In 1964, against the backdrop of the anti-Vietnam War and African American Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., some students at the University of California, Berkeley began conducting related propaganda, fundraising, and other political activities on campus.
In September 1964, Dean of Students Katherine Towle announced a ban on non-school political activities on campus (telling everyone to shut up), sparking student anger and protest (Why should we shut up just because you say so?).
In the fall of 1964, defying the administration's strict prohibition of political organizing, an organization called the Free Speech Movement (FSM) was founded at Berkeley.
On October 1, student Jack Weinberg set up a table with political information for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in front of the administration building and refused to show identification to campus police, leading to his arrest.
Hundreds of students then surrounded the police car, and the standoff continued until the next evening. Weinberg was trapped inside the car for 32 hours while about 3,000 students spontaneously surrounded it, with the crowd reaching nearly 10,000 at one point.
Student Mario Savio delivered a speech from the roof of the police car, urging demonstrators to "stand up calmly and go home with dignity."
At 7:30 p.m. on October 2, Mario Savio announced to the students that University of California President Clark Kerr had agreed to release Jack Weinberg and to negotiate with students regarding on-campus political activities, and the crowd gradually dispersed.
Shortly after, a new conflict erupted when the administration ordered the FSM leaders to be suspended.
On December 2, Mario Savio delivered his famous "Operation of the Machine/Put your bodies upon the gears" speech in Sproul Plaza. At the FSM's call, thousands of students occupied Sproul Plaza and Sproul Hall for a sit-in.
At midnight, Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Edwin Meese III called Governor Edmund Brown Sr., requesting mass arrests. Shortly after 2 a.m. on December 4, police sealed the building and began making arrests at 3:30 a.m. Nearly 800 students were arrested, most of whom were bused to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. They were released after a few hours. About a month later, the university pressed charges against the sit-in organizers, which only fueled larger student protests.
On January 3, 1965, new Chancellor Martin Meyerson established interim rules for political activities on the Berkeley campus. He designated Sproul Hall as an open discussion area during certain hours and allowed tables to be set up.
The FSM ultimately prevailed. (Cue the confetti~)
On the ground of Sproul Plaza stands a special "monument" commemorating the Free Speech Movement—a large round granite plaque inscribed with: "This soil and the air space extending above it shall not be a part of any nation and shall not be subject to any entity's jurisdiction."
The Free Speech Movement was a milestone in the American civil rights movement, profoundly impacting American society, and UC Berkeley became one of the freest, most inclusive, and most dynamic universities in the United States.
University of California, Berkeley
Ranked #21 in U.S. News & World Report's 2018 Best National Universities
The University of California, Berkeley, located in Berkeley, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a world-renowned public research university and one of the most prestigious institutions globally, often hailed as the top public university in the U.S. and even the world. Founded in 1868, Berkeley is the flagship of the ten-campus University of California system.
Berkeley regularly ranks among the world's top ten universities and the top U.S. public university. The 2017–18 Academic Ranking of World Universities placed Berkeley fifth worldwide. Berkeley is ranked 27th in the QS World University Rankings. It is also ranked fourth globally by U.S. News & World Report. Berkeley placed 18th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and was listed as the world's sixth most reputable university in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings.
Academics
Berkeley is a research university offering primarily undergraduate programs but also comprehensive doctoral programs.
Berkeley offers 106 bachelor's degrees, 88 master's degrees, 97 research-focused doctoral programs, and 31 professional graduate degrees. In the 2013–2014 academic year, the university awarded 7,565 bachelor's degrees, 2,610 master's or professional degrees, and 930 doctoral degrees.
