Indeed, their work crunching tape, studying opponents and creating game plans is a thankless, anonymous grind. Because of the seating configuration at Crypto.com Arena during the Sweet 16 game against North Carolina, there wasn’t any room for several of Alabama’s graduate assistants to sit in the bench area, so they had to be relocated to the front row of a designated fan section directly across the court. The graduate assistants sat in a ticketed section, in front of ordinary fans, and were barred from joining Oats’s full-time staffers on the court during the game. Thankfully, they were at least granted temporary access credentials so they could enter the locker room at halftime and join Alabama’s celebration on the court after the buzzer.

Though they were physically separated from Oats and his full-time assistant coaches, the graduate assistants, dressed in matching black polo team shirts, kept up a loud chatter — read: they never shut up — throughout Alabama’s 89-87 victory. With curious media members seated courtside peeking back to see what all the fuss was about, Alabama’s graduate assistants hyped up their team, worked the referees, reinforced Oats’s points of emphasis and repeatedly stole North Carolina’s play calls throughout the nail-biter.

Oats sang the group’s praises Friday, noting they helped his full-time assistants prepare scouting reports and video breakdowns of upcoming opponents.

“We rely on our GAs a lot,” Oats said. “And they’re good. They’re working ahead because I’m not going to look at the next team until we are done playing the current team. But they are. They’re working ahead all the time. They’ve got everything ready to hand to the assistant in charge of it when they need to. [Their work covers] everything, trying to listen to the video with the sound up, trying to get play calls off the sound. And looking at hand signals to get play calls. They’ve got it all in their head. They try to teach it to everybody, but they know it pretty well.”

Sign stealing by players, coaches and staff members is common practice during college basketball and NBA games, though Alabama was afforded an unusual advantage Thursday. The Los Angeles venue hosted a doubleheader — Clemson beat Arizona before Alabama upset North Carolina — and the arena’s lower bowl was divided into four fan sections, one for each school. The higher-seeded teams, No. 1 North Carolina and No. 2 Arizona, had their fan sections directly behind their team benches. The lower-seeded teams, No. 4 Alabama and No. 6 Clemson, were pushed across the court to the opposite side.

As such, the Alabama graduate assistants, forced into the overflow section, enjoyed an unobstructed view of North Carolina’s bench from across the court. Once Tar Heels Coach Hubert Davis signaled to his team, the Crimson Tide ’s graduate assistants set about deciphering the call. When that was complete, often within a second or two, they loudly shouted out the play in unison — “Floppy,” “Rebel,” or “Double” — to notify Alabama’s defense.

Meanwhile, the graduate assistants also painstakingly charted the game action. During timeouts, their notes were shuttled from their location in the fan section to Oats by player development coordinator Christian Pino. Though the unusual sight of paper flowing from the stands to the huddle raised eyebrows among media members and prompted some confusion for event staffers, NCAA rules only prohibit electronic communications to the bench during games.

Searching for possible in-game adjustments, Oats said his staff charts, by hand, everything from paint touches to hustle stats.

“In the course of the game, we chart a lot of things, offensive and defensive efficiency. They’re charting that,” Oats said. “I get an offensive sheet, a defensive sheet, a blue-collar sheet and the general stats. I’ve got four sheets of paper in my hand every timeout, and the [graduate assistants are] responsible for three of those four.”

Alabama’s victory over North Carolina wasn’t secured until the final seconds, and it was the type of tense March Madness classic that can swing on the slightest of margins. The graduate assistants left no stones unturned, encouraging shooters stationed in the right corner to be ready to let it fly and howling their disapproval when calls went against the Crimson Tide.

In some cases, their prep work was extraordinary. When referee John Gaffney overturned a call in Alabama’s favor, the graduate assistants clapped loudly. Then, one of them shouted some positive reinforcement with a personal touch: “John, you’re a handsome man.”

