ACADEMIC
PROGRAM/UNIT DEFINITIONS AND NOMENCLATURE
Background: Standardized definitions and
nomenclature for academic programs/units were first established September 24,
2004. Click here to see the
announcement.
Division (as Berkeley Division of the Academic
Senate)
Department of Instruction (e.g., academic
department)
Degrees Authorized for UC Berkeley
Interdisciplinary Degree Program
Joint Baccalaureate or Doctoral Program
Group Major and Field Major Programs
Self-Supporting Degree Program
Specialization [formerly called track, area, option, plan, etc.]
Concentration [formerly called track, area, option, plan, etc.]
The Candidate in Philosophy Degree
Difference between academic and professional
doctorate degrees
Academic unit: an organizational entity
encompassing a school, college, department of instruction, division within a
college or within a department, interdepartmental group, or organized research
unit.
College: an academic teaching unit, a part
of the University, which offers instruction leading to a degree in arts,
letters, or sciences. At
In the
colleges other than Letters and Science, a substantial number of the bachelor’s
and master’s degrees are “of Science.”
In the
School: an academic teaching unit, a part
of the University, the standard of admission to which is not less than the
equivalent of two year’s work in college and which offers instruction of not
less than two year’s duration leading to a technical or professional degree.[1] By tradition, although not by academic
definition, a school normally includes only a single department of instruction,
while the faculty of a school may be drawn from several departments of
instruction, as designated by the By-Laws of the Berkeley Division of the Academic
Senate [see Part III, Title II for a list of the membership of the faculties of
Berkeley’s schools and colleges].
At
See http://opa.vcbf.berkeley.edu/AcademicPrograms/DegProgCountByCollForWeb.htm
for a summary of the types of degrees offered by Berkeley’s schools and
colleges.
Division (of a college): a subunit of a college,
incorporating a number of departments and directed by a dean, such as the
Division of Arts and Humanities in the
Division (of a department): an
administrative subunit of a department composed of faculty members who have
expertise and can offer instruction in a specific area related to the titled
subject matter of a department. A
departmental division enjoys limited autonomy in the determination of its
curriculum and is led by a divisional chair.
All academic personnel decisions made by a divisional faculty must also
be reviewed and voted upon by the larger departmental faculty.
Division (as
Department of Instruction (e.g.,
academic department): an administrative unit composed of
budgeted faculty (FTE) offering instruction in a titled, specialized
discipline, and normally affiliated with a school or college. A department has an established budget for
instruction. At
Nearly
all of
Interdisciplinary Group: A distinctive academic element, composed of
faculty drawn from various departments (and, in certain instances, from several
campuses), representing various related fields of study and offering a degree
in a specific field of study not represented by a department of instruction. At the graduate level, the these programs are
administered by a graduate group and are under the direction of the Dean of the
Graduate Division; at the undergraduate level, the administering body is called
a faculty advisory committee.
Typically, a group does not have an established budget or
budgeted faculty FTE, although two graduate groups are exceptions (Energy and
Resources Group and the Neuroscience Group).
These constitute “augmented” graduate groups.
Degrees Authorized for UC Berkeley:
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)
Master of Architecture (M.Architecture)
Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.)
Master of City Planning (M.C.P.)
Master of Engineering (M.Engineering)
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Master of Financial Engineering (M.F.E.)
Master of Forestry (M.Forestry)
Master of Information Management and Systems (M.I.M.S.)
Master of Journalism (M.J.)
Master of Landscape Architecture (M.L.A.)
Master of Laws (Ll.M.)
Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.)
Master of Science (M.S.)
Master of Social Welfare (M.S.W.)
Master of Urban Design (M.U.D.)
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Doctor of Engineering (D.Engineering)
Doctor of Optometry (O.D.)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Doctor of Public Health (D.P.H.)
Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.)
Juris Doctor (J.D.)
Degree Program: A degree program (also called a “major”) is a
structured and sequenced set of courses and requirements leading to a degree at
the undergraduate or graduate level.
Every department at
See http://opa.vcbf.berkeley.edu/AcademicPrograms/DegProgramsForWeb.htm
for a list of all approved degree programs.
