phd programs at university of california berkeley

PhD Program information

The Statistics PhD program is rigorous, yet welcoming to students with interdisciplinary interests and different levels of preparation. Students in the PhD program take core courses on the theory and application of probability and statistics during their first year. The second year typically includes additional course work and a transition to research leading to a dissertation. PhD thesis topics are diverse and varied, reflecting the scope of faculty research interests. Many students are involved in interdisciplinary research. Students may also have the option to pursue a designated emphasis (DE) which is an interdisciplinary specialization:  Designated Emphasis in Computational and Genomic Biology ,  Designated Emphasis in Computational Precision Health ,  Designated Emphasis in Computational and Data Science and Engineering . The program requires four semesters of residence.

Normal progress entails:

Year 1 . Perform satisfactorily in preliminary coursework. In the summer, students are required to embark on a short-term research project, internship, graduate student instructorship, reading course, or on another research activity. Years 2-3 . Continue coursework. Find a thesis advisor and an area for the oral qualifying exam. Formally choose a chair for qualifying exam committee, who will also serve as faculty mentor separate from the thesis advisor.  Pass the oral qualifying exam and advance to candidacy by the end of Year 3. Present research at BSTARS each year. Years 4-5 . Finish the thesis and give a lecture based on it in a department seminar.

Program Requirements

• Qualifying Exam

Course work and evaluation

Preliminary stage: the first year.

Effective Fall 2019, students are expected to take four semester-long courses for a letter grade during their first year which should be selected from the core first-year PhD courses offered in the department: Probability (204/205A, 205B,), Theoretical Statistics (210A, 210B), and Applied Statistics (215A, 215B). These requirements can be altered by a member of the PhD Program Committee (in consultation with the faculty mentor and by submitting a graduate student petition ) in the following cases:

• Students primarily focused on probability will be allowed to substitute one semester of the four required semester-long courses with an appropriate course from outside the department.
• Students may request to postpone one semester of the core PhD courses and complete it in the second year, in which case they must take a relevant graduate course in their first year in its place. In all cases, students must complete the first year requirements in their second year as well as maintain the overall expectations of second year coursework, described below. Some examples in which such a request might be approved are described in the course guidance below.
• Students arriving with advanced standing, having completed equivalent coursework at another institution prior to joining the program, may be allowed to take other relevant graduate courses at UC Berkeley to satisfy some or all of the first year requirements

Requirements on course work beyond the first year

Students entering the program before 2022 are required to take five additional graduate courses beyond the four required in the first year, resulting in a total of nine graduate courses required for completion of their PhD. In their second year, students are required to take three graduate courses, at least two of them from the department offerings, and in their third year, they are required to take at least two graduate courses. Students are allowed to change the timing of these five courses with approval of their faculty mentor. Of the nine required graduate courses, students are required to take for credit a total of 24 semester hours of courses offered by the Statistics department numbered 204-272 inclusive. The Head Graduate Advisor (in consultation with the faculty mentor and after submission of a graduate student petition) may consent to substitute courses at a comparable level in other disciplines for some of these departmental graduate courses. In addition, the HGA may waive part of this unit requirement.

Starting with the cohort entering in the 2022-23 academic year , students are required to take at least three additional graduate courses beyond the four required in the first year, resulting in a total of seven graduate courses required for completion of their PhD. Of the seven required graduate courses, five of these courses must be from courses offered by the Statistics department and numbered 204-272, inclusive. With these reduced requirements, there is an expectation of very few waivers from the HGA. We emphasize that these are minimum requirements, and we expect that students will take additional classes of interest, for example on a S/U basis, to further their breadth of knowledge. 

For courses to count toward the coursework requirements students must receive at least a B+ in the course (courses taken S/U do not count, except for STAT 272 which is only offered S/U).  Courses that are research credits, directed study, reading groups, or departmental seminars do not satisfy coursework requirements (for courses offered by the Statistics department the course should be numbered 204-272 to satisfy the requirements). Upper-division undergraduate courses in other departments can be counted toward course requirements with the permission of the Head Graduate Advisor. This will normally only be approved if the courses provide necessary breadth in an application area relevant to the student’s thesis research.

First year course work: For the purposes of satisfactory progression in the first year, grades in the core PhD courses are evaluated as: A+: Excellent performance in PhD program A: Good performance in PhD program A-: Satisfactory performance B+: Performance marginal, needs improvement B: Unsatisfactory performance

First year and beyond: At the end of each year, students must meet with his or her faculty mentor to review their progress and assess whether the student is meeting expected milestones. The result of this meeting should be the completion of the student’s annual review form, signed by the mentor ( available here ). If the student has a thesis advisor, the thesis advisor must also sign the annual review form.

Guidance on choosing course work

Choice of courses in the first year: Students enrolling in the fall of 2019 or later are required to take four semesters of the core PhD courses, at least three of which must be taken in their first year. Students have two options for how to schedule their four core courses:

• Option 1 -- Complete Four Core Courses in 1st year: In this option, students would take four core courses in the first year, usually finishing the complete sequence of two of the three sequences.  Students following this option who are primarily interested in statistics would normally take the 210A,B sequence (Theoretical Statistics) and then one of the 205A,B sequence (Probability) or the 215A,B sequence (Applied Statistics), based on their interests, though students are allowed to mix and match, where feasible. Students who opt for taking the full 210AB sequence in the first year should be aware that 210B requires some graduate-level probability concepts that are normally introduced in 205A (or 204).
• Option 2 -- Postponement of one semester of a core course to the second year: In this option, students would take three of the core courses in the first year plus another graduate course, and take the remaining core course in their second year. An example would be a student who wanted to take courses in each of the three sequences. Such a student could take the full year of one sequence and the first semester of another sequence in the first year, and the first semester of the last sequence in the second year (e.g. 210A, 215AB in the first year, and then 204 or 205A in the second year). This would also be a good option for students who would prefer to take 210A and 215A in their first semester but are concerned about their preparation for 210B in the spring semester.  Similarly, a student with strong interests in another discipline, might postpone one of the spring core PhD courses to the second year in order to take a course in that discipline in the first year.  Students who are less mathematically prepared might also be allowed to take the upper division (under-graduate) courses Math 104 and/or 105 in their first year in preparation for 205A and/or 210B in their second year. Students who wish to take this option should consult with their faculty mentor, and then must submit a graduate student petition to the PhD Committee to request permission for  postponement. Such postponement requests will be generally approved for only one course. At all times, students must take four approved graduate courses for a letter grade in their first year.

After the first year: Students with interests primarily in statistics are expected to take at least one semester of each of the core PhD sequences during their studies. Therefore at least one semester (if not both semesters) of the remaining core sequence would normally be completed during the second year. The remaining curriculum for the second and third years would be filled out with further graduate courses in Statistics and with courses from other departments. Students are expected to acquire some experience and proficiency in computing. Students are also expected to attend at least one departmental seminar per week. The precise program of study will be decided in consultation with the student’s faculty mentor.

Remark. Stat 204 is a graduate level probability course that is an alternative to 205AB series that covers probability concepts most commonly found in the applications of probability. It is not taught all years, but does fulfill the requirements of the first year core PhD courses. Students taking Stat 204, who wish to continue in Stat 205B, can do so (after obtaining the approval of the 205B instructor), by taking an intensive one month reading course over winter break.

Designated Emphasis: Students with a Designated Emphasis in Computational and Genomic Biology or Designated Emphasis in Computational and Data Science and Engineering should, like other statistics students, acquire a firm foundation in statistics and probability, with a program of study similar to those above. These programs have additional requirements as well. Interested students should consult with the graduate advisor of these programs. 

Starting in the Fall of 2019, PhD students are required in their first year to take four semesters of the core PhD courses. Students intending to specialize in Probability, however, have the option to substitute an advanced mathematics class for one of these four courses. Such students will thus be required to take Stat 205A/B in the first year,  at least one of Stat 210A/B or Stat 215A/B in the first year, in addition to an advanced mathematics course. This substitute course will be selected in consultation with their faculty mentor, with some possible courses suggested below. Students arriving with advanced coursework equivalent to that of 205AB can obtain permission to substitute in other advanced probability and mathematics coursework during their first year, and should consult with the PhD committee for such a waiver.

During their second and third years, students with a probability focus are expected to take advanced probability courses (e.g., Stat 206 and Stat 260) to fulfill the coursework requirements that follow the first year. Students are also expected to attend at least one departmental seminar per week, usually the probability seminar. If they are not sufficiently familiar with measure theory and functional analysis, then they should take one or both of Math 202A and Math 202B. Other recommended courses from the department of Mathematics or EECS include:

Math 204, 222 (ODE, PDE) Math 205 (Complex Analysis) Math 258 (Classical harmonic analysis) EE 229 (Information Theory and Coding) CS 271 (Randomness and computation)

The Qualifying Examination 

The oral qualifying examination is meant to determine whether the student is ready to enter the research phase of graduate studies. It consists of a 50-minute lecture by the student on a topic selected jointly by the student and the thesis advisor. The examination committee consists of at least four faculty members to be approved by the department.  At least two members of the committee must consist of faculty from the Statistics and must be members of the Academic Senate. The chair must be a member of the student’s degree-granting program.

Qualifying Exam Chair. For qualifying exam committees formed in the Fall of 2019 or later, the qualifying exam chair will also serve as the student’s departmental mentor, unless a student already has two thesis advisors. The student must select a qualifying exam chair and obtain their agreement to serve as their qualifying exam chair and faculty mentor. The student's prospective thesis advisor cannot chair the examination committee. Selection of the chair can be done well in advance of the qualifying exam and the rest of the qualifying committee, and because the qualifying exam chair also serves as the student’s departmental mentor (unless the student has co-advisors), the chair is expected to be selected by the beginning of the third year or at the beginning of the semester of the qualifying exam, whichever comes earlier. For more details regarding the selection of the Qualifying Exam Chair, see the "Mentoring" tab.  

Paperwork and Application. Students at the point of taking a qualifying exam are assumed to have already found a thesis advisor and to should have already submitted the internal departmental form to the Graduate Student Services Advisor ( found here ).  Selection of a qualifying exam chair requires that the faculty member formally agree by signing the internal department form ( found here ) and the student must submit this form to the Graduate Student Services Advisor.  In order to apply to take the exam, the student must submit the Application for the Qualifying Exam via CalCentral at least three weeks prior to the exam. If the student passes the exam, they can then officially advance to candidacy for the Ph.D. If the student fails the exam, the committee may vote to allow a second attempt. Regulations of the Graduate Division permit at most two attempts to pass the oral qualifying exam. After passing the exam, the student must submit the Application for Candidacy via CalCentral .

