Students from other colleges/schools at UC Berkeley (Letters and Science, Engineering, Natural Resources, etc.) who enter as freshmen may apply for on-campus transfer to the College of Chemistry after completing two full semesters at Berkeley. We strongly suggest that students adopt our curriculum as soon as they have decided to transfer into our college.
Students who enter as junior transfers are generally ineligible to change into the College of Chemistry, though some exceptions may apply.
Procedures
- Familiarize yourself with the curriculum and degree requirements for the major you're interested in.
-
Please complete this survey: https://forms.gle/q6v8FVVmoMwRMprx9 - this helps keep track of change of college students.
- Forms
- Petition for Change of College (required, reason for change is important - need more space? Attach an addendum)
- Request for Course Substitution (if needed)
- Requirements Filled by Exam (if needed)
- Combine petition, supplemental materials/forms as one PDF document (here's a tutorial) to Korshid Tarin, ktarin@berkeley.edu by the end of the semester. Petitions are reviewed at the end of the semester after grades are posted.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CHANGING INTO CHEMISTRY OR CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
Students must complete the following to be eligible to change into the College of Chemistry:
Earn A's and B's in the courses below:
Chem 4A, 4B (Chem 1A/L and 1B may be substituted - must take Chem 105 as junior or senior)
Physics 7A or 8A (for Chemical Biology only)
Math 1A, 1B
REQUIREMENTS FOR CHANGING INTO CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
There are very few spaces available in the Chemical Engineering major each year. Students who wish to change into Chemical Engineering must meet the following criteria to be considered for eligibility:
1) Earn a combined GPA of 3.3+ in the following courses:
Chem 4A, 4B (1A/L and 1B may be substituted)
Physics 7A, 7B
Math 1A, 1B, 53
CBE 130 and 140
2) Complete CBE 130 and 140
Please note that meeting these criteria does not guarantee entrance into the major.
Acceptable Course Substitutions
The College of Chemistry commonly accepts the following course substitutions for students changing into Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or Chemical Engineering from other colleges at UC Berkeley:
Chem 1A + 1AL = Chem 4A
Chem 1A/L + Chem 1B (must take Chem 105 as junior or senior) = Chem 4A + Chem 4B (for Chemistry and Chemical Biology majors)
Chem 1A/L + Chem 1B = Chem 4A + Chem 4B (Chemical Engineering majors)
Chem 3A/L = Chem 12A
Chem 3B/L = Chem 12B
Additional Questions
For more information please email Korshid Tarin at ktarin@berkeley.edu.
[content coordinated by Korshid Tarin]