Major: another term used for degree program. A double
major results in two degrees and involves completion of all requirements
for the two separate programs; in the
Interdisciplinary Degree Program:
Concurrent Degree Program: A concurrent degree program is an
approved combination of two existing, but separate, master’s degree programs,
e.g., MCP/MPH offered by City and Regional Planning and Public Health. Students are permitted the shared use of a limited number of courses considered
relevant for both degrees, thus shortening the time required to earn both
degrees. Concurrent degree programs have
been established to provide an integrated curriculum of greater breadth between
two disciplines.
Joint Baccalaureate or Doctoral
Program: A joint program is one degree offered
by two separate departments of instruction or institutions.
At the
graduate level, examples of joint doctoral programs include the joint PhD
program in Sociology and Demography, the Medical Anthropology program offered
by a graduate group at Berkeley and UCSF, or the Jewish Studies program offered
by a
At the
undergraduate level, the Colleges of Engineering and Chemistry offer a joint
degree in a defined series of six combined programs, e.g., the BS in Nuclear
Engineering and Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Formerly called “double majors”, these
programs are designed for students who wish to undertake study in two major
areas of engineering in order to quality for employment in either field or for
positions in which competence in two fields is required. These curricula include the core courses in
each of the major fields. While they may
require slightly increased course loads, they can be completed in four
years. Both majors are shown on the
student’s transcript of record.
Admission to these joint major programs is closed to freshmen but open
to transfer students. Continuing
students may petition for change to a joint program in the final semester of
the sophomore year.
Group Major and Field Major Programs: Interdisciplinary programs that may
be set up by faculty members of two or more departments, subject to approval of
the colleges’ executive committee(s).
Group
major programs require no fewer than 30 and no more than 36 units in upper
division courses. Field major programs
require at least 12 units from a list of specified upper division courses;
elective courses are included to bring the total up to 30 units of upper
division courses. Both group and field
majors also have lower division requirements.
The
Individual Major or Program: a unique program of studies that
doesn’t fit in any established major and for which the Interdisciplinary
Studies Field Major is inappropriate.
Individual majors are ad hoc programs that lead to a baccalaureate,
master, or PhD degree.
Self-Supporting Degree Program: Beginning in 1996, the University
approved the establishment of part-time graduate professional degree programs
with no State support, except at start-up or initial point of conversion. These
programs are distinguished from: (a) regular, full-time, graduate,
undergraduate or professional, state-supported programs that charge normal
fees; (b) regular, part-time, graduate, undergraduate or professional,
state-supported programs that charge normal fees adjusted according to
Part-time Study Policy (March 1981); (c) regular, full-time, professional-only,
state-subsidized programs in medicine, law, optometry, business, pharmacy,
etc., that charge normal fees plus a fee for selected professional school
students, according to Regental Policy (January 1994); (d) certificate
programs.
These programs, by
policy, may be undertaken "only when a demonstrated need for a part-time
program in a specific field of study exists." Further,
these programs are intended as enhancements or enrichments to
A student majoring in a
self-supporting degree program may not enroll simultaneously in state-supported
courses.
Health Science Program: A health science program is a
major in a medicine/health science discipline for which the campus receives
special state funding that is distinct from General Campus funding. As a result, health science programs
typically have lower student-faculty ratios than General Campus programs. Currently, programs in the
Undergraduate Minor Program: A minor program is intended as an optional
program that encourages coherence in the work that an undergraduate student
undertakes outside his/her major field(s) of study. Most, but not all, minor programs are also available
as majors.
A student
may complete one or more minor programs, normally in a field both academically
and administratively distinct from his/her major. In Letters & Science, most minors require
only five courses (Business Administration and Computer Science are
exceptions). Minors are listed in the
memoranda column at the bottom of a student’s transcript but not on the
baccalaureate diploma.
All
minors, including interdisciplinary minors, are available to all students
regardless of their major, with the exception that students may not minor in
their major. An interdisciplinary minor
consists of courses offered by two or more schools or programs.
