Prospective Students

Check out our Requirements, as well as the Media Studies Major Map.

Welcome and First Steps for New Junior Transfer Students Beginning Fall 2024

Welcome to UC Berkeley! Congratulations on being admitted to the College of Letters & Science!

We are delighted you are interested in applying to the Media Studies major and look forward to advising you. This page is intended to help incoming junior transfer students prepare for applying to the Media Studies major, as well as answer questions you might have.

Below are a few important dates related to Media Studies, Golden Bear Advising (GBA), and Golden Bear Orientation (GBO):

  • Golden Bear Advising (GBA) is from June 18 through July 2.
  • Media Studies 10 is offered during Summer Sessions 2024 and begins on June 17th. If interested in enrolling during the summer and seats are available, visit Summer Sessions 2024 and Transfer Edge.
  • Fall 2024 enrollment for new junior transfer students begins on Tuesday, July 16. Check your specific enrollment dates and times in CalCentral.
  • Special information sessions and drop-in advising opportunities beyond the ones open to all students will be sent via announcements to the Media Studies GBA bCourses.
  • Check the Cal Events App for a Media Studies – Learn More Session for new junior transfer students when it is available.
  • Visit Berkeley Golden Bear Orientation (GBO) and see Berkeley GBO: Dates and Deadlines.

Below are the first steps incoming junior transfer students should take in preparation to participate in Golden Bear Advising (GBA), which is from June 18 through July 2, and enroll in classes on Tuesday, July 16:

  1. Get to know us. Read through the Media Studies website, paying particular attention to the Declared Fall 2021 or Later Curriculum on Requirements page as well as the Applying: Overview and Applying: Prerequisites pages.
  2. Complete Golden Bear Advising (GBA), including your L&S Modules, and watch for bCourses notifications and emails from the Media Studies Program*.
  3. Identify the Media Studies prerequisites you’ve already completed and make a plan for completing the remaining prerequisites for the major in fall 2024. See below, Section A.
  4. Decide which concentration–Digital Studies, Global Cultural Studies, or Media Law & Policy – you want to pursue. See below, Section B.
  5. Plan your first semester courses and enroll. See below, Section C.
  6. Check out FAQs. See below, Section D.

    *If you applied intending another major and are now interested in Media Studies, email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu from your @berkeley.edu email address and ask to be added to our bCourses Group for GBA.

Section A: Identify the Media Studies prerequisites you have already completed and make a plan to take the remaining prerequisites in fall 2024. All four prerequisites must be completed before declaring the major.

As a new junior transfer student interested in the Media Studies major, what you plan to take during your first semester at Cal will depend on what prerequisite coursework you completed prior to transferring. Transfer students should start off by reviewing the Applying: Overview and Applying: Prerequisites pages.

Identify your Media Studies transfer coursework

  • If you attended a California community college, look up your community college, UC Berkeley and Media Studies on assist.org. If a course is on Assist, it has been approved as a Media Studies prerequisite. For courses not on assist.org, you will need to submit the course description and syllabus for approval using the Intended Majors Media Studies Course Substitution Form for review.
    Notes: 1) It is important that you check assist.org for yourself now. 2) If two community college courses are required to equal one Media Studies prerequisite, make sure you have taken both community college courses; otherwise, you have not satisfied the prerequisite requirement. This can happen with History 7B and Economics 1 equivalents. It could happen with others. 3) If you satisfied IGETC requirements, it does not mean you satisfied major prerequisite requirements. IGETC and major requirements are different sets of requirements. 4) California community college course equivalent approvals differ from school to school, even in the same district. You must check assist.org for the specific school(s) you attended.
  • If you attended another school that is not on assist.org, compare the list of Media Studies prerequisites to your other school’s transcript. If you think you have a course that may satisfy any of these prerequisite requirements, you will need to submit a course description and syllabus for review using the Intended Majors Media Studies Course Substitution Form. The decision will be emailed to you. (Note: If you attended a four-year university and think you may have satisfied a Media Studies elective requirement with a course you took there, you may also submit it for review using this same form. The course would need to be letter-graded and upper-division (junior or senior level) per UC Berkeley’s Central Evaluation Unit in addition to Media Studies faculty approved to satisfy the requirement.)

Plan to apply to the Media Studies Major in your first or second semester at Cal

After you have reviewed the major prerequisites and have identified the prerequisites you have already satisfied via your transfer coursework, you have got the information you need to determine what prerequisites you need to take to be eligible to apply to the Media Studies major and when you will be able to apply. It is important that you complete the four prerequisites you need to be eligible to apply to the Media Studies major during your first or second semester at Cal. The Media Studies declaration form and declaration periods are on Applying: Overview.

