Since 1942 Berkeley Social Welfare has offered the undergraduate major in Social Welfare leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, under the auspices of the College of Letters and Science ("L&S").
The Social Welfare undergraduate major is a designated “group major” grounded in the liberal arts, rather than specialized training in the profession of social work. Students who successfully complete the major program are awarded the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.
Berkeley Social Welfare’s undergraduate major reflects our goal to provide Berkeley undergraduate students with a broad-based introduction to America’s social welfare problems and social policies within a social science context. The curriculum, as reflected in the core major courses, focuses both on the history and institutions of social work as a field of activity and on the welfare state as a collective enterprise addressing human need. Students gain knowledge of organized networks of public and private social services, and the basic practice methods associated with the social work profession. In doing so, students acquire the knowledge needed to understand, address, and actively participate in the amelioration of critical social problems in American Society.
Social Welfare is a popular major, and prerequisites and enrollment controls for required courses are in place to manage student demand. Students interested in declaring the Social Welfare major should:
- Thoroughly explore the Social Welfare field as a major, and become familiar with the curriculum and its required sequence.
- Complete the prerequisite entry requirements as soon as possible.
- Be aware of priority deadlines to declare the major, and file the Petition to Declare a Major as soon as all of the prerequisites have been completed.
Please see our online Undergraduate Major Student Handbook for complete information on requirements and resources for Social Welfare majors.
Social Welfare Major Advising
Our Undergraduate Advising Office is located in the Social Welfare Student Services Office in 101 Haviland Hall. Questions and requests for advising appointments should be sent by email to swugadvisor@berkeley.edu.
For the most up-to-date information regarding major advising appointment options and availability, please visit Social Welfare Advising and Student Services. Please note we do not make same-day appointments.
Summer 2025 Undergraduate Advising
Please email swugadvisor@berkeley.edu to schedule an appointment or use the link here. Summer 2025 appointments will be delivered through zoom. If an in-person appointment is needed please let me know.
How to Declare the Major: Non-Transfer Students
The next opportunity to submit a petition to declare Social Welfare as your major will be Fall 2025. The petition submission period will begin Wednesday, September 10th at 10am, and will close Wednesday, October 2nd at 4pm. This does NOT apply to transfer students. If you are a transfer that started in Fall 2024 or starting in Spring 2025, please see the next sections for how to petition to declare as a transfer student.
Non-Transfer Students Admitted Spring 2023 or Prior
Social Welfare is a high-demand/impacted major, which means there are specific eligibility requirements that must be met without exception in order to declare the Social Welfare major. Students must meet the following requirements to be considered:
- Have completed all prerequisite entry requirements (see below) with a letter grade of C or better.
- Have a minimum GPA of 2.0.
- Have accrued less than 80 cumulative units, including work in-progress. *Please note that we do not count transfer units in this total.
Students are eligible to submit the Petition to Declare e-Form (Google Form) after they have completed all of the prerequisite entry requirements and received a letter grade for each course. Petitions must include unofficial transcripts and a 4-year program plan indicating how the applicant intends to complete the major requirements by their expected graduation date. For assistance with program planning, please make plans to meet with a major adviser. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
Non-Transfer Students Admitted Fall 2023 and After
The College of Letters and Sciences has implented a new policy, regarding High-Demand Majors, for non-transfer students who start in Fall 2023 and future semesters. This new policy may require additional steps to be eligible for admission into the Social Welfare major. Please refer to the new policy here.
Students who indicated Social Welfare on their UC Berkeley application:
If you indicated Social Welfare as your major on your UC Berkeley application, please refer to the application steps above and fill out the application form. Applications will be approved if all admission requirements have been met.
Students who did not indicate Social Welfare on their UC Berkeley application:
Students who did not indicate Social Welfare as their major on their UC Berkeley application and are wanting to either declare as the primary major or looking to add Social Welfare as a second major, will need to go through the application process above. Admissions decisions will be based on remaining seats in the program for that particular semester. Admission decisions will be sent via email before Phase 1 enrollment for the upcoming Fall/Spring semester.
How to Declare the Major: Transfer Students
For transfer students, eligibility to declare a major begins and ends before their second semester at UC Berkeley; thus, all transfer students must declare before their second semester.
Welcome to UC Berkeley! As noted in your acceptance letter, you have been admitted to the College of Letters and Science, and not to a specific major. Social Welfare is considered one of the College’s impacted, or “high-demand” majors, meaning that there are restrictions on the number of students who can be declared each academic year. In order to best position yourself to declare Social Welfare as your major, it’s important that you complete the following steps as soon as possible.