Designated Emphasis: The designated emphasis is an area of focus, such
as a new method of inquiry or an important field of application, that is
relevant to two or more existing doctoral degree programs. A designated emphasis is similar to a minor,
but at the graduate level. However,
because of its interdisciplinary nature, it differs from a specialization or a
concentration within a major in that it is a program administered by an
approved graduate group. A designated emphasis is designed to
complement existing Ph.D. programs and to provide opportunities for interdisciplinary
study with faculty from other departments.
Students are required to complete
the academic work in the area of specialization in addition to all the
requirements of the doctoral program. The
designated emphasis appears on the transcript and, with 7/31/07 approval from
President Dynes, on the diploma. The
Graduate Council has authority to establish designated emphases.
Specialization [formerly called track, area,
option, plan, etc.]: Some approved degree
programs (majors) are sub-divided into specific fields or specialties. Specializations occur within a major, while
minors and designated emphases occur outside the major. A specialization is a program of study which
enables a student to focus on courses in a particular field within a degree
program. The specialization pursued
appears on the student’s transcript but not on the diploma. Establishment of specializations requires
review by the Berkeley Division and approval of the Chancellor’s Office. Codes are established for each
specialization.
Concentration [formerly called track, area,
option, plan, etc.]: A concentration is a
program of study within a degree program which emphasizes a specific area of
the discipline. Concentrations usually
have a defined course of study and are not listed on the transcript or on the
diploma. Establishment of concentrations
does not require approval outside of the college. Concentrations do not have codes.
Certificate: A certificate program is a
structured set of courses and requirements in a defined area at the graduate
level and is generally less demanding than a degree program because of fewer
formal requirements such as a thesis or a comprehensive exam.
Certificate
In Russian and East European Studies: The Certificate
in Russian and East European Studies has been developed to serve graduate
students in the humanities and social sciences who wish to broaden their
knowledge of the Russian and East European area.
Certificate
of Completion of Residency Program in Optometry:
The
Certificate of Completion in Education: The
Additionally, a Certificate
of Completion of Graduate Curriculum may be issued to a student by the
Graduate Division provided that certain requirements are met [see Academic
Senate Regulation 735] and that the student’s studies are not covered by a
diploma or other certificate.
Teaching Credential: A credential program prepares professionals
to render services in
The
The Candidate in Philosophy Degree: The degree “Candidate in
Philosophy,” which gives formal recognition to a definite state of progress
toward the doctorate, may be awarded when a student is advanced to candidacy
for the PhD degree but has not yet completed the dissertation.
Curriculum: a regulated collection of courses which are
designed to ensure that the academic objectives and mission of a department of
instruction are met.
Difference between academic and
professional doctorate degrees: The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is
granted at the University of California not alone for the fulfillment of
technical requirements, such as residence and the completion of fundamental
courses within a given field which is chosen as the field of study, but also
upon the following: the student’s
general grasp of the subject matter of a large field of study, distinguished
attainments in that field, the critical ability and power to analyze problems,
as well as to coordinate and correlate the data from a number of allied fields
in such fashion as to serve the progress of ideas in those fields. In addition to all of these things, the
student must show the power to make an original contribution to the knowledge
of their chosen field through the dissertation, and, to give evidence of the
ability to work independently throughout their entire career as a graduate
student.
The
professional doctor’s degree represents a mastery of the subject matter and
techniques of a professional field to a stage of competence parallel to that
required for the PhD. Although the work
for the professional doctor’s degree may extend the boundaries of knowledge in
the field, it is directed primarily towards distinguished practical performance.
Limited Status: Limited Status students are not enrolled in a
degree program but are, instead, here for coursework only.
Major Codes: Major codes are alpha/numeric computer codes
in the Student Information System. Any
degree program that appears on the transcript or diploma (e.g., major,
certificate, minor, designated emphasis, or specialization) has a major code.
[1] Definitions adopted by the 10th
Annual Conference of the Association of American Universities,
[2] Although colleges other than Letters and Science are generally referred to as “professional” colleges, the amendments to Sections 100 of the Bylaws and Standing Orders of The Regents describe Chemistry and Engineering as academic colleges, Environmental Design as the sole professional college at Berkeley, and the College of Natural Resources as an academic and professional college.