The Doctoral Thesis

The Ph.D. degree is granted upon completion of an original thesis acceptable to a committee of at least three faculty members. The majority or at least half of the committee must consist of faculty from Statistics and must be members of the Academic Senate. The thesis should be presented at an appropriate seminar in the department prior to filing with the Dean of the Graduate Division. See Alumni if you would like to view thesis titles of former PhD Students.

Graduate Division offers various resources, including a workshop, on how to write a thesis, from beginning to end. Requirements for the format of the thesis are rather strict. For workshop dates and guidelines for submitting a dissertation, visit the Graduate Division website.

Students who have advanced from candidacy (i.e. have taken their qualifying exam and submitted the advancement to candidacy application) must have a joint meeting with their QE chair and their PhD advisor to discuss their thesis progression; if students are co-advised, this should be a joint meeting with their co-advisors. This annual review is required by Graduate Division.  For more information regarding this requirement, please see  https://grad.berkeley.edu/ policy/degrees-policy/#f35- annual-review-of-doctoral- candidates .

Teaching Requirement

For students enrolled in the graduate program before Fall 2016, students are required to serve as a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) for a minimum of 20 hours (equivalent to a 50% GSI appointment) during a regular academic semester by the end of their third year in the program.

Effective with the Fall 2016 entering class, students are required to serve as a GSI for a minimum of two 50% GSI appointment during the regular academic semesters prior to graduation (20 hours a week is equivalent to a 50% GSI appointment for a semester) for Statistics courses numbered 150 and above. Exceptions to this policy are routinely made by the department.

Each spring, the department hosts an annual conference called BSTARS . Both students and industry alliance partners present research in the form of posters and lightning talks. All students in their second year and beyond are required to present a poster at BSTARS each year. This requirement is intended to acclimate students to presenting their research and allow the department generally to see the fruits of their research. It is also an opportunity for less advanced students to see examples of research of more senior students. However, any students who do not yet have research to present can be exempted at the request of their thesis advisor (or their faculty mentors if an advisor has not yet been determined).

Mentoring for PhD Students

Initial Mentoring: PhD students will be assigned a faculty mentor in the summer before their first year. This faculty mentor at this stage is not expected to be the student’s PhD advisor nor even have research interests that closely align with the student. The job of this faculty mentor is primarily to advise the student on how to find a thesis advisor and in selecting appropriate courses, as well as other degree-related topics such as applying for fellowships.  Students should meet with their faculty mentors twice a semester. This faculty member will be the designated faculty mentor for the student during roughly their first two years, at which point students will find a qualifying exam chair who will take over the role of mentoring the student.

Research-focused mentoring : Once students have found a thesis advisor, that person will naturally be the faculty member most directly overseeing the student’s progression. However, students will also choose an additional faculty member to serve as a the chair of their qualifying exam and who will also serve as a faculty mentor for the student and as a member of his/her thesis committee. (For students who have two thesis advisors, however, there is not an additional faculty mentor, and the quals chair does NOT serve as the faculty mentor).

The student will be responsible for identifying and asking a faculty member to be the chair of his/her quals committee. Students should determine their qualifying exam chair either at the beginning of the semester of the qualifying exam or in the fall semester of the third year, whichever is earlier. Students are expected to have narrowed in on a thesis advisor and research topic by the fall semester of their third year (and may have already taken qualifying exams), but in the case where this has not happened, such students should find a quals chair as soon as feasible afterward to serve as faculty mentor.

Students are required to meet with their QE chair once a semester during the academic year. In the fall, this meeting will generally be just a meeting with the student and the QE chair, but in the spring it must be a joint meeting with the student, the QE chair, and the PhD advisor. If students are co-advised, this should be a joint meeting with their co-advisors.

If there is a need for a substitute faculty mentor (e.g. existing faculty mentor is on sabbatical or there has been a significant shift in research direction), the student should bring this to the attention of the PhD Committee for assistance.

PhD Student Forms:

Important milestones: .

Each of these milestones is not complete until you have filled out the requisite form and submitted it to the GSAO. If you are not meeting these milestones by the below deadline, you need to meet with the Head Graduate Advisor to ask for an extension. Otherwise, you will be in danger of not being in good academic standing and being ineligible for continued funding (including GSI or GSR appointments, and many fellowships). 

†Students who are considering a co-advisor, should have at least one advisor formally identified by the end of the second year; the co-advisor should be identified by the end of the fall semester of the 3rd year in lieu of finding a Research Mentor/QE Chair.

Expected Progress Reviews: 

* These meetings do not need to be held in the semester that you take your Qualifying Exam, since the relevant people should be members of your exam committee and will discuss your research progress during your qualifying exam

** If you are being co-advised by someone who is not your primary advisor because your primary advisor cannot be your sole advisor, you should be meeting with that person like a research mentor, if not more frequently, to keep them apprised of your progress. However, if both of your co-advisors are leading your research (perhaps independently) and meeting with you frequently throughout the semester, you do not need to give a fall research progress report.

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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.

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Ph.D. in Economics

The Ph.D. program at Berkeley is designed for students interested in pursuing advanced study and conducting original research in Economics. The Ph.D. degree is awarded in recognition of the recipient's qualifications as a general economist and of the ability to make scholarly contributions in fields of specialization.

In advancing to the Ph.D. degree, students pass through two major stages:

• Preparation for candidacy typically takes two to three years. During the first two semesters, students take courses to achieve competence in econometric methods, methods of economic history and fundamentals of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. During the next two years, students prepare for examination in two fields of specialization of their choosing, prepare a dissertation prospectus, and take an oral examination. When these steps are completed, students are advanced to candidacy.
• Completion of a dissertation after advancing to candidacy typically takes one to two years. The dissertation must be based on original research and represent a significant contribution to the body of Economic knowledge.

The entire process takes approximately five to six years, although some students are able to complete the program in less time. Below is an overview of the program requirements by year and other pertinent information.

The UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science   provides students helpful resources, links, and tools for successfully completing the Ph.D. in Economics.

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Ph.D. Admissions

Next start date: August 2025

Application Deadline: December 4, 2024, 8:59 pm PST

We welcome students from a diverse set of backgrounds; some will be technically educated, some educated in the humanities and social sciences.

All application materials must be received by the deadline. We encourage you to apply early. The I School’s Ph.D. program does not accept applications for spring term admissions.

Admissions Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree or its recognized equivalent from an accredited institution
• Superior scholastic record, normally well above a 3.0 GPA
• Indication of appropriate research goals, described in the Statement of Purpose
• For applicants whose academic work has been in a language other than English, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
• Not required: GRE/GMAT . Starting Fall 2021, we no longer require the GRE or GMAT. We recommend you put your time and effort towards the required application materials. Read more about our decision to drop the GRE/GMAT requirement .

Selection Criteria

The I School accepts 3–7 Ph.D. students each year from more than 100 applications. Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty.

Applicants are evaluated holistically on a number of factors. A strong academic record is important, but not sufficient. A critical factor is the ability to demonstrate a research record and agenda that fit well with specific I School faculty. In a small, interdisciplinary program, it is important that applicants clearly indicate in their Statement of Purpose which faculty member(s) they are interested in researching with, and why.

Application Requirements

We encourage you to check out our Ph.D. Admissions FAQ for information about commonly asked application questions.

(1) Statement of Purpose & Personal History Essay

The Statement of Purpose and Personal History are two separate essays.

The Statement of Purpose should describe your aptitude and motivation for doctoral study in your area of specialization, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans and research interests, and your future goals. Please be sure to identify in your Statement of Purpose which faculty member(s) you are interested in researching with, and why. We expect that candidates are able to demonstrate a research record and agenda that fit well with specific I School faculty.

For additional guidance, please review the Graduate Division's Statement of Purpose Guide .

In addition to explaining how your personal experiences have influenced your decision to pursue graduate studies, your Personal History Essay may include any relevant information describing barriers to accessing higher education that you have overcome, efforts you have made to advance equitable access to higher education for women, racial minorities, and other groups historically underrepresented in higher education, or research that you have undertaken that focuses on underserved populations or related issues of inequality.

For additional guidance, please review the Graduate Division’s Personal Statement Guide . There is no minimum length for the Personal History Essay.

These two essays are used in part to evaluate the candidate’s writing skills. Pursuant to UC Berkeley policy, the statements must be written by the candidate her or himself. For admitted students, application materials must comply with the Code of Student Conduct .

Both essays should be uploaded as PDF documents, as part of the online application .

(2) Three Letters of Recommendation

Ph.D. applicants should provide letters which speak directly to their ability and potential to perform academic research at the doctoral level. Recommenders must submit their letters online; please follow the instructions in the online application .

(3) Current Curriculum Vitae

Please upload a current curriculum vitae (C.V.) as a PDF document as part of the online application .

(4) College Transcripts

As part of the online application, upload copies of the official transcripts or academic records for all university-level studies you have completed abroad and at U.S. institutions. Be sure to include a current transcript from every post-secondary school that you have attended, including community colleges, summer sessions, and extension programs.

Each transcript should be uploaded as a separate PDF document; please refer to the instructions on the online application .

Applicants who completed their undergraduate degree in a recognized academic institution outside the United States are required to upload a copy of their degree conferral certificate. If a degree conferral certificate has not yet been obtained, please upload a provisional certificate. Applicants who have not yet graduated from undergrad are not required to submit a provisional certificate at this time. For specific questions, please contact the School of Information at [email protected] .

(5) TOEFL or IELTS Scores

UC Berkeley Graduate Division requires that applicants who received their degrees in countries other than the U.S., U.K., Australia, or English-speaking Canada submit TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System) scores. This includes applicants with degrees from Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and most European countries. Only applicants who have completed a full year of U.S. university-level coursework with a grade of B or better are exempt from this requirement.

For students taking the TOEFL, UC Berkeley Graduate Division requires that your most recent score be at least 90 on the Internet-based version of the TOEFL.

For students taking the IELTS, UC Berkeley Graduate Division requires that your most recent score be at least 7.0 out of 9.0 on the IELTS Academic test.

UC Berkeley Graduate Division does not accept TOEFL ITP Plus for Mainland China, IELTS Indicator, or Duolingo scores. For more information, see  Graduate Division’s Evidence of English Language Proficiency .

Submitting Scores

To be valid, the TOEFL or IELTS must have been taken within the past 18 months: for applicants for Fall 2025 admission, test scores taken before June 2023 will not be accepted. Please have your test scores sent directly to UC Berkeley by the testing authorities prior to application submission, and at the latest, by the application deadline. It may take 10-15 days for official score reports to transfer to our system. For the TOEFL exam, the school code for UC Berkeley is 4833, and the department code for the I School is 99.

