This page is only applicable for UC Berkeley transfer students who were admitted directly into the American Studies major in Fall 2026. If you were admitted to UC Berkeley earlier than Fall 2026, please follow the standard application procedure to declare the America Studies major.
Transfer students admitted directly to the American Studies major will have completed their lower division prerequisite courses, except for the Introduction to American Studies requirement (American Studies 10 or 10AC), prior to their first semester at Berkeley. If you are transferring from a California community college, you will have completed these courses through the IGETC course series.
The lower division prerequisites are meant to introduce the student to a variety of scholarly approaches to the study of American culture and society. If you have questions about whether a particular course fulfills the prerequisites, please contact the American Studies major advisor or an American Studies faculty advisor.
Golden Bear Advising for Fall 2026 Transfer Admits:
Golden Bear Advising (GBA) is a mandatory academic advising module for incoming transfer students that begins in mid-June. Newly-admitted American Studies transfer students will be able to access important advising information through this module, including details about how to reach the American Studies major advisor during the summer. In addition, we will send you details about an American Studies-specific information session to be held during Golden Bear Orientation in late August. We will send this information as a GBA announcement.
During Fall 2026:
During their first semester, Direct Admission-to-Major transfer students admitted in Fall 2026 must meet with an American Studies faculty advisor to identify their Area of Concentration and make a program plan that includes (1) the three lower division prerequisite courses they are using towards the major in addition to the introductory course and (2) the courses they plan to take during the next three semesters to complete the major. This plan can be changed later, with faculty approval, if a course is not available or if a student would like to take a different course. More information is available in the American Studies Student Handbook.
Before Spring 2027 enrollment begins, an enrollment advising hold will be placed on your CalCentral account. Once the Spring 2027 class schedule is published in October, students will meet with an American Studies faculty advisor to have their hold removed and get approval for their Spring 2027 courses. After that, they can enroll in courses for Spring.
Students’ Academic Progress Reports (APR) will be updated by the end of each semester to include courses they are enrolled in that have been approved by a faculty advisor.
