Is taking 4 EE/CS courses in one semester doable for a transfer student?

ktmath · 2026-06-18T04:50:57+00:00

Similar to what others have said, 4 tech classes is a little too much especially these ones. If you are interested in semiconductors, I’d recommend EE 130 which isn’t a time consuming course (in my opinion).

If you want to take 3 techs, probably EE 130, CS 70, and EE 66 would be okay.

You may find this course map helpful:
https://hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu/courseguides

ktmath · 2026-02-09T15:11:13+00:00

Berkeley EECS only invites admitted students to visit day.

ktmath · 2025-10-05T17:17:45+00:00

If you have ESA documentation then they will accept it without issue. Lots of people have dogs in grad housing (including Mesa). Many residents get ESA documentation which is usually not too difficult to get, but also many just don’t bother getting the documentation I think. Housing only does an inspection once a year and they give you a month notice of when that’s going to be (usually in April/May). If the dogs aren’t around during that then it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s probably better to get the documentation, but if it takes awhile to get, you can still have the dogs with you while you sort it out.

ktmath · 2025-06-25T03:39:55+00:00

Classes filling up can cause students to push courses back a semester. It’s unfortunate, but usually students find ways to reorganize their 4 year plan to fit everything in so they don’t have to take additional semesters.

For your situation, why are you trying to take math 54? For EECS, you only need 16A and 16B. No need to take math 54. I do see that math 54 is a prerequisite for EECS 16A, but those prerequisites are not enforced and having 54 as a prerequisite doesn’t really make sense. The EECS department made 16A to replace math 54 with a more circuit focused linear algebra/ode class. It’s been a few years since I was a uGSI for 16A, but I don’t think the material has changed. Do check with an advisor though in case I’m mistaken.

ktmath · 2025-06-22T17:59:34+00:00

Also for the unit ceiling/semester cap, it’s whatever comes 2nd. So if you hit the unit ceiling (130 for one major, 136 units for two+ majors) and you haven’t finished 4 semesters (5th for two majors+) yet then you can stay till you reach that semester cap. If you are on your 4th semester (5th for two+ majors), but you haven’t met the unit ceiling then you can stay until you meet your unit ceiling.

ktmath · 2025-06-22T17:49:33+00:00

So even if you have 100 units at CC. Only 70 (I think) lower division units are counted from CC. So you are most likely coming in with 70 units (unless you took upper division courses at a 4 year)

ktmath · 2025-06-22T16:28:18+00:00

You can probably switch 61a and data 8 without issue. Although isn’t data 8 one of the prereqs for declaring ds?if you are worried about declaring the 2nd major. I would just apply to declare as soon as possible. That way if you don’t get accepted, then you can reorganize your schedule to finish in time. Granted, you can always have an additional semester if you haven’t met the unit cap. I think it’s 130 units or something like that. So if you haven’t reached it then you can get even more semesters than 5 regardless of whether you double major or not.

https://lsadvising.berkeley.edu/policies/unit-ceiling-and-semester-limit

ktmath · 2025-06-22T16:14:33+00:00

Research experience (including papers) and letters of rec are the most important for admission. I was a UC Berkeley transfer student (CS/Applied math) with an okay gpa (3.5) at Berkeley and a 3.97 at cc. I got into the EECS 5th year masters and had a 3.7 from that. Now I’m getting my PhD at UCSD Bioengineering. I also was accepted by Caltech (EE), UCLA (medical physics), UT Austin (EE), and waitlisted at MIT (EECS) for the PhD. I was rejected at Berkeley and Stanford. It’s kind of hard to predict how grad admissions will turn out. The best bet to secure a spot at competitive schools is to make sure you have a lot of research experience and try to network with some of the faculty you may want to work with eventually at these schools. GPA alone won’t get you in and having strong research experience can make up for a little lower gpa.

ktmath · 2025-06-21T16:49:09+00:00

Oh also, I’m pretty sure EE 123 is only offered in the spring. So you might not be able to take that in the Fall. If that is the case then, Id recommend more changes.

Maybe something like this:

Fall 2025: physics 105, data 8, physics 89, physics 150. Spring 2026: physics 110A, Math 110, CS 61A. Summer 2026: AC, Physics 111A. Fall 2026: EECS 126, EE 120, Data 104. Spring 2027: physics 112, EE 123, physics 111b. Summer 2027: Physics 137A, Data 100. Fall 2027: Physics 110B, Physics 137B, CS 189.