For the IELTS exam, please submit an electronic report from the testing center; no institution code is required. Here is the Graduate Division’s office address for identification purposes: University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Division, Sproul Hall Rm 318, MC 5900, Berkeley, CA 94720.

More information: TOEFL website ; IELTS website

(6) Application Fee

(submitted with the online application)

• Fee for domestic applicants: $135.
• Fee for international applicants: $155.

Application Fee Waiver : The I School is pleased to offer application fee waivers to eligible Ph.D. applicants. Prior to submitting your application, please complete our Application Fee Waiver request form , and we will contact you within two business days with further instructions.

All application materials must be received by the application deadline. Applications will be reviewed throughout December and January, and admissions decisions will be released by early February.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or for additional guidance: [email protected] or (510) 664-4742.

*Test Report Form must be sent directly from IELTS. IELTS Indicator scores are not accepted.

Computer Ownership Requirement

We require that students own a computer. No particular configuration or operating system is required. However, students will be expected to complete assignments using office productivity software (e.g., Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, etc.), web browsers, etc., and should own a computer capable of running such software. More specific guidance will be provided upon acceptance to the program.

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The I School Ph.D. Applicant Feedback Program is a student-run initiative that aims to assist underrepresented students with their application essays and C.V. as they apply to the UC Berkeley School of Information Ph.D. program.

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Berkeley Berkeley Academic Guide: Academic Guide 2023-24

Earth and planetary science.

About the Program

The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences offers a PhD degree in Earth and Planetary Science. The central objective of the graduate program is to encourage creative thinking and develop the capacity for independent and original research. A strong undergraduate background in the physical sciences is especially helpful, and a significant number of our graduate students have their training in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, or astronomy. Graduate students are formally accepted into the Earth and Planetary Science program, and they normally work directly toward a PhD.

The department offers a one-year MA program; however, admission to the program is available only to graduates of our bachelor's degree program in Earth and Planetary Science. We do not accept applications to the MA program from other majors or universities. 

Visit Department Website

Admission to the University

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 .

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Candidates for the PhD degree must pass the oral qualifying examination by the end of the second year and complete a thesis to the satisfaction of the appointed thesis committee. Students must have two research propositions to present at the qualifying examination, each developed under the supervision of a different professor on substantially different topics. There are no required courses for the PhD program.

Master's Degree Requirements

The master of arts degree requires 24 semester units of upper division and graduate courses with at least 12 units of graduate coursework, followed by a comprehensive oral examination. 

Research units can count toward the 24 total, but not toward the 12 grad level. 200-level seminars can only be counted toward the total 24 credits if they require active student participation in a focused topic area (e.g. pass/fail seminars in which students passively listen do not qualify).

Specifically:

EPS 255 (Department Seminar), EPS 260 (intro to faculty research for 1st-year PhD students), EPS 254 (BSL seminar), EPS 298 (BASC seminar), EPS 290 research group meetings, and similar seminars cannot be used to satisfy MA requirements.

EPS 256 (Earthquake of the Week) can be used if taken for a letter grade.

EPS 290 courses can be used only if they have a focus and title that distinguishes them from research group meetings.  E.g. in Fall 2020 Bruce Buffett taught “Computational Methods in GFD” as EPS 290, and William Boos taught “Global Circulation of Planetary Atmospheres” as EPS 290; both could be used toward the grad-level MA credits.

EPS 280 (research with a faculty advisor) can be used for up to 6 units total, but may not be counted toward the 12 grad-level credits required for the MA (they can count toward the 24 unit total).

Your faculty advisor and the graduate student services advisor will need to approve your courses for the MA.

The MA program is open only to students who have completed their undergraduate degree in our department.

Please see here for an overview of our MA program. 

EPS 200 Problems in Hydrogeology 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Fall 2019 Current problems in fluid flow, heat flow, and solute transport in the earth. Pressure- and thermal-driven flow, instability, convection, interaction between fluid flow and chemical reactions. Pore pressure; faulting and earthquakes; diagenesis; hydrocarbon migration and trapping; flow-associated mineralization; contaminant problems. Problems in Hydrogeology: Read More [+]

Rules & Requirements

Prerequisites: Physics 7A-7B, Chemistry 1A-1B, Math 53 and 54; open to senior undergraduates with appropriate prerequisites

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Graduate

Grading: Letter grade.

Formerly known as: Geophysics C200 and Geology C200

Problems in Hydrogeology: Read Less [-]

EPS 203 Introduction to Aquatic and Marine Geochemistry 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021 Introduction to marine geochemistry: the global water cycle; processes governing the distribution of chemical species within the hydrosphere; ocean circulation; chemical mass balances, fluxes, and reactions in the marine environment from global to submicron scales; carbon system equilibrium chemistry and biogeochemistry of fresh and salt walter; applications of natural and anthropogenic stable and radioactive tracers; internal ocean processes. Students participate in a one day field trip to sample and analyze waters in the vicinity of Tomales Bay and Point Reyes. 3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion week, and a 10 hour field trip. Introduction to Aquatic and Marine Geochemistry: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Chemistry 1A, Mathematics 1A, or 16A. C82 recommended

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one hour of discussion per week.

Instructor: Bishop

Introduction to Aquatic and Marine Geochemistry: Read Less [-]

EPS 204 Elastic Wave Propagation 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 2007, Fall 2004 Wave propagation in elastic solids; effects of anelasticity and anistropy; representation theorems; reflection and refraction; propagation in layered media; finite-difference and finite-element methods. Elastic Wave Propagation: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 104 or equivalent; 121; Physics 105

Formerly known as: Geophysics 204

Elastic Wave Propagation: Read Less [-]

EPS 207 Laboratory in Observational Seismology 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2022 Group problem solving of current seismological topics. Analysis, inversion, and numerical modeling of seismic waveform data to investigate questions regarding the physics of the earthquake source and seismic wave propagation. Application of current developments and techniques in seismological research. Laboratory in Observational Seismology: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 121 or 130 or 204 or consent of instructor

Formerly known as: Geophysics 207

Laboratory in Observational Seismology: Read Less [-]

EPS 209 Matlab Applications in Earth Science 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Fall 2002 Introduction to Matlab programming with toolboxes. Applications come from Earth sciences and related fields including biology. Topics range from image processing, riverbed characterization, landslide risk analysis, signal processing, geospatial and seismic data analysis, and machine learning to parallel computation. Designed for beginning graduate students. Matlab Applications in Earth Science: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Some programming experience in any language

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week

Additional Format: One hour of lecture and one hour of computing laboratory per week.

Matlab Applications in Earth Science: Read Less [-]

EPS 210 Exploration, Ore Petrology, and Geochemistry 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2012, Fall 2011, Spring 2010 Overview of geological, petrological, and geochemical analysis of ore forming processes including sedimentary, magmatic, hydrothermal, and geothermal resources. Geochemical rock buffers and hydrothermal phase equilibria. Electro-geochemistry of near surface oxidation of primary ores related to climate change, hydrological evolution, and tectonics. Exploration for earth materials for conventional and sustainable technologies including multiple junction semiconductor photo-voltaic cells. Mass balance modeling of ore-forming systems and soils. Environmental management of exploration sites. Lab includes macroscopic and X-ray identification of ore and alteration minerals and ore microscopy. Field trips use digital GIS mapping methods for rock type, structure, mineralization, and wall rock alteration. Integration interpretation of geophysics with geology. Exploration, Ore Petrology, and Geochemistry: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 101 or 271; 100A-100B; 118 recommended

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week plus six days of field trips.

Instructor: Brimhall

Formerly known as: Geology 205

Exploration, Ore Petrology, and Geochemistry: Read Less [-]

EPS 212 Advanced Stratigraphy and Tectonics 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Spring 2009, Spring 2008 Evolution of the earth in response to internal, surficial and extraterrestrial processes. Advanced Stratigraphy and Tectonics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Consent of instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Geology 212

Advanced Stratigraphy and Tectonics: Read Less [-]

EPS 214 Igneous Petrology 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2020, Spring 2017 The composition, generation, and cooling of magmas to form igneous rocks. The physical and thermodynamic properties of silicate liquids. Igneous Petrology: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture and Four hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Geology 214

Igneous Petrology: Read Less [-]

EPS 216 Active Tectonics 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021 This course is a graduate course designed to introduce students in the earth sciences to the geology of earthquakes, including tectonic geomorphology, paleoseismology and the analysis and interpretation of geodetic measurements of active deformation. While the focus will be primarily on seismically active faults, we will also discuss deformation associated with landslides, regional isostatic rebound, and volcanoes, as well as measurements of global plate motions. We will address methods and applications in paleoseismology, tectonic geomorphology, and geodesy. The course will address measurement techniques (e.g,. GPS, leveling, etc.), data analysis and inversion, and subsequent modeling and interpretation of the data. The integration of geodetic measurements with geologic and seismologic data allows an improved understanding of active processes. Active Tectonics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 116 or equivalent, Physics 7A or equivalent, or consent of instructor

Formerly known as: Geology 207

Active Tectonics: Read Less [-]

EPS 217 Fluvial Geomorphology 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2018 Application of fluid mechanics to sediment transport and development of river morphology. Form and process in river meanders, the pool-riffle sequence, aggradation, grade, and baselevel. Fluvial Geomorphology: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week; some fieldwork is assigned.

Formerly known as: Geology 217

Fluvial Geomorphology: Read Less [-]

EPS 220 Advanced Concepts in Mineral Physics 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2020 A combined seminar and lecture course covering advanced topics related to mineral physics. The interface between geophysics with the other physical sciences is emphasized. Topics vary each semester. Advanced Concepts in Mineral Physics: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: Geophysics 220

Advanced Concepts in Mineral Physics: Read Less [-]

EPS 224 Isotopic Geochemistry 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021 An overview of the use of natural isotopic variations to study earth, planetary, and environmental problems. Topics include geochronology, cosmogenic isotope studies of surficial processes, radiocarbon and the carbon cycle, water isotopes in the water cycle, and radiogenic and stable isotope studies of planetary evolution, mantle dynamics, volcanoes, groundwater, and geothermal systems. The course begins with a short introduction to nuclear processes and includes simple mathematical models used in isotope geochemistry. Isotopic Geochemistry: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Chemistry 1A-1B, Mathematics 1A-1B

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture and One hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.

