Declaring Neuroscience
Students may declare the Neuroscience major when they have fulfilled the following requirements:
- Completed both Chem 1A and Chem 1AL
- Completed both Biology 1A and Biology 1AL
- Completed both Math 10A and Math 10B or Math 1A and Math1B (or completed an approved sequence, see NEU Math Options for options)
- Enrolled in or completed Physics 8A
- Have a GPA of 2.0 or higher in lower division major requirements, upper division major requirements, and UC Berkeley cumulative GPA.
Steps to declaring the major:
First, fill out the NEU online declaration form with your academic history. The form must be submitted in one session, i.e., you cannot close the window and come back to it or leave it so long that your CalNet authentication times out. Within 2-3 business days after your submission, an advisor will contact you via email regarding next steps. Next steps will include 1 - 2 meetings with an advisor. Details will be discussed during your initial meeting, along with your course plan and interests.
Neuroscience Major GPA Policy
A Neuroscience major must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) in a) all lower-division courses taken for the major at UC Berkeley and b) all upper-division courses taken for the major at UC Berkeley. Upper-division or graduate level Neuroscience courses that are not used to satisfy major requirements are excluded from this calculation.
Students for whom either GPA calculation falls below 2.0 will receive additional advising support through our Student Success Program. Students who do not raise their GPA above a 2.0 will be at risk of getting dismissed from the major and becoming ineligible for graduation. Progress will be reviewed after each semester and if satisfactory progress is not made, the Neuroscience Undergraduate Program Committee may decide to dismiss a student from the major. Their major will revert to undeclared and the student will need to work with an L&S advisor to pursue another major.
Our Student Success Program is an advising program meant to support students facing academic difficulty. The program is designed to help students identify barriers that affected their academic progress in the major, connect students to relevant resources, and outline goals to progress towards successful completion of graduation requirements.
Questions concerning this policy may be directed to the staff advisors in the Neuroscience Undergraduate Affairs Office.