Fall 2024 Transfer Students (non-directly admitted into Social Welfare)
For Fall 2024 admitted students who are looking to declare/switch into Social Welfare and will have the prerequisites completed before your second semester (Spring 2025):
- Review the major requirements and complete the 2-year program plan: A program plan must be submitted along with the application. This step is requested by the department to ensure that students are aware of the requirements; it is not a binding contract and you are welcome to make changes at a later time.
- Complete the Petition to Declare e-Form when it opens: You will upload your 2-year program plan as well as unofficial transcripts.
The petition submission period will open on Friday, December 13th, 2024 at 4pm and will close on Friday, January 3rd, 2025 at 4pm. Students will be notified of their status no later than Wednesday, January 15th.
Please note that transfer students must have completed all prerequisites for the major prior to applying to the major. For more information, please read the Declare or Change Major FAQ on the L&S Advising website. As noted, it is highly recommended that you spend some time researching a non-restricted major as an back-up and have an alternative program plan in mind.
Spring 2025 Transfer Students
For Spring 2025 admitted students who will have the prerequisites completed before your second semester (Fall 2025):
- Review the major requirements and complete the 2-year program plan: Aprogram plan must be submitted along with the application. This step is requested by the department to ensure that students are aware of the requirements; it is not a binding contract and you are welcome to make changes at a later time.
- Complete the Petition to Declare e-Form when it opens: You will upload your 2-year program plan as well as unofficial transcripts.
The petition submission period will open on Friday, June 27th at 4pm and will close on Friday, August 15th at 4pm. Students will be notified of their status no later than Friday, August 22nd.
Fall 2024 Admitted Transfer Social Welfare Students
Fall 2024 Transfer Students
Transfer students who are offered admission to L&S during academic years 2023-24 and 2024-25, and have selected the Social Welfaremajor on their application, will be directly admitted into the major. These students will not have to go through the process of applying to or officially declaring their major because they will have already been admitted (or declared) into their major.
If you are directly admitted to the Social Welfare major but do not have all major preparation courses completed prior to matriculation plan to take those remaining courses during your first semester on the Berkeley campus.
For questions about the program, curriculum, or would like to set up a meeting with the Undergraduate Major Advisor please reach out to swugadvisor@berkeley.edu.
For information on the pilot program, please refer to the Direct Admission-to-major FAQ page on the Admissions website or contact your major adviser.
Enrollment Rules for Social Welfare Majors
The following enrollment rules are in effect for Social Welfare undergraduate majors and courses:
- Students must be declared in the major in order to enroll in the core classes. Social Welfare majors should plan to begin taking the core classes the semester after they are declared.
- Social Welfare majors must begin the core series by taking Social Welfare 110. Students may take SOCWEL 112 and 114 classes concurrently if offered during the same semester Seats in SOC WEL 112 and 114 are reserved for students who have completed SOC WEL 110.
- Currently, core classes are offered on the following schedule:
- SOC WEL 110: Fall and Spring
- SOC WEL 112: Fall and Spring
- SOC WEL 114: Fall and Spring
- SOC WEL Elective: At least one social welfare elective is offered each Fall and Spring term; offerings typically vary by term. For current class schedules and course descriptions, please consult the Berkeley Academic Guide.
- Courses from the Master List of Approved BASW Electives may be taken before being officially declared in the major. Please note, most of the departments from the elective list reserve seats for majors only during Phase I. Questions about enrollment in specific courses from this list should be directed to the major adviser(s) in those offering departments.
Apply to the Senior Honors Thesis Program
The online application to participate in the Honors Thesis Program during the 2025-2026 academic year will open on Friday June 20th at 4:00pm PST, and will close on Friday August 1st at 4:00pm PST.
Social Welfare 2025 Honors Thesis Program Application [Google Form]
For complete information on eligibility for the Senior Honors Program and how the thesis works, please see the Undergraduate Major Student Handbook > Senior Honors Program.
Social Welfare Special Studies Course Proposals & Deadlines
Social Welfare special studies courses include SOC WEL 97/197, Field Studies in Social Welfare; SOC WEL 98/198, Group Study in Social Welfare and DeCal courses; and SOC WEL 199, Supervised Independent Study and Research.
For Special Studies courses policies, procedures and instructions for submitting course proposals, please see the Undergraduate Major Student Handbook > Special Studies section.
Special Studies Course Proposal Deadlines
| Course | Fall 2025 Deadline | Spring 2026 Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| 97/197 | June 6, 2025 | Oct. 6, 2025 |
| 98/198 | June 6, 2025 | Oct. 6, 2025 |
| 199 | Sep. 5, 2025 | Jan. 30, 2026 |
Special Studies Course Proposal Forms
- Special Students Course Proposal Forms may be found under Academic Resources