Instructor: David Shuster

Isotopic Geochemistry: Read Less [-]

EPS 225 Topics in High-Pressure Research 2 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2021 Analysis of current developments and techniques in experimental and theoretical high-pressure research, with applications in the physical sciences. Topics vary each semester. Topics in High-Pressure Research: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Two hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Geophyics 225

Topics in High-Pressure Research: Read Less [-]

EPS 229 Introduction to Climate Modeling 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2018 This course emphasizes the fundamentals of the climate system via a hierarchy of climate models. Topics will include energy balance, numerical techniques, climate observations, atmospheric and oceanic circulation and heat transports, and parameterizations of eddy processes. The model hierarchy will also explore nonlinear and stochastic processes, and biogeochemistry. Students will build computational models to investigate climate feedbacks , climate sensitivity, and response times. Introduction to Climate Modeling: Read More [+]

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week.

Instructor: Fung

Formerly known as: Earth and Planetary Science C229/Integrative Biology C229

Introduction to Climate Modeling: Read Less [-]

EPS 230 Radiation and Its Interactions with Climate 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021 Introduction to role of radiative processes in structure and evolution of the climate system. Electromagnetism; solar and terrestrial radiation; interactions of radiation with Earth's atmosphere, ocean, and land surface; greenhouse and runaway greenhouse effects; radiative balance of the climate system; energy-balance climate models; effects of clouds and aerosols; interactions of radiation with atmospheric and oceanic dynamics; radiative processes and paleoclimate; radiative processes and anthropogenic global warming. Radiation and Its Interactions with Climate: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Physics 105, 110A, 110B

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture per week, plus some laboratory work.

Instructor: Collins

Radiation and Its Interactions with Climate: Read Less [-]

EPS 236 Geological Fluid Mechanics 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 An advanced course in the application of fluid mechanics in the earth sciences, with emphasis on the design and scaling of laboratory and numerical models. Principals of inviscid and viscous fluid flow; dynamic similarity; boundary layers; convection; instabilities; gravity currents; mixing and chaos; porous flow. Applications to mantle convection, magma dynamics, atmosphere and ocean dynamics, sediment/debris flows, and hydrogeology. Topics may vary from year to year. Geological Fluid Mechanics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Continuum/fluid mechanics at the level of 108 or consent of instructor

Additional Format: Three hours of Lecture and Three hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Geophysics 238

Geological Fluid Mechanics: Read Less [-]

EPS C241 Stable Isotope Ecology 5 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2016 Course focuses on principles and applications of stable isotope chemistry as applied to the broad science of ecology. Lecture topics include principles of isotope behavior and chemistry, and isotope measurements in the context of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecological processes and problems. Students participate in a set of laboratory exercises involving preparation of samples of choice for isotopic analyses, the use of the mass spectrometer and optical analysis systems, and the anlaysis of data. Stable Isotope Ecology: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing

Instructors: Amundson, Dawson, Mambelli

Also listed as: ESPM C220/INTEGBI C227

Stable Isotope Ecology: Read Less [-]

EPS C242 Glaciology 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2018 A review of the mechanics of glacial systems, including formation of ice masses, glacial flow mechanisms, subglacial hydrology, temperature and heat transport, global flow, and response of ice sheets and glaciers. We will use this knowledge to examine glaciers as geomorphologic agents and as participants in climate change. Glaciology: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor

Additional Format: Three hours of lecture and one hour of consultation per week.

Instructor: Cuffey

Formerly known as: 241

Also listed as: GEOG C241

Glaciology: Read Less [-]

EPS C249 Solar System Astrophysics 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017 The physical foundations of planetary sciences. Topics include planetary interiors and surfaces, planetary atmospheres and magnetospheres, and smaller bodies in our solar system. The physical processes at work are developed in some detail, and an evolutionary picture for our solar system, and each class of objects, is developed. Some discussion of other (potential) planetary systems is also included. Solar System Astrophysics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 149, 169, C160A or consent of instructor

Instructors: Chiang, de Pater

Also listed as: ASTRON C249

Solar System Astrophysics: Read Less [-]

EPS 250 Advanced Topics in Earth and Environmental Sciences 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2013 Review of recent literature and discussion of ongoing research at the interface between earth science and environmental science. Advanced Topics in Earth and Environmental Sciences: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: Geology 250

Advanced Topics in Earth and Environmental Sciences: Read Less [-]

EPS 251 Carbon Cycle Dynamics 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2021 In this course, we will focus on the (unsolved) puzzle of the contemporary carbon cycle. Why is the concentration of atmospheric CO2 changing at the rate observed? What are the terrestrial and oceanic processes that add and remove carbon from the atmosphere? What are the processes responsible for long-term storage of carbon on land and in the sea? Emphasis will be placed on the observations and modeling needed to evaluate hypotheses about carbon sources and sinks. Past records will be examined for clues about sensitivity of carbon processes to climate variations. Carbon Cycle Dynamics: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Six hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Geology 219

Carbon Cycle Dynamics: Read Less [-]

EPS 254 Advanced Topics in Seismology and Geophysics 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Lectures on various topics representing current advances in seismology and geophysics, including local crustal and earthquake studies, regional tectonics, structure of the earth's mantle, and core and global dynamics. Advanced Topics in Seismology and Geophysics: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture per week

Additional Format: One hour of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Geophysics 250

Advanced Topics in Seismology and Geophysics: Read Less [-]

EPS 255 Advanced Topics in Earth and Planetary Science 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Lectures on various topics representing current advances in all aspects of earth and planetary science. Advanced Topics in Earth and Planetary Science: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of colloquium per week

Additional Format: One and one-half hours of colloquium per week.

Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.

Advanced Topics in Earth and Planetary Science: Read Less [-]

EPS 256 Earthquake of the Week 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Each week, the seismicity of the previous week, in California and worldwide, is reviewed. Tectonics of the region as well as source parameters and waveforms of interest are discussed and placed in the context of ongoing research in seismology. Earthquake of the Week: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of discussion per week

Additional Format: Two hours of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Geophysics 255

Earthquake of the Week: Read Less [-]

EPS 260 Research in Earth Science 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Weekly presentations to introduce new graduate students and senior undergraduates to current research conducted in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science. Research in Earth Science: Read More [+]

Formerly known as: Geology 260

Research in Earth Science: Read Less [-]

EPS 271 Field Geology and Digital Mapping 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Geological mapping, field observation, and problem solving in the Berkeley hills and environs leading to original interpretation of geological processes and history from stratigraphic, structural, and lithological investigations. Integration of the Berkeley hills geology into the tectonic and paleo-climatic record of the Coast Ranges and California as a whole through systematic field mapping in key localities and reading of original literature. Training in digital field mapping, use of digital base maps, and use of global positioning systems. Field Geology and Digital Mapping: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: 50 or equivalent introductory course for majors

Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 271 after taking 101.

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 7 hours of fieldwork and 2 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Seven hours of Fieldwork and Two hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks.

Field Geology and Digital Mapping: Read Less [-]

EPS C276 Seismic Hazard Analysis and Design Ground Motions 3 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2019 Deterministic and probabilistic approaches for seismic hazard analysis. Separation of uncertainty into aleatory variability and epistemic uncertainty. Discussion of seismic source and ground motion characterization and hazard computation. Development of time histories for dynamic analyses of structures and seismic risk computation, including selection of ground motion parameters for estimating structural response, development of fragility curves, and methods for risk calculations. Seismic Hazard Analysis and Design Ground Motions: Read More [+]

Instructor: Abrahamson

Also listed as: CIV ENG C276

Seismic Hazard Analysis and Design Ground Motions: Read Less [-]

EPS 280 Research 1 - 12 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Individual conferences to be arranged. Provides supervision in the preparation of an original research paper or dissertation. Research: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-12 hours of independent study per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 3-30 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 2-23 hours of independent study per week 10 weeks - 2-18 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: One to twelve hours of independent study per week. Two to eightteen hours of independent study per week for 10 weeks. Two to twenty three hours of independent study per week for 8 weeks. Three to thirty hours of independent study per week for 6 weeks.

Research: Read Less [-]

EPS 290 Seminar 1 - 6 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 Topics will be announced each semester. Seminar: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-6 hours of lecture per week

Additional Format: Two to six hours of lecture per week.

Formerly known as: Geology 290

Seminar: Read Less [-]

EPS C292 Planetary Science Seminar 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023 The departments of Astronomy and Earth and Planetary Science offer a joint research seminar in advanced topics in planetary science, featuring speakers drawn from graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty, and visiting scholars. Topics will span planetary interiors; surface morphology; atmospheres; dynamics; planet formation; and astrobiology. Speakers will vary from semester to semester. Meetings will be held once a week for 1 hour each, and the schedule of speakers will be determined on the first day of class. To pass the class, participants will be required to give a 30-minute presentation, either on their own research or on recent results from the literature. Planetary Science Seminar: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-1 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Participants will be required to give at least one 30-minute presentation, either on their own research or on recent results from the literature

Also listed as: ASTRON C292

Planetary Science Seminar: Read Less [-]

EPS C295Z Energy Solutions: Carbon Capture and Sequestration 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Spring 2013 After a brief overview of the chemistry of carbon dioxide in the land, ocean, and atmosphere, the course will survey the capture and sequestration of CO2 from anthropogenic sources. Emphasis will be placed on the integration of materials synthesis and unit operation design, including the chemistry and engineering aspects of sequestration. The course primarily addresses scientific and engineering challenges and aims to engage students in state-of-the-art research in global energy challenges. Energy Solutions: Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Chemistry 4B or 1B, Mathematics 1B, and Physics 7B, or equivalents

Instructors: Bourg, DePaolo, Long, Reimer, Smit

Also listed as: CHEM C236/CHM ENG C295Z

Energy Solutions: Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Read Less [-]

EPS 298 Directed Group Study for Graduates 1 - 9 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022 Directed Group Study for Graduates: Read More [+]

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week

Additional Format: Occasional group meetings and individual conferences.

Grading: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.

Formerly known as: Geology 298

Directed Group Study for Graduates: Read Less [-]

EPS C301 Communicating Ocean Science 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019, Spring 2015, Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013 For graduate students interested in improving their ability to communicate their scientific knowledge by teaching ocean science in elementary schools or science centers/aquariums. The course will combine instruction in inquiry-based teaching methods and learning pedagogy with six weeks of supervised teaching experience in a local school classroom or the Lawrence Hall of Science with a partner. Thus, students will practice communicating scientific knowledge and receive mentoring on how to improve their presentations. Communicating Ocean Science: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: One course in introductory biology, geology, chemistry, physics, or marine science required and interest in ocean science,junior, senior, or graduate standing; consent of instructor required for sophomores

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2.5 hours of lecture, 1 hour of discussion, and 2 hours of fieldwork per week

Additional Format: Two and one-half hours of Lecture, One hour of Discussion, and Two hours of Fieldwork per week for 15 weeks.

