Major Advising
Students interested in the major who want to learn more can contact our undergraduate advisor, Cassandra Dunn, our faculty advisor, Alex Von Rospatt, or any department faculty member. When ready to begin planning for declaration, Students should meet with our undergraduate advisor, Cassandra Dunn, to write a program plan and declare their major. Students may also meet with our Faculty Undergraduate Advisor, Jake Dalton, for academic support and subject matter advising. The Faculty Advisor can also share information about graduate programs and the graduate school experience. We welcome and encourage students to connect with our faculty for information and guidance. Office hours and contact information can be found on our faculty page.
Major Requirements
Language
A minimum of two semesters and 6 units in any language offered by the department. The precise number of total units varies according to the language and the language course level in which the student enrolls.
Gateway Courses
Students must take at least two of the following:
- South Asia 100A (Ancient South Asia)
- South Asia 100B (Medieval-Modern South Asia)
- Southeast Asia 101A (Mainland Southeast Asia)
- Southeast Asia 101B (Insular Southeast Asia).
*Students can take any combination of these courses and in any order.
Upper Division Electives
Three upper-division courses offered by the department are required to complete the major. Upper-division courses are numbered 100 - 194. Courses numbered 195, 198, and 199 cannot meet major requirements.
Allowances
- Only one summer course from the department will count toward the required number of upper-division courses
- Only one upper-division course related to the major from outside of the department can be accepted to meet major requirements. This course must approved by the department. To request that a course be accepted, please submit the institution's details, course, and syllabus to the Undergraduate Major Advisor
Prerequisites
- One semester of language study (with a letter grade of C or higher) taken at UC Berkeley
- Completion of one Gateway Course with a letter grade of 2.0/C.
Honors Program
To be eligible for admission to the Honors Program, a student must attain a 3.5 grade point average or higher in courses completed in the major and a 3.3-grade point average across all courses completed at UC Berkeley. An honors thesis is required, as is registration in SSEAS H195. Students who wish to participate must choose a thesis topic in consultation with their major adviser and apply for admission to the program through the Undergraduate Adviser. They must do so by the first week of the spring semester of their senior year.
