Guidelines
Please use these guidelines when filling out your Planned Class Schedule (form available in the online Golden Bear Advising orientation program after May 30).
For the Fall semester, first-year students are expected to enroll in the following courses:
- Chemistry Chemistry 4A* – 5 units
- Math (1A, 1B, 53, or 54, depending on your AP scores and/or college work) – 4 units
- A Reading and Composition course (or College Writing R1A; see below) – 4 units
*If you did not take AP Chemistry or an equivalent course (e.g., IB Chem HL or general chemistry at community college), you should also take Chem 49 (2 units), "Thriving in the College of Chemistry," a supplemental support course for Chem 4A. See below for more info:
Chem 49 Course Information
This fall, the College of Chemistry is offering a course specifically designed to help first-year students succeed in Chem 4A. This course, Chem 49, "Thriving in the College of Chemistry," will be offered concurrently with Chem 4A, and will focus on supporting students to develop study habits, test-taking strategies, chemical vocabulary, and knowledge of essential chemistry concepts. Students will also be introduced to the CoC community through interactions with faculty, graduate students, peers, and advisers. This course is designed for students who did not have the opportunity to take a strong AP Chemistry or IB Chemistry course or similar in high school.
Criteria for enrollment:
- You did not (or were unable to) take AP or IB HL Chemistry or a general chemistry course at community college; or
- You took AP Chem and scored a 3 or below on the exam
- You took IB HL Chem and scored a 4 or below on the exam
- You took a semester of general chemistry (not introductory chemistry) at community college and received a C- or below
Enrollment in Chem 49 is open only to students who satisfy the above criteria. See your adviser for enrollment information.
Recommended Units
Total recommended units for your first semester: 13-15
If you want to take additional courses, consider choosing a humanities or social science breadth elective.
To find course options for breadth, go to the Berkeley Academic Guide Class Schedule, select the term of interest, and use the 'Breadth Requirements' filter to select the breadth area(s) of interest. The following restrictions apply:
- College of Chemistry students may NOT use courses from the Physical and Biological Sciences lists to satisfy the breadth requirement
- Course which only teach a skill (such as drawing or playing an instrument) are also excluded
During the first four weeks of the semester, you may petition to drop a class if you find your load is too heavy (minimum required is 13 units). You must obtain staff adviser approval to drop a class before you stop attending.
Advanced Placement, Transfer, and Other Exam Credit
Students who have AP, transfer, or other exam credit may be eligible to take more advanced courses. See our Exam Credit Info page for information about units received and possible requirements satisfied.If you don't know your exam score, estimate it and select your classes accordingly. If your estimated score is incorrect, you may need to add or drop a class later, with your adviser's approval.
If you have transfer credit from a community college or another university and you want to know if it will satisfy a course requirement:
- For California Community College (CCC) courses, use Assist.org to check equivalence to Berkeley courses
- Non-CCC math courses must be evaluated by the Math Department for equivalency to Berkeley courses. Follow these guidelines and email the results of the evaluation to your adviser ASAP
- For other non-CCC courses, contact your adviser
University of California Entry Level Writing Requirement & Reading and Composition Requirement
IF you have fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement with a sufficient test score, with transfer credit, or by passing the Berkeley Writing Assessment exam, then you should enroll in English R1A or an equivalent course (unless you have sufficient AP/IB/A-Level/exams or transfer credit to satisfy the Reading and Composition requirement; see previous section).
IF you took the Berkeley Writing Assessment exam but didn't pass, THEN you should enroll in College Writing R1A – Accelerated Reading and Composition (6 units) in the Fall. This course satisfies both the Entry Level Writing Requirement and the first semester of the Reading and Composition requirement.
IF you have not fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement and haven't taken the Berkeley Writing Assessment exam by the beginning of the Fall semester, you must take the Assessment Exam, conducted on the Berkeley campus, in September, date and time TBA. Contact the College Writing Program for more information. Results will be posted 3-4 weeks after the exam date. You'll need to delay taking the appropriate composition course(s) until Spring. Please be aware that the Berkeley Writing Assessment exam may be taken only once.
Your Major Program
Please use the following pages to see how your Fall courses fit into your major's curriculum and requirements:
Other important course planning tools include the Schedule Planner in CalCentral on your My Academics page and the Berkeley Academic Guide. The latter includes course descriptions for all departments and information on University requirements and academic policies.
Questions or concerns about your first semester schedule?
Make sure you submit your Planned Class Schedule and New Freshman Form by the deadline indicated in the online orientation program, Golden Bear Advising (GBA). Remember, your schedule is a "working draft" which you can finalize after participating in a virtual advising session with your adviser in June (dates & times are listed in GBA).