Subject/Course Level: Earth and Planetary Science/Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers

Instructor: Ingram

Also listed as: GEOG C301/INTEGBI C215

Communicating Ocean Science: Read Less [-]

EPS 375 Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching of Geology and Geophysics 1 - 6 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019 Discussion, curriculum, class observation, and practice teaching in geology, geophysics, and earth science. Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching of Geology and Geophysics: Read More [+]

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and appointment as graduate student instructor

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of discussion per week

Additional Format: One hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.

Formerly known as: Earth and Planetary Science 300

Professional Preparation: Supervised Teaching of Geology and Geophysics: Read Less [-]

Contact Information

Department of earth and planetary science.

307 McCone Hall

Phone: 510-642-3993

Fax: 510-643-9980

Director of Student Services

Nadine Spingola-Hutton

305 McCone Hall

https://eps.berkeley.edu/

[email protected]

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Ph.D. Program

Degree requirements.

In outline, to earn the PhD in either Mathematics or Applied Mathematics, the candidate must meet the following requirements.

• Take at least 4 courses, 2 or more of which are graduate courses offered by the Department of Mathematics
• Pass the six-hour written Preliminary Examination covering calculus, real analysis, complex analysis, linear algebra, and abstract algebra; students must pass the prelim before the start of their second year in the program (within three semesters of starting the program)
• Pass a three-hour, oral Qualifying Examination emphasizing, but not exclusively restricted to, the area of specialization. The Qualifying Examination must be attempted within two years of entering the program
• Complete a seminar, giving a talk of at least one-hour duration
• Write a dissertation embodying the results of original research and acceptable to a properly constituted dissertation committee
• Meet the University residence requirement of two years or four semesters

Detailed Regulations

The detailed regulations of the Ph.D. program are the following:

Course Requirements

During the first year of the Ph.D. program, the student must enroll in at least 4 courses. At least 2 of these must be graduate courses offered by the Department of Mathematics. Exceptions can be granted by the Vice-Chair for Graduate Studies.

Preliminary Examination

The Preliminary Examination consists of 6 hours (total) of written work given over a two-day period (3 hours/day). Exam questions are given in calculus, real analysis, complex analysis, linear algebra, and abstract algebra. The Preliminary Examination is offered twice a year during the first week of the fall and spring semesters.

Qualifying Examination

To arrange the Qualifying Examination, a student must first settle on an area of concentration, and a prospective Dissertation Advisor (Dissertation Chair), someone who agrees to supervise the dissertation if the examination is passed. With the aid of the prospective advisor, the student forms an examination committee of 4 members.  All committee members can be faculty in the Mathematics Department and the chair must be in the Mathematics Department. The QE chair and Dissertation Chair cannot be the same person; therefore, t he Math member least likely to serve as the dissertation advisor should be selected as chair of the qualifying exam committee . The syllabus of the examination is to be worked out jointly by the committee and the student, but before final approval, it is to be circulated to all faculty members of the appropriate research sections. The Qualifying Examination must cover material falling in at least 3 subject areas and these must be listed on the application to take the examination. Moreover, the material covered must fall within more than one section of the department. Sample syllabi can be reviewed online or in 910 Evans Hall. The student must attempt the Qualifying Examination within twenty-five months of entering the PhD program. If a student does not pass on the first attempt, then, on the recommendation of the student's examining committee, and subject to the approval of the Graduate Division, the student may repeat the examination once. The examining committee must be the same, and the re-examination must be held within thirty months of the student's entrance into the PhD program. For a student to pass the Qualifying Examination, at least one identified member of the subject area group must be willing to accept the candidate as a dissertation student.

Berkeley School of Education

Ma and phd programs, about our ma and phd.

Earning a Master’s of Arts degree (MA) or doctorate (PhD) from Berkeley’s School of Education often leads to a career as an educational scholar and researcher in schools, colleges, and universities; non-profits and think tanks; and corporations.

In your application, we encourage you to describe your research interests as well as your desire to study with particular faculty in their application materials. If you wish to study educational topics outside those framed in the list below, we still encourage you to apply to earn your MA or PhD because we want innovative thinkers among us.

During the first semester, all students build a plan of study in consultation with their advisor(s). This plan is revisited, updated, and revised yearly thereafter.

What Doctoral Students Can Expect

During the first two years of study, the Berkeley PhD in Education introduces you to research on current issues in education, theories of learning, human development, and inequality, educational policy, and research methods. Students proceed through the program during the first two years in a cohort, taking core courses together.

The degree program’s structure ensures that you have a broad understanding of important topics in education and that you begin developing the research expertise needed to carry out independent research projects. You will also begin to take elective courses within and outside the BSE in your expected areas of expertise.

By the third and fourth years of study, you are expected to develop greater expertise in your research specialties in close consultation with your faculty advisors. You also take advanced seminars; engage in independent studies and research apprenticeships; and complete an oral exam.

The concluding part of your doctoral studies is preparation of your dissertation proposal and the research and writing of your dissertation.

What Master's Students Can Expect

As a Master’s student, you join the Berkeley community for one academic year, affiliating with a cluster of specialization. MA students often complete courses and their Masters projects during the summer. You are required to complete 24 semester units, which equals seven to eight classes, depending on how many units are awarded for each class.

You will have access to your faculty advisors, an MA Coordinator, and Student Services staff within the School of Education.

Learn more about the core requirements for earning a Master's in Education .

Our faculty’s interests span a range of critical topics and issues that are crucial for the attainment of educational equity and greater impact in schools and communities. The broad clusters of our faculty’s expertise are listed below. Click on any of the titles to see faculty who are engaged in this research.

Critical Studies of Race, Class, and Gender

• Critical Social and Cultural Theories
• Globalization, Immigration, and Migration
• Race & Social Inequality in Urban Education
• Domination and Resistance across Educational Settings
• Social Identities in Educational Contexts
• Language, Literacy, and Digital Media

Language, Literacy, and Culture

• Sociocultural aspects of language use and development across the lifespan
• Linguistic and cultural diversity in language and literacy education
• Intersections of disability and language and literacy learning
• Race and inequality in language and literacy education
• Bi/multilingualism and translanguaging in schools and communities
• Indigenous language maintenance and education in local and global contexts
• Literacy in a Digital Age
• Literacy in and out of School

Learning Sciences and Human Development

• Cognitive, Human, and Social Development 
• Mathematics and Science Education
• Teacher Learning and Education
• Technology and Digital Media

Policy, Politics, and Leadership

• Leadership in Educational Organizations
• Policy Analysis and Program Implementation
• Politics of Education Advocacy
• School Improvement

Social Research Methodologies

• Data Science
• Design-Based Research
• Measurement
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Statistics and Econometrics

School Psychology

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Graduate Program

Associate Professor Michael Anderson teaches Applied Econometrics, a graduate course. Photo: Jim Block

Graduate work in economics demands a higher level of mathematical sophistication than most undergraduate economics programs would lead you to believe.  Students entering the doctoral program are required to have completed a three-course sequence in calculus, a course in linear algebra, and a course in mathematical statistics.  These prerequisites are a bare minimum.

Major Stages of the Program

In advancing to the Ph.D. degree, students pass through two major stages sequentially:

Preparation for candidacy:  During the first three years, students complete courses to achieve competence in econometric methods and the fundamentals of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. At least two courses must be taken from a selection of “core” courses dealing with topics in agriculture and resources. Students study for examination in a field of specialization of their choosing, and prepare a second year empirical paper. Preparation for candidacy culminates in an oral examination. When these steps are completed, students advance to candidacy.

Completion of a dissertation: The dissertation must be based on original research and represent a significant contribution to the body of economic knowledge.

Ag Resources Core and Ag Resources Certification: We’re not just economists, we’re Agricultural & Resource Economists. We expect our students to complete at least two courses from a selection of courses which focus on topics in agriculture & resources, both in low- and high-income countries. We call this set of courses the “Ag Resources Core.” Students who complete at least three courses in these courses will additionally be certified as Agricultural & Resource Economists. Some of these courses may be taken after the student advances to candidacy.

Overview of Program by Year

The entire process takes approximately five years, although some students are able to complete the program in less time. Below is an overview of program requirements by year and other pertinent information.

In the summer prior to starting the first year students complete Math 104, Introduction to Real Analysis. This course prepares students to write the mathematical proofs required in the first year. In the fall of the first year students take econometrics (ARE 210), microeconomic theory (ECON 201A), and production, industrial organization, and regulation in agriculture (ARE 201). In the spring semester of the first year students take econometrics (ARE 212), a second semester of microeconomic theory (ECON 201B), and agricultural economics (ARE 202).  

First year courses provide an overview of mathematical tools, theoretical models, and associated concepts that are most relevant to applications in development, environment, resource, and agricultural economics. Students gain experience working with economic models, solving for the optimum or equilibrium outcomes, deriving comparative statics results, and extending workhorse models to fit problems/applications of interest.  

In the summer before the second year students begin their second year econometrics projects, also known as the second year paper.  Students select an economic question that is of interest to them, and under close faculty supervision craft an empirical paper. A good empirical paper requires three components: a concise, sensible, and relevant research question or hypothesis to test; reasonably good data; and an experiment, event, or set of circumstances that give the data a chance to answer the question asked. Identifying a good question is a non-trivial exercise that takes time and effort. Over the course of the second year students work with a faculty advisor to meet specific deadlines, and the top second year paper wins the Sidney Hoos prize.

Prior to the second year students should select a major and minor field area. Major and minor field areas include the following:

• Agriculture and Resource Policy
• Development Economics
• Environmental and Energy Economics

Additional minor fields  are offered in conjunction with the Economics Department, Public Policy, and Haas School of Business.

The fall semester of the second year students take the second semester of econometrics (ARE 213), the econometrics project workshop (ARE 219A), an ARE field course, and a minor field course of their choosing. During the spring semester of the second year students complete the econometrics project workshop (ARE 219B), an ARE field course, and a minor field course. Since there are only three required courses in the Spring, many students opt to take a fourth course in Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, or another field during this time. The second year culminates in the major field exams.

Visit the online schedule of classes  to see which major and minor field courses were recently offered.