Schools and Colleges
Haas School of Business
College of Chemistry
College of Engineering
College of Letters and Science
College of Environmental Design
College of Natural Resources
School of Law
School of Information
School of Optometry
School of Public Health
School of Social Welfare
Graduate School of Journalism
Graduate School of Education
Richard & Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy
Undergraduate Programs
The four-year full-time undergraduate program focuses on arts and sciences and maintains a high level of coexistence with graduate programs. Freshman admission is selective, but the transfer acceptance rate is high. Bachelor's degrees are offered through the Haas School of Business, College of Chemistry, College of Engineering, College of Environmental Design, College of Letters and Science, College of Natural Resources, and other individual majors. The most popular majors are electrical engineering and computer science, political science, molecular and cell biology, environmental science, and economics.
Graduate and Professional Programs
Besides professional degrees such as the JD and MBA, Berkeley offers graduate degrees including Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Fine Arts, and Ph.D. Most graduate students receive fellowships, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships.
The 2010 National Research Council rankings identified UC Berkeley as having the highest number of top-ranked doctoral programs in the nation. Berkeley Ph.D. programs ranked number one include agricultural and resource economics, astrophysics, chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, computer science, English, epidemiology, geography, German, mathematics, mechanical engineering, biochemistry and molecular biology, genetics, genomics and development, physics, plant biology, and political science.
Haas School of Business
Founded in 1898, the Haas School of Business is one of the oldest business schools in the U.S. Originally the College of Commerce, it was established to serve business activities on the Pacific Coast. It was renamed in 1986 after Walter A. Haas Sr., former president of Levi Strauss & Co.
Haas annually provides six degree programs to about 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students from around the world. With extensive teaching resources across business disciplines, strong financial support from the state of California, the excellent business environment of the West Coast, and San Francisco's role as a hub for Asia-Pacific trade, Haas has become one of the few public business schools to rank in the top ten. It is particularly known for strengths in finance, international business, nonprofit management, and entrepreneurship.
Business has long been a hot field for study abroad, partly because business majors often enjoy strong job prospects and salaries, and also because many business graduate programs do not require an undergraduate business degree, giving students who dislike their domestic undergraduate major a chance to pivot to a popular field through graduate study abroad.
Master of Financial Engineering (MFE)
The MFE connects finance and mathematics as "mathematical finance" or "financial mathematics." It extensively uses models to analyze stock trends, yield curves, pricing patterns of various bonds, and their functions and application strategies. It is an interdisciplinary field bridging finance with mathematics, computational science, and computer science, characterized by strong theoretical and abstract dimensions.
Because financial engineering widely applies mathematical, physical, and engineering methods, using mathematical language instead of everyday language to articulate financial concepts, many MFE programs, while not requiring a specific undergraduate major, typically require applicants to have excelled in undergraduate mathematics (linear algebra and calculus), probability theory, statistics, and computer programming, with special emphasis on C++ skills.
As stated on the Berkeley Haas School of Business website, the required competencies for MFE applicants include:
Computer programming (C, C++), familiarity with everyday computational and management tools.
High-level math and statistics: strong quantitative background including multivariable calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, numerical analysis, and advanced statistics and probability.
Finance studies: two relevant courses or equivalent work experience, such as corporate finance and financial analysis, money and capital markets, investments, microeconomics, macroeconomics.
Language skills: excellent English writing, presentation, and communication abilities.
Statistical and econometric applications (SAS, Gauss, RATS, S-Plus, or GARCH): proficiency in statistics and econometrics.
Mathematical tools (MatLab, Mathematica, or MathCad): ability to use relevant mathematical tools.
Admission Requirements
Average GPA 3.44 (minimum 3.0 required), GRE or GMAT required, TOEFL 90+ or IELTS 7.0+. Also required: personal statement, resume, two or more letters of recommendation, etc.
UC Berkeley Computer Science
UC Berkeley's Computer Science program is one of the largest departments, ranked 4th among the 750 universities worldwide offering computer science, and is a dream school for many CS students.
Notable alumni include: Eric Schmidt (former CEO of Google), Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple), Bill Joy (co-founder of Sun Microsystems, author of BSD). In short, UC Berkeley CS is full of brilliant students. The department has a famous organization called the "Berkeley Hackers," where students sometimes hold hackathons (developing a program in 24 hours) and work on all kinds of quirky projects, having a blast.