Media Studies 10: Introduction to Media Studies must be taken at UC Berkeley.* If you are interested in taking this course during the summer before fall 2024, visit Media Studies 10 – Summer 2024, Summer Sessions 2024, and Transfer Edge. If you are not able to take Media Studies 10 during Summer 2024, prioritize enrolling in Media Studies 10 – Fall 2024.

* Requiring Media Studies 10 to be taken at UC Berkeley began in fall 2020. If you took an approved Media Studies 10 equivalent at a California community college summer 2020 or before per assist.org, it may satisfy this requirement.

Section B: Deciding which concentration you want to pursue

Media Studies offers the following three areas of concentration in its curriculum:

Familiarize yourself with the concentrations and decide which one would be best for your academic interests. Students select their area of concentration when they declare the major, and may begin taking concentration area electives before declaring, so it’s good to determine which concentration you’d like to pursue early on. These electives will be part of your major declaration GPA, along with your prerequisites, if you complete them before you declare to the major.

Section C: Planning your first semester courses and enrolling

General Information/Tips

  • Read Courses: Course Enrollment Information on the Media Studies website.
  • Review Courses: Courses by Term on the Media Studies website. This page includes term-specific courses being offered.
  • Look up course descriptions and class meeting information on the UC Berkeley Class Schedule.
  • Plan to take between 13 to 16 units. We recommend taking 13 units*, the minimum required by the College of Letters and Science, your first semester. It is important to be kind to yourself as you adjust to a new school, new academic community, and new classes. We want you to set yourself up to have a successful first semester and application to Media Studies.
  • All courses taken for the Media Studies major must be taken for a letter grade**.
  • Make a list of the courses you need and would like to take your first semester. It is important to have an alternate course plan in case you end up on any wait list. If you add yourself to the waitlist for a course, have an alternate course plan and attend both classes. You are not guaranteed a seat in a waitlisted course.

    * Students are required to take a minimum of 13 units each semester. Read L&S Unit Minimum and Maximum in a Semester if you have questions about course loads and requesting a reduced course load.
    ** Due to COVID-19, P grades were allowed for spring 2020 at all schools.

What courses do we recommend you take if you are not eligible to apply to the major your first semester at Cal?

Media Studies has four prerequisites. All four prerequisites must be completed before you declare the major. Prerequisites not completed before fall 2024 begins, whether at another school or UC Berkeley Summer Sessions 2024, will need to be taken in fall 2024 for you to be eligible to declare Media Studies in spring 2025.
Below are some possible courses to consider:

  • PRIORITY: Media Studies 10: Introduction to Media Studies – This course is a must if you have not taken an approved equivalent at your other school before fall 2020 or are not taking Media Studies 10 at UC Berkeley during Summer Sessions 2024.
  • PRIORITY: Remaining prerequisites needed to declare Media Studies in spring 2025.
  • A major elective–an approved concentration elective or upper-division elective (numbered 100 – 199) from any of the three concentrations. See Courses: Courses by Term.
  • A course for an alternate* or intended double major or minor.
  • A course of interest to balance out the semester.
  • Do not plan on enrolling in or wait-listing for core courses (Media Studies 111B, 112 or 113) offered by Media Studies. You will need to wait until the semester you are eligible to apply to the major to waitlist or enroll in core courses offered by Media Studies.
  • Note: The Media Studies declaration GPA will include the prerequisites and any course that applies to the major completed before the declaration form is submitted.

    * If you are concerned you will not meet the grade requirements to declare Media Studies or want to consider a different major, you could consider enrolling in another major’s prerequisite course. Visit Explore Majors and Minors on the L&S Advising website.

What courses do we recommend you take if you are eligible to apply to the major your first semester at Cal?

Media Studies has four prerequisites. Being eligible to declare the major in fall 2024 means you have completed all four prerequisites before fall 2024 begins and meet the declaration requirements. Your grades for all four prerequisites need to be available to declare. Visit Applying: Overview for declaration form, declaration periods, and additional instructions.

We encourage you to take two courses for the major and 1-2 other courses to satisfy non-major degree requirements. Below are some possible courses to consider when selecting the two courses to take related to the major:

  • A core course (Media Studies 111B, 112, or 113) if space is available. See Courses: Courses by Term.
  • A major elective–an approved concentration elective or upper-division elective (numbered 100 – 199) from any of the three concentrations. You could take two if a core course is not available. See Courses: Courses by Term.
  • A course for an alternate* or intended double major or minor.
  • A course of interest to balance out the semester.
    * * If you are concerned you will not meet the grade requirements to declare Media Studies or want to consider a different major, you could consider enrolling in another major’s prerequisite course. Visit Explore Majors and Minors on the Berkeley L&S Advising website.

What other courses do we recommend beyond the ones listed above to help you reach between 13 – 16 units?