The third year is devoted to preparing for oral examinations, which must be completed by the end of the third year, and finding a faculty advisor for the dissertation. We encourage students to begin discussing possible dissertation topics with faculty early on in their academic pursuit. After completing the written field examinations, students choose a faculty member to serve as advisor on developing a dissertation topic involving significant and original research.  Students who have completed their orals exams are considered advanced to candidacy.

The student's progress through the program culminates in the writing of a doctoral dissertation which should be completed in the fourth or fifth year . The dissertation must be a novel contribution to economic knowledge, and a student who completes a dissertation is qualified to perform significant, independent economic research. 

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PhD in City & Regional Planning

The program

Berkeley's PhD in City & Regional Planning provides training in urban and planning theory, advanced research, and the practice of planning. Established in 1968, the program has granted more than 160 doctorates. Alums of the program have established national and international reputations as planning educators, social science researchers and theorists, policy makers, and practitioners. Today, the program is served by nearly 20 city and regional planning faculty with expertise in community and economic development, transportation planning, urban design, international development, environmental planning, and global urbanism. With close ties to numerous research centers and initiatives, the program encourages its students to develop specializations within the field of urban studies and planning and to expand their intellectual horizons through training in the related fields of architecture, landscape architecture and environmental planning, civil engineering, anthropology, geography, sociology, public policy, public health, and political science.

Completing a PhD in City & Regional Planning at UC Berkeley usually takes five years. The university requires all doctoral students to fulfill a minimum residency requirement of two years and 48 units of coursework. Full-time students are expected to take four courses, or 12 units, per semester. For the PhD in City & Regional Planning, students must complete various program requirements, including courses in planning and urban theory; research methods courses; and preparation and completion of two fields of specialization. They must also successfully complete an oral qualifying examination, which allows them to advance to candidacy and undertake dissertation research. A PhD is awarded upon completion of a written dissertation approved by the faculty supervisors of the dissertation.

The PhD program encourages its students to build intellectual community and to participate in national and international venues of scholarship. Doctoral candidates regularly present their research at the annual conferences of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Association of American Geographers, Association of European Schools of Planning, World Planning Schools Congress, Urban Affairs Association, and American Anthropological Association. They organize and participate in a weekly research colloquium and manage the Berkeley Planning Journal , a peer-reviewed academic publication. Such activities utilize the incredible intellectual resources available to doctoral students at UC Berkeley, both within their departments and programs and across the campus.

Financial Aid + Admissions

Admission to the PhD program is highly competitive. Applicants are required to have completed a master's degree in planning or a related field. They are expected to demonstrate capacity for advanced research and to present a compelling research topic as part of their application. Once admitted to the program, students are eligible to compete for various university fellowships, including the Berkeley Fellowship, Cota-Robles Fellowship, and the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship. Students of the program have also been successful in securing funding for dissertation research from the National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and the Fulbright scholarships.

The Department of City & Regional Planning and UC Berkeley offer multiple types of financial support to its graduate students.

Please note that admission decisions are not made by individual faculty, but rather an admissions committee. Our PhD admissions process begins with three initial reviews of your application: the two faculty members you list as preferred advisors and one member of the PhD admission committee. The admission committee then meets to review all applications as a cohort and make admission/denial decisions. More information can be found on the department admissions page .

The principal admission requirements to the doctoral program in City & Regional Planning are overall excellence in past academic work and research, demonstrated creativity and intellectual leadership in professional activity, and the strong promise of sustained intellectual achievement, originality, and scholarship. The emphasis in the doctoral program is upon scholarship and research. At the same time, because the doctorate is offered in the context of a professional school, doctoral students are challenged to undertake applied research relevant to city and regional planning and policy problems. If you do not want to teach in planning or a related field, or to do advanced research, please reconsider applying to this program. Most doctoral students enter the program with a master’s degree in planning or a related field. The Master of City Planning is regarded as a terminal professional degree, and is not comparable to mid-study Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees offered in anticipation of the doctorate.

Admission to the doctoral program is very competitive. Only six to eight students are admitted each year, sometimes from a pool of as many as 80 applicants. For all applicants to the doctoral program (even those required to take an English-language competency exam (TOEFL, TOEFL CBT, iBT TOEFL, or IELTS) the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is optional; although prospective students who choose to take the GRE should do so before December to ensure timely receipt of scores. Applicants must also secure at least three letters of recommendation that can explicitly evaluate their intellectual capability and past research and academic work.

Please note that admission decisions are not made by individual faculty, but rather an admissions committee. DCRP’s PhD admissions process begins with three initial reviews of your application: the two faculty members you list as preferred advisors and one member of the PhD admission committee. The admission committee then meets to review all applications as a cohort and make admission/denial decisions.

Many PhD students choose to pursue one or more of the designated emphases (DEs) offered through programs across campus. These DEs are unrelated to the outside field required by the City & Regional Planning PhD, and can be thought of instead as elective “minors” which provide opportunities for focused interdisciplinary work, mentorship, conference funding, research fellowships and an extra credential along with the doctoral degree. Common DEs pursued by DCRP PhD students include:

• Global Metropolitan Studies (GMS)
• Science and Technology Studies (STS)
• Development Engineering (DevEng)
• Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS)
• Political Economy
• Film & Media
• Critical Theory

For more information on the PhD in City & Regional Planning program, contact [email protected] .

Doctoral (Ph.D.) Program

In order to receive the Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering, all students must successfully complete the following three milestones:

• Required coursework: major and minor requirements
• Departmental Exams: first year screening exams and the oral qualifying exam

Dissertation

Major Field Requirement

The major field is always defined as “Nuclear Engineering”, not the student’s specific research area.  All six courses required for this field must be NE courses in the department.  Occasionally students may petition to include courses taught by NE faculty in other departments.

Minor Requirements (two minors required)

In addition to a major field, each student must select two minor fields that serve to broaden the base of the studies and lend support to the major field. Each minor program field should have an orientation different from the major program.  Typically, at least one minor field consists of regular courses taken outside the department (i.e., no 298 or 299 independent studies or non-graded courses).  Each field must contain at least 6 units of course credit.

Department Exams

Screening Exam

During the first year in graduate study, students must pass the screening exams, consisting of four written exams in four different subject areas. Choose four subjects from the following eight subject areas: (1) radiation detection, (2) heat transfer and fluid mechanics, (3) nuclear physics,(4) neutronics, (5) fusion theory, (6) nuclear materials, (7) radioactive waste management, and (8) Radio Biophysics. All graduate students, whether MS or PhD students, must pass four screening exams during the first year of study if they wish to be admitted to, or continue into the PhD program.

Qualifying Exam (QE)

After completing the required coursework for the PhD the student takes the oral Qualifying Exam (QE).  Students must apply to the Graduate Division to take the QE no later than three weeks before the exam date, and they they are required to list at least three subject areas to be covered during the examination, as well as the members of their QE exam committee.

Advancement to PhD candidacy 

After passing the QE, the student submits an application for advancement to PhD candidacy to the Graduate Division.  The application should be submitted no later than the end of the semester following the one in which the student passed the QE.

Non-resident students who have been advanced to PhD candidacy are eligible for a waiver of the non-resident tuition fee for a maximum calendar period of three years.

Candidacy for the doctorate is only valid for a limited time.  The Graduate Division informs the student of the number of semesters they are eligible to be a PhD candidate. Students who do not complete the dissertation within that time, plus a two-year grace period, will have their candidacy lapsed.

In order to receive a degree in any given term, all work for the degree must be completed by the last day of the term.  Students must meet the Graduate Division eligibility requirements to file a dissertation .

A dissertation on a subject chosen by the candidate, bearing on the principal subject of the student's major study and demonstrating the candidate's ability to carry out independent investigation, must be completed and receive the approval of the dissertation committee and the dean of the Graduate Division.   Students should consult " Dissertation Writing and Filing " on the Graduate Division's website.

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U.S. News & World Report ranks UC Berkeley computer science graduate program No. 1

UC Berkeley’s computer science graduate program was ranked first in the nation for the second year in a row by U.S. News & World Report , according to 2024 rankings  released April 8.

Berkeley’s program in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences shared the top spot with computer science programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University. 

Several other Berkeley graduate programs in business, public health, public affairs and more were listed in the top 20 for their disciplines. These rankings are based on a survey of academics at peer institutions, according to U.S. News .

Berkeley’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences is shared by the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society and the College of Engineering. Learn more about Berkeley’s computer science graduate program.

Philosophy PhD

The Graduate Program in Philosophy at Berkeley offers a first-rate faculty, a stimulating and friendly community of graduate students, and the resources of one of the world's finest research universities.

Two features distinguish our profile from that of other leading graduate programs in philosophy:

• The department has strengths in all the main areas of philosophy, including epistemology, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, philosophy of language, logic, ethics, the history of philosophy, and philosophy of science. We aim at diversity and breadth of coverage, rather than concentration on one or two areas of philosophical activity.
• Second, the program at Berkeley is structured to give students a high degree of independence in tailoring their studies to their interests.

Those wishing to pursue graduate studies in philosophy can choose among several routes to a PhD at Berkeley:

• The Philosophy Department's graduate program leads to a PhD in Philosophy.
• Students with strong interests in Ancient Philosophy may want to take advantage of a special ancient concentration within the philosophy program.
• Students with strong interests in the History and Philosophy of Science may want to explore the special HPS concentration within the philosophy program.
• Students with strong interests in formal logic may pursue them in the Philosophy Department, in the Mathematics Department , or in Berkeley's interdisciplinary program leading to a PhD in Logic and the Methodology of Science , to which the Philosophy Department has close ties.

Contact Info

[email protected]

314 Philosophy Hall #2390 University of California

Berkeley, CA 94720-2390

At a Glance

Department(s)

Admit Term(s)

Application Deadline

January 8, 2024

Degree Type(s)

Doctoral / PhD

Degree Awarded

GRE Requirements

U.S. News Releases 2024 Best Graduate Programs Rankings

Find the top-ranked graduate schools in business, education, law, nursing and other fields.

U.S. News Ranks Best Graduate Schools

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To help prospective graduate students find a school that fits their needs, U.S. News released the 2024 rankings for multiple graduate fields.

Depending on the job or field, earning a graduate degree may lead to higher earnings, career advancement and specialized skill development.

But with several types of degrees and hundreds of graduate schools, it can be difficult to narrow down the options. To help prospective graduate students find a school that fits their needs, U.S. News released its 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings today. They evaluate business, education, fine arts, health, law, library studies, nursing, public affairs, science, and social sciences and humanities graduate programs. Medical school and engineering rankings are not being released at this time.

A notable methodology change includes a new salary indicator based on profession in the business rankings.