CS students at UC Berkeley also have many internship and job opportunities because the campus is very close to Silicon Valley, renowned for tech and internet startups.
UC Berkeley's Computer Science program is housed in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS) under the College of Engineering. The application deadline for the CS program is around mid-December each year. For students with different goals, there are two tracks:
Professional track (M.Eng), open to applicants with work experience;
Research-oriented track, leading to MS and PhD, or a combined MS/PhD.
The CS department offers 98 courses. Grades are not based solely on midterms and finals; participation in lectures, corresponding labs, and assignments all factor in. Instructors place great emphasis on building students' foundational skills. Key foundational courses include: CS 61A "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs," CS 61B "Data Structures," and CS 61C "Machine Structures." CS 61B is notoriously difficult; giving it your all does not guarantee an A, but after completing CS 61B, students are equipped with most programming skills needed in the workplace.
Beyond these courses, UC Berkeley's CS department also has a self-paced center that provides a challenging and stimulating environment for further learning. The self-paced center offers two types of courses: CS9[C-H] (helping students learn an additional language) and CS47B (a supplement to the main course CS61B), allowing students to engage in further exchange outside of class.
UC Berkeley Computer Science Specializations:
The computer science department includes many sub-fields, such as:
Artificial Intelligence (AI), ranked 4th in the U.S., offers MS and PhD degrees.
Biosystems & Computational Biology (BIO), offers MS and PhD degrees.
Communications & Networking (COMNET), offers MS and PhD degrees.
Computer Architecture & Engineering (ARC), ranked 1st in the U.S., offers MS and PhD degrees; applicants need a relevant academic background and strong grades in linear algebra, mathematics, operating systems, data structures, and other engineering courses.
Control, Intelligent Systems, and Robotics (CIR), offers MS and PhD degrees.
Database Management Systems (DBMS), offers MS and PhD degrees.
Energy (ENE), offers MS and PhD degrees.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), offers MS and PhD degrees.
Micro/Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS), offers MS and PhD degrees.
Programming Systems (PS), ranked 2nd in the U.S., offers MS and PhD degrees. This is a research-oriented master's with specializations in programming language design and implementation, programming environments and tools, program analysis and verification, and software design synthesis and testing. It includes two research centers:
Algorithms and Specializers for Provably Optimal Implementations with Resilience and Efficie (ASPIRE)
TerraSwarm Research Center
Admission Requirements
GPA: 3.0+, TOEFL 90+ or IELTS 7.0+, GRE generally required. Also required: personal statement, resume, two or more letters of recommendation, etc.
Applicants are also expected to have a solid foundation in the following subjects:
Linear algebra and differential equations
Discrete mathematics and probability theory
Structure and interpretation of computer programs
Data structures
Machine structures
Digital system composition and design techniques
Operating systems and system programming
Programming languages and compiler design; taking the GRE Subject Test in Computer Science or Math may increase admission chances.
College of Environmental Design
Although Wurster Hall is home to Berkeley's architecture department, it is often voted the ugliest building on campus due to its brutalist exposed concrete exterior. Wurster Hall is named after Dean of Architecture William Wurster and his wife Catherine Bauer Wurster.
Programs Offered:
Bachelor of Arts in Architecture
Master of Architecture
Master of Science
Ph.D. in Architecture
Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies
Master of City Planning
Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning
Bachelor of Arts in Landscape Architecture
Master of Landscape Architecture
Application Requirements
Language Requirements:
TOEFL 90, IELTS 7 (no sub-score requirements), GRE required, no minimum score.
Portfolio Requirements:
Portfolio of up to 12 pages (cover page and table of contents not counted); pages exceeding the limit will not be considered. Each page must be 8-1/2” x 11”. Portfolio must be a single PDF file, not exceeding 10 MB.
Becoming a Golden Bear takes more than test scores. It takes perseverance. And passion. You stand up, you stand out.