Section D: FAQs

  • Q: Where do you go for advice about non-major degree requirements in the College of Letters and Science?
    A: Visit the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising on Berkeley L&S Advising and get to know this website well. Review Degree Requirements. If you cannot find your answer, ask an L&S College Adviser.
  • Q: Where do you go if you have questions not answered on the Media Studies website?
    A: If you have a specific question or two, email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu and include your student ID# in the email. If you have multiple or complex questions, schedule an appointment or come to drop-in advising with a Media Studies Student Academic Advisor, Laura Demir and Chelsea Prieto. Our advising pages include instructions for both meeting options.
  • Q: Is there any other information I should review beyond this page?
    A: Yes! Your GBA L&S Modules in bCourses are a must now and will be a valuable resource to refer back to in the future. Read your UC Berkeley emails too. A lot of important information and updates are shared that way from various campus offices. We also recommend reading through the Golden Bear Orientation (GBO), reviewing the Academic Progress and Planning pages on the Berkeley L&S Advising, as well as taking some time to familiarize yourself with CalCentral. The Office of the Registrar and Cal Student Central websites can be helpful too. These pages are worth bookmarking.

We look forward to meeting you.

Go Bears!

Laura Demir and Chelsea Prieto
Media Studies Student Academic Advisors

Greetings Fall 2024 New Freshmen,

Welcome to Cal! We are delighted you will be joining the University of California, Berkeley academic community and are interested in the Media Studies major.

In the beginning, you will be working with the L&S College Advisers in the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising. Get to know their Berkeley L&S Advising website. It will be a valuable resource throughout your time at Cal. You will learn a lot through Golden Bear Orientation (GBO) and Golden Bear Advising (GBA) too.

While you may have expressed an interest in Media Studies when you applied to the University, we encourage you to explore all your major options to make the best, informed choice for you. We want you to study what sparks your individual academic interests and make the most of your time at Cal. Visit Explore Majors & Minors and Declare or Change Major on Berkeley L&S Advising.

We also encourage you to read the Media Studies website in its entirety so you will be knowledgeable about the major you are considering. Reading About the Major, Requirements – declared fall 2021 or later (with concentrations) and course descriptions in the Berkeley Academic Guide Course Catalog will help you determine if your interests match what our major offers. Reading Applying: Overview and Applying: Prerequisites will help you plan to complete the major prerequisites if you choose to be an intended Media Studies major. While we know you are eager to ask questions, we ask that you wait until after you have completed the College of Letters and Science modules in bCourses/Canvas during Golden Bear Advising (GBA). Many questions are answered by their modules. Note Golden Bear Orientation Dates & Deadlines.

If you have a specific question or two after reading the links above and completing your L&S GBA modules, email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu. You will receive a response from a Media Studies Student Academic Advisor, Laura Demir or Chelsea Prieto. When you reach out to us for advice, identify yourself as a fall 2024 new freshman who is exploring the Media Studies major. We also have scheduled appointments and drop-in advising too.

Enjoy your summer! Go Bears!

Laura Demir and Chelsea Prieto
Media Studies Student Academic Advisors

 

A few ways to explore major options at UC Berkeley:

Greetings Spring 2025 New Freshmen and New Junior Transfer Students interested in the Media Studies Major,

We encourage you to read the Media Studies website in its entirety, especially the pages related to declaring the major. Visit Applying: Overview and Applying: Prerequisites.

New Junior Transfer Students, please schedule an appointment with a Media Studies Student Academic Advisor, Laura Demir or Chelsea Prieto, to discuss your spring enrollments and eligibility to apply to the major. If you are not able to schedule an appointment at a time that works for you, come to drop-in advising. Visit Laura Demir’s advising page and Chelsea Prieto’s advising page for availability and instructions for both advising options.

What you should take in the spring is determined by the prerequisites you have completed prior to coming to UC Berkeley and what you need to take your first semester at UC Berkeley to be eligible to declare the major. Be sure to do your Golden Bear Advising (GBA) L&S Modules in bCourses/Canvas early when your Golden Bear Advising (GBA) starts on October 6th. Visit Dates and Deadlines on the Golden Bear Orientation (GBO) website.

New Freshmen, the L&S College Advisers in the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising will be your main advisers as you start your academic career at Cal. Learn more about both on Berkeley L&S Advising. When you have questions about various majors, you can reach out to major advisors too. You may complete three prerequisites for the Media Studies major during your first two semesters at Cal. You must complete two semesters at Cal before enrolling in Media Studies 10.

If you have questions, email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu. This email address is answered by the Student Academic Advisors. 

All the best,

Laura and Chelsea

Laura Demir and Chelsea Prieto
Media Studies Student Academic Advisors

 

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