Additionally, for the first time in four years, there are new rankings for a blend of doctoral and master's programs in audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, nurse midwifery and speech-language pathology. Graduate programs in nurse anesthesia and social work are also ranked for the first time since 2016 and 2022, respectively. Those and other specialty rankings are based on reputation ratings from scholars at other surveyed schools.

Read each program's specific methodology for the most detailed explanations of all the changes. The rankings are one source of information among many that prospective college students can use to inform their college decision. Below is a summary of the top-ranked schools in four major graduate program areas:

Best Law Schools

Best business schools, best nursing schools, best education schools.

Among the top 10 law schools . Yale Law School in Connecticut and California-based  Stanford Law School shared the top spot again. The  University of Chicago Law School in Illinois maintained its No. 3 rank, followed by a four-way tie at No. 4: Duke University School of Law in North Carolina, Harvard Law School in Massachusetts, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the University of Virginia School of Law .

Columbia Law School in New York ranked No. 8 again, while there was a three-way tie for No. 9: New York University School of Law , Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law in Illinois and the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor Law School .

Looking beyond the top 10, multiple law schools moved up in the rankings. William & Mary Law School in Virginia, for instance, jumped nine spots from a tie at No. 45 to a five-way tie at No. 36.

U.S. News also ranked 13 law specialties: business/corporate, clinical training, constitutional, contracts/commercial, criminal, dispute resolution, environmental, health care, intellectual property, international, legal writing, tax and trial advocacy. (You can filter by specialty on the  main ranking page .)

Meanwhile, in the  part-time law school rankings – which consists of law schools with at least 20 part-time students enrolled in fall 2022 and fall 2023 – the top three stayed the same. The  Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., is once again at the top while D.C.-based  George Washington University Law School , now No. 3, switched places with the  Fordham University School of Law in New York City, which claimed second place.

Previously ranked at No. 3 and No. 6 respectively, the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and Stanford Graduate School of Business took the top spot in this year's full-time MBA program rankings . Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business moved down from their previous places in the top two to tie at No. 3.

While the top 10 mostly consists of the same schools as last year, both the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business joined those ranks this year. UC Berkeley rose from a three-way tie at No. 11 to a three-way tie at No. 7, while UVA moved up four spots from No. 14 to a tie at No. 10.

Farther down the full-time MBA rankings, there were some big changes. For example, Pitt's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business soared 39 spots from a tie at No. 86 to a tie at No. 47.

Meanwhile, the very top of the part-time MBA rankings looks similar to last year, with the same schools in the top 5: UChicago, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, NYU's Leonard N. Stern School of Business and the Anderson School of Management at the University of California—Los Angeles. But UChicago took the No. 1 spot from UC Berkeley this year.

Moving up from No. 2, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing in Maryland tied with Emory University's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing in Georgia to claim the top spot in this year's nursing master's program rankings. Duke University School of Nursing in North Carolina climbed up by one to claim the third spot.

Johns Hopkins ranked No. 1, as it did last year, in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program rankings. George Mason University School of Nursing in Virginia – which reported more graduates and resources per faculty – soared from a four-way tie at No. 39 to take the No. 2 spot. Duke tied with the University of Washington School of Nursing to round out the top three.

Duke also ranked No. 1 in all of the ranked nursing master's nursing practice specialties, including administration, family, both acute and primary care adult gerontology, and mental health.

Once again, Teachers College, Columbia University in New York was No. 1 in the graduate education schools rankings. This year, however, it tied with the University of Wisconsin—Madison School of Education , which climbed two spots.

The University of Michigan—Ann Arbor's School of Education dropped from the top position to tie with the UCLA School of Education and Information Studies at No. 3. UCLA was previously tied at No. 7.

U.S. News also ranks nine education specialties, with the College of Education at Michigan State University claiming the top spot in the following categories: curriculum and instruction, educational administration, elementary teacher education, higher education administration and secondary teacher education.

Searching for a grad school of education? Access our  complete rankings  of Best Graduate Schools.

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UC Berkeley insider known for questioning the status quo is named new chancellor

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Rich Lyons, a UC Berkeley leader of innovation and entrepreneurship who cultivated a culture of questioning the status quo as business school dean, has been named the new chancellor of the premier public research university following unanimous approval by the regents Wednesday.

Lyons, 63, is a Berkeley alumnus who headed the Haas School of Business for a decade, shattering fundraising records, and currently serves as associate vice chancellor and chief innovation and entrepreneurship officer. A professor of economics and finance, Lyons has won numerous teaching awards and is seen as a charismatic insider with the skills to navigate the complex Berkeley culture — and enliven campus events with mean guitar-playing skills.

UC President Michael V. Drake selected Lyons from a diverse pool of hundreds of candidates — 45% of them people of color and 25% women. Lyons will take the helm July 1, following the retirement of current Chancellor Carol Christ.

After the vote, Lyons told regents he was “humbled and thrilled” by the appointment. “Berkeley is on the threshold of an exciting decade,” he said.

An open letter to the new chancellor from the Berkeley Faculty Assn. signaled the challenges ahead. It described unprecedented demoralization stemming from growing workloads and financial hardships.

“You will inherit a campus that is close to breaking point,” the letter said. “That has created a huge burden on faculty to maintain Berkeley’s reputation as the best public university in the world with ever-diminishing resources and ever-deteriorating working conditions.”

Lyons will oversee a campus of nearly 46,000 students and 1,570 faculty members at a particularly fraught moment in higher education. Culture wars over free speech, academic freedom, diversity — and, more recently, the Israel-Palestinian conflict — have inflamed and divided campuses across the country, including Berkeley.

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Lyons, in remarks Wednesday, said he leans toward adopting a policy of “institutional neutrality” to refrain from statements about issues of the day. That policy, which holds that universities should be places to host robust debate among campus members but not take stands themselves, is followed by the University of Chicago, Stanford and other institutions.

The Israel-Hamas war in particular has set off extreme controversy over statements by university leaders, often leading to cycles of backlash and more statements.

Skepticism over the value of college degrees has grown, and state disinvestment in public universities has accelerated across the nation. Even in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom and state legislators have increased higher education funding, Berkeley and other UC campuses continue to struggle to make ends meet.

Berkeley has closed two deficits and raised $7.3 billion in its capital campaign that ended Feb. 29 — the highest haul of any public university. But, faculty members say, the campus needs billions more to repair and maintain aging buildings, offer competitive salaries, accommodate growing enrollment and even afford regular cleaning.

Lyons, in a 2020 campus conversation , said financial sustainability was among the university’s biggest challenges — noting that the proportion of Berkeley’s educational expenses covered by state funding had plunged, from half years ago to less than 12% in recent years.

As a fundraiser, he helped land eight of the top 10 gifts to the Haas business school and nearly doubled the overall donations during his tenure as dean from 2008 to 2018, compared with the previous decade, the business school reported. One $25-million donation seeded the $65-million development of a six-story, 80,000-square-feet building with classrooms, study rooms, an event space and a cafe.

Lyons said he planned to explore “fresh” ways to raise revenue, including potentially $100 million through “shared return” investment funds in new companies. “That changes the game,” he said.

The incoming chancellor said diversity, equity and inclusion issues were also top institutional challenges. UC Berkeley enrolls a lower proportion of underrepresented students — 22.6% in fall 2023 — than UCLA at 27.1% and UC San Diego at 25.1%.

“Berkeley ... is a profoundly important institution to society,” he said in 2020. “The idea that we look so different than the society we serve is going to get more and more troublesome.”

Sydney Roberts, Berkeley’s student body president, said financial support for underrepresented students to thrive and succeed was among top student priorities, along with affordable housing, safety and free speech protections. She called for a leader with conflict-resolution skills, political acumen and a commitment to listen to students and act on what they say.

“We need a community builder … a person to help people feel valued and heard,” said Lisa García Bedolla, vice provost for graduate studies and dean of the graduate division.

She and Maximilian Auffhammer, UC Berkeley’s Academic Senate chair, said a new chancellor must be able to articulate the broad value of Berkeley to the larger public to help build support for the university. Its “world-class faculty” members have made life-changing discoveries, Auffhammer said, including breakthroughs in gene-editing processes that helped create COVID-19 vaccines and a treatment for sickle-cell anemia. Berkeley instructors also have helped inspire students to reach their potential, such as one teaching assistant who encouraged García Bedolla to pursue a PhD.

A divide over the Israel-Hamas war flares at UC Berkeley Law

A Wall Street Journal op-ed by professor Steven Davidoff Solomon recommended against hiring students who ‘support discriminatory bylaws or other acts and resolutions blaming Jews and Israelis for the Hamas massacre.’

Nov. 3, 2023

But García Bedolla also noted the low morale across campus, stemming from lingering pandemic fallout, the 2022 academic worker strike and recent polarization over the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Daniel Sargent, an associate professor of history and public policy, said the new chancellor should help facilitate a greater embrace of different viewpoints — including conservative voices as a counterweight to the prevailing “ultraprogressive monoculture,” he said.

Lyons has a track record of unifying people around shared goals. After two years as “chief learning officer” at Goldman Sachs, where he observed the value of building an institutional culture, he led a process to do likewise at the Berkeley business school.

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The school’s four “defining principles” — paraphrased — include questioning the status quo, showing confidence with humility, embracing lifelong curiosity and learning, and serving the collective good — not only personal interests. Lyons also helped spearhead new interdisciplinary majors combining business with other fields, such as engineering and biology, and a “Berkeley Changemaker” class that helped students identify their passions and activate them to make a difference in the world.

In selecting Lyons, Drake said he was impressed by his “peerless” academic credentials, ability to connect with diverse people, his love for students evidenced by many teaching awards and his collaborative skills at working with the UC community.

He added that Lyons was devoted to Berkeley, “a Cal Bear through and through.”

A Palo Alto native, Lyons earned a bachelor’s degree in business at UC Berkeley and a PhD in economics at MIT. He taught at the Columbia University business school for six years before returning to Berkeley in 1993 as an assistant professor of finance and economics. He went on to serve at Haas as associate dean for academic affairs, acting dean and, in 2008, dean after his stint at Goldman Sachs.

He was appointed chief innovation and entrepreneurship officer in 2020, serving in a newly created role by Christ. He and his team propelled Berkeley to become the No. 1 university to produce venture-funded startups founded by undergraduate alumni.

Fluent in French, he is married with two children.