Admission Standards
For Fall 2017, Berkeley's freshman admission rate was 17.1%. Total enrollment was 41,910, with 30,574 undergraduates and 11,336 graduate students. Women comprised 52.7% of undergraduates and 46.2% of graduate and professional students. Among enrolling freshmen, nearly 54% were women and about 60% self-identified as people of color. The average weighted high school GPA of enrolled freshmen was 4.44. The average SAT score was 1420 (average ACT 32). The middle 50% SAT range was 650–760 (Reading/Writing) and 650–780 (Math).
The Campus
UC Berkeley's campus is not small, but it feels compact for a university of over 30,000. Only Nobel laureates are granted free on-campus parking. The campus is backed by hills and surrounded by the city on the other three sides. People often cut through the campus as a shortcut, and homeless individuals drift through freely. Built into the hillside, all academic and office buildings are scattered across gently rolling slopes.
John Galen Howard designed over 20 buildings, setting the tone for the expansions of the 1950s and 1960s. The buildings forming the "classical core" of the campus were built in the Beaux-Arts classical style and include the Hearst Greek Theatre, Hearst Memorial Mining Building, Doe Memorial Library, California Hall, Wheeler Hall, (old) Le Conte Hall, Gilman Hall, Haviland Hall, Wellman Hall, Sather Gate, and the 307-foot (94 m) Sather Tower (nicknamed "the Campanile," inspired by St. Mark's Campanile in Venice).
South Hall, built in 1873 in the Victorian Second Empire style, is the oldest university building in California.
It, along with the Frederick Law Olmsted–designed Piedmont Avenue east of the main campus, is the only remnant of the original University of California before John Galen Howard's buildings were constructed.
Campus Rivalry
Neither Stanford's nor UC Berkeley's football teams are the strongest in their athletic programs, but because of the over century-long rivalry and the storied tradition of the Big Game, it has become the most anticipated matchup for both schools.
Each game, both schools go all out. Athletes and students need no encouragement; parents, alumni, and even residents of the two cities turn out in force, packing the 70,000–80,000-seat stadium.
Both schools have various cheering squads, the most conspicuous being the massive bands, with Stanford's band being especially famous. At every kickoff, the band steals the show, its sound overwhelmingly dominating everything. Stanford's repeated victories are thanks in no small part to the band's tireless efforts.
In recent years, the Big Game has intensified, and cheerleaders' pranks have multiplied. Sometimes during halftime, cheer squads from both sides march onto the field forming parade formations and spelling out taunting messages about the opponent.
There have even been pranks where someone drops their pants and moons the opposing football team or cheerleaders. UC Berkeley loses almost every time, and some frustrated cheerleaders have thrown eggs at police, landing themselves a stint in jail.
Stanford's unofficial mascot is the Stanford Tree, and UC Berkeley's mascot is the Golden Bear. At games, a member of each cheer squad dons a costume of their school's mascot, serving as a sort of commander and banner. When the costumed person jumps in the stands, the side they represent erupts in cheers.
Last year before the game, UC Berkeley students stole Stanford's Christmas tree. The UC Berkeley chancellor had to personally interrogate the students before they returned it so the game could go on as scheduled. Such antics, once covered by the media, only fuel the Big Game's hype and make it even more thrilling.
Housing
All new students are given priority for housing.
About 7,000 undergraduates, roughly 27%, live in university-owned housing. In recent years, about 95% of freshmen have lived in university housing.
Residence halls offer meal plans, academic services centers, security monitoring programs, resident health workers, computing centers, tutoring, counseling, and in-room data connections.
From traditional high-rise residence halls to suite-style environments, from single-gender living to themed programs, housing options can be found to suit needs and provide supportive communities. "Theme houses" (also called themed programs) blend residential life with a specific academic focus. Even more thoughtfully, the campus provides over 1,000 apartments for students who are married, single parents, or have domestic partners.
