Students who want to declare the Social Welfare major must submit a Petition to Declare the Social Welfare Major online eForm, and the petition must be approved in order for the student to enter the major and be eligible for enrollment in the introductory course SOC WEL 110. In other words, students will be eligible to take SOC WEL 110 the semester after they are declared into the major.
The Petition to Declare the Social Welfare Major online eForm becomes available at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. Specific dates and a link to the online petition eForm are posted each term on our Bachelor of Arts in Social Welfare departmental website, under the "How to Declare the Social Welfare Major" tabs.
Students who have completed all of the prerequisites and are in the process of applying to the major are advised to take some elective courses from the Master List of Approved Social Sciences Electives. Even if these electives are taken before officially being declared in the major, they will fulfill degree requirements when students are officially declared.
UC Berkeley Entering Freshmen
Students must complete all prerequisites before petitioning to declare the Social Welfare major. Students who enter UC Berkeley as freshmen should apply to declare the major in the semester after they complete all prerequisite entry requirements. Students who attempt to declare the major later may face enrollment restrictions or ultimately be unable to declare.
Transfer Students
Transfer students are required to have completed all prerequisites for the major prior to arrival and must declare the major during their first semester at Berkeley. Priority is given to those students who were admitted with intent to declare the social welfare major. If space is available, students who are wishing to make a switch from another department will be considered. As Social Welfare is a high-demand/impacted major, it is highly recommended that you spend some time researching a non-restricted major as a back-up and have an alternative program plan in mind.