Program Description

To meet the growing demand for engineers with an education that combines a solid technical background with a broad liberal arts base, the UC Santa Cruz campus has developed a dual-degree program with the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. In this long-standing program, students spend three years at UCSC completing most of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in one of the fields in the social sciences, humanities, or arts. While attending UCSC, students also take science, mathematics, and engineering courses that are prerequisites for admission to UCB’s engineering majors, and they are expected to maintain a grade point average of 3.2 or better in these engineering preparatory courses. Students apply to transfer to UCB for the fourth and fifth years of the dual-degree program. If admitted, they complete requirements for a degree in a chosen engineering specialty, and they also take any remaining courses for the UCSC major. Students complete one major from each of the following lists:

UCB Engineering Majors

Bioengineering
Civil and environmental engineering
Engineering sciences
Industrial engineering and operations research
Manufacturing engineering
Materials science
Mechanical engineering
Nuclear engineering

Recommended UCSC Majors

American studies
Anthropology
Art
Business management economics
Community studies
Economics
Environmental studies
Film and digital media
History
History of art and visual culture
Linguistics
Literature
Philosophy
Politics
Psychology
Sociology
Women’s studies

Upon completion of the program, the student receives two bachelor’s degrees: a B.A. in a social science, humanities, or arts field from UCSC and a B.S. in engineering from UCB. Although the UCSC major cannot be in the natural sciences, many combinations of fields are possible in the dual-degree program; examples include engineering along with economics, sociology, or philosophy. A student’s curricular program is developed in consultation with an engineering adviser and is tailored to individual needs. The program is directed jointly by a committee composed of UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley engineering faculty. Students must enter the dual-degree program as first-quarter freshmen, beginning their course work at UCSC in the fall.

Admission
In addition to completing the courses required for UC admission, high school students who plan to follow an engineering route at UCSC should develop a strong background in mathematics and physics.

Prospective students who wish to be considered for the dual-degree program should indicate it as their first choice of major on the Application for Undergraduate Admission. When the application is received by the Office of Admissions, additional information about the dual-degree program will be sent to the applicant, along with a request for the applicant’s specific choice of majors at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz. Admission to the campus does not guarantee admission to the dual-degree program.

The admissions committee for the dual-degree program reviews each application on an individual basis. Selection is based on the applicant’s essay and on strong performance in academic courses (particularly in science and math), as well as excellent test scores.

Preparation for Dual-Degree Engineering Program

Dual-degree students typically enroll in a variety of classes while at UCSC due to the need to congruently fulfill their UCSC major and their required preparation for their UCB major. Following are example classes that dual-degree students may take as preparation for the engineering major while at UCSC.

Chemistry 1B/M and 1C/N, General Chemistry/Laboratories
Computer Science 12A, Introduction to Programming; or 60N, Beginning Programming: Natural Sciences
Earth Sciences 10, Geologic Principles
Earth Sciences 142, Soil Properties and Mechanics
Electrical Engineering 70/L, Introduction to Electronic Circuits/Laboratory
Engineering 27/L, Mathematical Methods for Engineers/Laboratory (formerly Mathematics 27)
Engineering 50/L, Engineering Mechanics/Laboratory
Engineering 131, Introduction to Probability Theory (formerly Mathematics 131A)
Mathematics 19A-B, Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics
Mathematics 23A-B, Multivariable Calculus
Mathematics 107, Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Physics 5A/L, 5B/M, and 5C/N, Introduction to Physics series/Laboratories; or
Physics 6A/L, 6B/M, and 6C/N, Introductory Physics series/Laboratories
Physics 160, Practical Electronics