To reach the Final Four, Alabama must get revenge against Clemson, which scored an 85-77 victory in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Nov. 28. Fresh off a review of the previous meeting, Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson said Friday his team had “fronted the post a little too much” against Tigers big men PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin and “let their shooters get hot.”

Taking down Clemson will probably require Nelson to deliver another starlike performance as he had in posting 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks against North Carolina, and it wouldn’t hurt if guard Mark Sears topped 20 points for the ninth time in his past 10 games. But Oats’s Crimson Tide also will be counting on its row of enthusiastic, hyper-focused polo shirts to find weaknesses to expose and matchups to exploit.

“It’s cool that everybody’s super invested in wins and losses from your head coach down to your managers, to everybody in the program,” said Oats, who smiled when told about the ruckus his graduate assistants made Thursday and credited their efforts as “part of the reason” for Alabama’s success during his five-year tenure. “It’s nice you were able to sit by some of them that aren’t even on the bench, and they’re super invested in winning and losing.”

• 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket March 17, 2024 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket March 17, 2024
• 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament bracket March 17, 2024 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament bracket March 17, 2024
• Connecticut’s power knows no bounds as it heads back to the Final Four 59 minutes ago Connecticut’s power knows no bounds as it heads back to the Final Four 59 minutes ago

Education PhD

The Berkeley School of Education (BSE) prepares leaders in education practice, policy, and research. BSE faculty members support a vision of public education that promotes equity and social justice by empowering practitioners to meet the highest standards of engagement and enrichment in classrooms, schools, communities, and districts. Through this commitment, the Berkeley School of Education supports cutting-edge research and positive social transformation in education. The faculty and students at the Berkeley School of Education develop projects and strategies in interdisciplinary scholarship and field studies that positively impact educational outcomes at the state, national, and international levels.

The Berkeley School of Education offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Master's of Arts (MA), and credential degree programs as well as an Education major and minor for undergraduate students.

PhD and Master's Programs at the Berkeley School of Education

Students collaborate in dynamic learning environment that develops expertise in areas including:

Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender

Learning Sciences and Human Development

Policy, Politics, and Leadership

Social Research Methodologies

Leadership and Excellence in K-12

Students develop professional leadership skills and explore new opportunities in pedagogy, curricula, and policy. Innovations in teaching and leadership in the classroom prepare students for influential administrative roles - e.g. for principals, district and system-wide administrators, and policy influencers.

Learn more about the Berkeley School of Education's Professional Programs .

Additional Programs

Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education (SESAME) SESAME is the Berkeley School of Education's interdisciplinary graduate program for students who seek advanced expertise in a scientific discipline. SESAME students earn a doctoral degree by researching the educational theories and research methodologies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

Intersection of Sport and Education In the Intersection of Sport and Education program students research facets of institutionalized sports that complements and conflict with the educational missions of American secondary and post-secondary schools.

School Psychology The Berkeley School of Education's School Psychology program brings together psychology professionals, teachers, and educational leaders to clarify and resolve problems regarding the educational and mental health needs of children in classrooms.

Special Education (Joint Doctoral Program with San Francisco State University) The Special Education Joint Doctoral program prepares leaders in research, teaching, administration, and supervision to address the professional needs facing children, youth, and adults with disabilities. By combining the resources of both Berkeley and SFSU, students pursue theoretical interests and applied practices in a broad spectrum of specializations within Special Education.

Leaders for Equity and Democracy (LEAD) Berkeleys educational doctorate (EdD) is a three year program that engages passionate, equity-conscious leaders who apply practice, theory, and research design to develop excellence and integrity in education. Using guiding principles, operational efficiencies, and professional networks, LEAD doctoral students influence all-encompassing change and innovation in education.