More to Read

‘Please leave!’ A Jewish UC Berkeley dean confronts pro-Palestinian activist at his home

April 11, 2024

Stanford names Jonathan Levin, business school dean, new president after leadership crisis

April 4, 2024

After violent protest, controversial pro-Israeli speaker comes back to UC Berkeley

March 19, 2024

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Teresa Watanabe covers education for the Los Angeles Times. Since joining the Times in 1989, she has covered immigration, ethnic communities, religion, Pacific Rim business and served as Tokyo correspondent and bureau chief. She also covered Asia, national affairs and state government for the San Jose Mercury News and wrote editorials for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. A Seattle native, she graduated from USC in journalism and in East Asian languages and culture.

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Undergraduate Program

Find the Perfect Program

Under the Haas Undergraduate Business Programs, we have four distinct and unique programs that embrace and foster the Distinguished Leadership Principles. The programs are: The Spieker Undergraduate Business Program, The Global Management Program, The Robinson Life Sciences and Business Entrepreneurship Program, and Management, Entrepreneurship, and Technology Program.

Our Programs

Spieker undergraduate business program.

The Spieker Undergraduate Business Program is a four-year undergraduate business program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

Global management program.

The Global Management Program links the expertise of UC Berkeley business courses with project-based travel opportunities to develop a global perspective.

Management, entrepreneurship, & technology program.

A freshman admit program for students interested in studying both engineering and business.

Robinson life sciences, business, and entrepreneurship program.

The Robinson Life Science, Business, and Entrepreneurship Program combines the strengths of the Biosciences Division in the College of Letters and Science and the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.

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Professor Michael Buckingham

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Previously a Distinguished Professor of Ocean Acoustics in the Marine Physical Laboratory at SIO, Dr. Buckingham continues his research program which includes serving as lead Principal Investigator for an Office of Naval Research-funded project and other research activities. Professor Buckingham serves as a PhD student mentor as well as performs important, informal advising and mentoring activities.

Buckingham’s research focuses on ocean acoustic propagation, ambient noise in the marine environment, and acoustic imaging. His experiments involve the identification of objects in the ocean using naturally occurring sounds, produced as a result of bubbles forming near the surface. This system, described as “acoustic daylight” uses an experimental electronic imaging system that reveals objects in the ocean by listening to ambient underwater noise and displaying the objects as a simple video image. His recent theoretical research concerns sound and shear wave propagation through saturated granular materials, notably marine sediments. He is the recipient of several awards, including the A.B. Wood Medal from the Institute of Acoustics, UK, the Pioneers of Underwater Acoustics Medal from the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), and the Gold Medal from the ASA.

Degrees: Ph.D. in Physics, University of Reading, England; BSc with honors in Physics, University of Reading, England.

  Learn more about Professor Buckingham's work here .

Professor Paterno Castillo

Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)

Previously a Professor of Geology, Dr. Castillo continues his active research program which includes his work as a co-Investigator and a mentor to a Principal Investigator on two recently funded National Science Foundation (NSF) projects. Professor Castillo continues to serve on graduate student committees.

Professor Castillo's research interests include:

• Petrology and isotope geochemistry of MORB and OIB
• Petrologic and tectonic evolution of the western Pacific
• Mantle geodynamics

Degrees: B.S., University of the Philippines; M.S., University of Akron; Ph.D., Washington University.

Learn more about Professor Castillo’s work here.

Professor Daniel Hallin

Department of Communication

Previously a Distinguished Professor of Communication, Dr. Hallin remains highly active in his research and continues advising Ph.D. students and serving on committees. He recently performed research on transnational pandemic communication. Several other research projects that he is working on significantly contribute to the intellectual mission and life of the Department and provide opportunities for work with students. These include the Journalistic Role Performance Project, based on surveys of journalists and content analysis in 37 countries, and continued work on comparative analysis of Latin American media systems, including a comparative project on anti-populism and the media in Latin America. His BioBib reflects his continued dynamic career with the publication of eight new journal articles (one jointly with one of our graduate students), four book chapters and miscellaneous other publications since his previous review.  He recently completed a second edition of his book on health news, Making Health Public , updated to reflect new research on the COVID pandemic.

Hallin's research concerns journalism, political communication, and the comparative analysis of media systems. He has written on the media and war and more recently on health news and the mediatization of health and medicine. He has also written on television coverage of elections, demonstrating the shrinking "sound bite" and offering an interpretation of its meaning for political journalism, and on the rise and decline of journalist professionalism in the United States. In recent years, he has turned his attention to the comparative analysis of media systems, focusing on Western Europe and on Latin America, and trying to bring into political communication and media studies the tradition of comparative historical and institutional analysis that can be found in sociology and comparative politics.

  Degrees: Ph.D., Political Science, UC Berkeley.

Learn more about Professor Hallin’s work here .

Thomas Levy

Department of Anthropology

An anthropological archaeologist of complex societies, Dr. Levy now focuses on marine archaeology, climate change and cyber-archaeology in the eastern Mediterranean, specifically Israel and Greece. Tom supervises and mentors graduate students and is founder of the Qualcomm Institute's Center for Cyber-Archaeology and Sustainability, where he serves as co-director. Having published well over a dozen books and more than 250 articles in addition to being the recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Levy has recently been honored with the publication by Springer of a two-volume peer reviewed Festschrift, a mark of distinction recognizing the legacy of his groundbreaking and prolific scholarship.

Degrees: Ph.D., Archeology and Prehistory, University of Sheffield.

Learn more about Professor Levy’s work here .

Professor James McKerrow

Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Previously a Distinguished Professor of Pathology, Dean of the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences, Dr. McKerrow now focuses on the work of his lab screening for new drug therapy targeting human pancreatic adenocarcinomas. This is a unique project attempting to drive differentiation of pancreatic cancer metastases into benign tissues and is a collaboration with Janssen (J&J) in Del Mar.

Degrees: B.S., Haverford College; Ph.D., UC San Diego; MD, State University of New York.

Learn more about Professor McKerrow's work here .

Professor Charles Perrin

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Referred to as " The Icon of Organic Chemistry ," Dr. Perrin is an internationally recognized leader in the area of physical organic chemistry. He has taught at UC San Diego for 60 years and continues to contribute in the areas of teaching, research and service. He served as Chair of an international Task Force that published a 180-page update of the IUPAC Glossary of Physical Organic Chemistry.

Degrees: Ph.D. and A.B. ( scl ), Harvard University.

Learn more about Professor Perrin’s work here .

Nicholas Spitzer

Division of Biological Sciences, Institute of Engineering in Medicine

Previously a Professor of Biological Sciences, Dr. Spitzer focuses on a form of neuroplasticity called neurotransmitter switching, in which neurons change the transmitters that they make and release in response to sustained sensory or motor activity. He has been described as " an icon at UC San Diego ," having taught and researched on campus for over 50 years.

Professor Spitzer was founding editor-in-chief of BrainFacts.org at the Society for Neuroscience and a founding co-director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at UC San Diego.

Degrees:  Ph.D., Neurobiology, Harvard University.

Learn more about Dr. Spitzer's work here .

Professor Shirley Strum

Professor Strum is a renowned biological anthropologist who specializes in primatology and has made enormous contributions to wildlife and habitat conservation. Dr. Strum has published important work during her time as an active professor at UC San Diego, and the baboons she studies have been included in 25 nature documentaries over the years. She continues to teach courses such as Conservation and Human Predicament and Conservation and the Media as well as mentor Masters and Ph.D. students.

A biological anthropologist specializing in primate studies, conservation, and science studies, Strum has studied one population of baboons in Kenya for 51 years. During that time her research has discovered new patterns in:

• The male dominance hierarchy showing that males rely on social strategies of aggression and defense;
• Social complexity in baboon social life;
• Cognition in the wild employing distributed cognition and situated action developed for humans and applied to baboons;
• How the social and ecological are entangled and the use and misuse of nonhuman primate models in evolutionary interpretations of humans.

Degrees: Ph.D., Anthropology, UC Berkeley.

Learn more about Dr. Strum's work here .

Professor Suresh Subramani

Department of Molecular Biology

  Professor Subramani joined the faculty in the Department of Biology at UC San Diego in 1982 and retired in 2018. His service to UC has included serving as the Executive Vice Chancellor (2010-16), Associate Vice Chancellor (2009-10), Interim Dean of the Division of Biosciences (2006-07), and Chair of Biology (1999-2000). Dr. Subramani continues to exemplify excellence in research, teaching via mentorship, and service. He serves as the Global Director of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society , which has efforts in San Diego and India, and is actively engaged in the School of Biological Sciences and the Department of Molecular Biology while also providing mentorship to undergraduate students and post-doctoral researchers.

Dr. Subramani has been a pioneer in the area of peroxisome biology. Abnormalities in peroxisome biogenesis are closely associated with the development of debilitating human diseases, including Zellweger syndrome, rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata and infantile Refsum disease. His current work focuses on the the trafficking of peroxisomal membrane proteins via the endoplasmic reticulum, their budding into pre-peroxisomal vesicles (ppV) and the proteins and mechanisms involved in this ppV budding;

  Degrees: Ph.D., Biochemistry, UC Berkeley.

Professor Clifford Surko

Department of Physics

  An internationally renowned plasma physicist, Professor Surko came to UC San Diego in 1988 and retired in 2022. Dr. Surko continues to do experiment-based research in atomic and plasma physics that involves positrons as well as mentor scholars at all levels.

  Professor Surko's group is currently engaged in research in four areas:

• Developing tools for research with low-energy antimatter
• Study of positron-matter interactions
• Creation and study of an electron-positron “pair” plasma
• Studying fluid dynamics using magnetized electron plasmas

  Professor Surko is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a recipient of the American Physical Society’s James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics.

Degrees: Ph.D., Physics; and A.B., Physics and Mathematics, UC Berkeley.

Learn more about Professor Surko’s work here .

Professor Lynne Talley

Previously a Distinguished Professor of Physical Oceanography in Climate, Atmospheric Sciences, and Physical Oceanography, Professor Talley continues her very active and well-funded research program which includes serving as co-PI for three large projects, SOCCOM, GO-BGC, and US GO-SHIP. Dr. Talley also mentors PhD students and a postdoc.

Talley’s research focuses on the general circulation of the ocean and the role of various oceanic and atmospheric conditions that affect ocean currents and property distributions, and the role of the ocean in climate. Her work involves analysis of data from most of the world’s oceans, depicting the movement of heat, salinity, and water masses, and the formation of water masses, particularly in subpolar regions. Her particular emphases over the last decade have been Southern Ocean processes and installation of a global biogeochemical profiling float array as part of an NSF-funded team.

Degrees: Ph.D., Oceanography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; B.M., Piano performance, Oberlin Conservatory of Music; 

B.A., Physics, Oberlin College.

Learn more about Professor Talley's work and contact information here .