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December 4, 2023

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Doctoral / PhD

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NMSU prepares graduate students to be global citizens

New Mexico State University (NMSU) provides a wide range of opportunities for students to enhance their disciplinary knowledge and transferable skills in graduate education through graduate certificates, masters, specialist, and doctoral degrees from the five academic colleges. To cater to the needs of the students, graduate programs are offered through traditional, face-to-face, hybrid, and online modalities providing accessibility and substantive regular interactions and effective mentoring.

NMSU’s rich history as an Agriculture and Mechanical institute is partly reflected in the plethora of graduate programs offered in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Science (ACES) and College of Engineering. Graduate students in ACES contribute extensively to research conducted at NMSU's Agricultural Experiment Stations.

Graduate Research Assistants are involved in projects include identifying improved strategies to optimize production of agronomic and horticultural crops, effective water management, monitoring soil health and fertilization, bioremediation, pest control, to name just a few. Likewise, in the College of Engineering, graduate students make seminal contributions in advancing new knowledge in multiple disciplines that include Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Electrical and Computer Science, Environmental, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering. As a representative example, graduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department were part of a team representing NMSU at the Invent for the Planet design competition hosted by Texas A&M University. This team invented a device that could provide a creative solution to clean the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Graduate students in the College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation (HEST) have opportunities to be trained in programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Communication Sciences and Disorder, Education, Kinesiology, Nursing, psychology, Public Health, Social Work, and Teaching. HEST graduate programs provide a pipeline of skilled individuals to meet the critical work force shortages in education, health, and social work disciplines. The HEST College is also home to a unique dual public health and social work graduate program. This dual program is only among the two along the United States-Mexico border, attracting students particularly interested in career opportunities in community outreach and international services. Such interprofessional training embedded in dual programs equip the students with disciplinary knowledge to address health disparities prevalent in NM.

The College of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and offers numerous programs ranging from Accountancy, Agriculture Economics and Agricultural Business, Applied Statistics, Business Administration, Economics, Marketing, and Management. The accounting and business programs meet the high standards required by AACSB, with about 6% of institutions holding this accreditation. This is a testimony to the high quality of instruction and faculty expertise available to ensure the success of students.

The College of Arts and Sciences at NMSU offers a gamut of graduate programs in humanities, natural and social sciences. Students have a wide variety of options to choose from Anthropology, Art, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Criminal Justice, English, Geography, Government, History, Language and Linguistics, Mathematics. Physics, and Psychology. As the intellectual hub of NMSU, the graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences build upon the foundational general education and disciplinary knowledge obtained by students at the baccalaureate level by providing life-long learning skills for NMSU students to be informed and responsible global citizens.

As a representative example, graduate students in the National Research Traineeship (NRT) Program are pursuing a team science-based approach to develop and implement new technologies using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to solve societal challenges related to arid land agriculture. This National Science Foundation (NSF) program brings Doctoral students primarily from Animal and Range Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, Molecular Biology, Plant and Environmental Sciences, and Water Science and Management to participate in joint research projects. Such interdisciplinary graduate programs create a sense of belonging and well being to graduate students by creating an inclusive environment.

With 176 graduate program offerings, outstanding faculty, and support staff, NMSU offers a breadth of graduate programs and hence rich opportunities for individuals to obtain credentials beyond the bachelor’s degree. Graduate programs provide highly specialized knowledge and prospects to obtain certifications and licensure to practice and thereby render valuable societal service.

Advanced Degree are forecast to grow the fastest per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A national survey of Hiring and Human Resources Managers indicates that 27% prefer hiring individuals with at least a master’s degree due to enhanced communication, productivity, innovation, and quality of work.

In this respect, NMSU seems to be a regional beacon, providing NM residents, domestic and international students with a plethora of choices to be competitive in a global economy.

The first week of April is traditionally celebrated as Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week in the nation. This is a week to reflect upon, acknowledge and celebrate the rich value and societal contributions of graduate students.

Ranjit T. Koodali is the Dean of the Graduate School and Associate Provost for International Affairs at New Mexico State University. He can be reached at [email protected] .