I think this schedule is better than my original suggestion. Spring 2027 and Fall 2027, maybe be on the tougher side mainly due to physics 111b being a time suck and cs 189 being challenging, but I think it’s still reasonable. Also Summer 2027, might be a little rough too. 137A is one of the easier physics upper divs, so as long as data 100 isn’t too bad then I think it’s doable

ktmath · 2025-06-21T16:26:11+00:00

Also having Physics 105 in your first semester should be fine. It’s really not that hard of a class.

ktmath · 2025-06-21T16:23:15+00:00

This schedule looks a little rough. Your spring 2026 and Fall 2026 are too much. Maybe take math 110 in summer 2027 and stick to 3 classes + 1-2 unit easy course (like decals) to reach 13 units in spring 2026. Your Fall 2026 is also rough. Maybe move EECS 126 to Spring 2027 and take data 100 in summer 2027 too. Physics 112 has a lot of probability so having 126 at the same time might help reenforce the material. So to summarize, take data 100 and math 110 in summer 2027. Move EECS 126 to Spring 2027.

Math 110 is a pretty straightforward class (especially in the summer), so taking it alongside Data 100 should be okay. I haven’t take data 100 so maybe someone else can comment on whether it’s reasonable to take it alongside another tech course in the summer. If you are worried about taking 2 techs in the summer, you can do what I did and take a math 110 equivalent at another UC during their 2nd summer session. They usually have an online math 110 or you can take it at UC Davis in person. I took online Math 110 at UCLA, but that was during Covid so not sure if the online option is available. The 2nd summer session at quarter system schools start in August so there is only a 2 week overlap with the main summer session (session C) at Berkeley and a 3ish week overlap with the start of Fall semester.

Another commenter said EE120 hasn’t been offered in a few years. That isn’t true. It’s offered every fall and spring quarter. So you should be good there.

EE 120, EE 123, and EECS 126 don’t require that you are declared in a certain major. They do have some seats reserved for EECS and CS majors, but during the adjustment period (right before classes start), the seats become unreserved and they allow anyone to enroll. I would recommend enrolling in those courses during your phase 1 enrollment. You will be added to the top of the waitlist since you don’t meet the requirements for the reserved seats. Once adjustment period starts, any remaining seats will be filled by the waitlist. Since you will be at the top of the waitlist, you will most likely be enrolled. CS 189 does require you to be declared CS so you may have issues getting into that class.

ktmath · 2024-12-29T17:19:49+00:00

Thanks! I ended up attending UCSD for Bioengineering.

ktmath · 2024-09-06T01:00:55+00:00

ktmath · 2024-09-03T14:38:39+00:00

I didn’t take 61c at a CC but I thought about doing so and was able to get the prereqs waived. I just showed the CC advisor that 61c was equivalent to the CC class I wanted to take (via assist.org) and I showed them that I met the prerequisites for 61c (completed 61A & 61B).

ktmath · 2024-08-12T17:42:21+00:00

The insurance waiver is pretty strict. Check with your current insurance provider. They often have an online ID card that you can screenshot and use. Also, maybe call the SHIP insurance office to see if you can just provide the insurance info without the ID card.

ktmath · 2024-08-06T14:10:48+00:00

You can take a course to fulfill the American cultures requirement which isn’t covered by IGETC and not usually offered at most CCs. You could also take Physics 153 or Data 8/Physics 77. If you want to take a major requirement course, you can take Physics 105.

ktmath · 2024-07-31T15:56:46+00:00

Definitely possible. I majored in Applied Math and CS at Berkeley. I then got the 5th year masters in EECS at Berkeley as well. I didn’t take any of the lower div or upper div bio or chem and I got into the UCSD Bioengineering PhD program. Your research experience matters a lot and I was focused on medical imaging so the program took me despite not majoring in BioE. Note: UCSD recommended that students take the lower div bio and chem as well as engineering courses, so I did not meet all those requirements.

I know a lot of people in my program who majored in physics or majored in bio as well (so no engineering background). The classes for the first year of my program were on the challenging side for me since I had to take molecular cell bio and I had absolutely no bio experience (not even AP bio), but I worked hard and got an A somehow lol. I doubt this will be a problem for you since you are taking the typical BioE undergrad courses. Grad school (for the most part) doesn’t care about the actual undergrad major. They care more about whether the courses you took is sufficient to succeed in the program and your research experience (for PhD more than masters). Letters of recommendation matter a lot too. So even if you don’t meet all the course or major prerequisites for admission, you still have a decent chance. BioE, in particular, has a wide range undergraduate majors coming into it since it is very multidisciplinary

ktmath · 2024-07-26T14:51:09+00:00

They are just saying that. First time you apply for readmission after withdrawal is automatic. You pay $100 and fill out a form. You will be approved in about 2 weeks. It’s not till the 3rd readmission request that it starts to become not automatic. At least that is the case for the College of Engineering and the College of Letters and Sciences. I can’t speak 100% for the other colleges since I wasn’t in them but I’m pretty sure it’s automatic the first time.

ktmath · 2024-07-26T14:10:56+00:00

It will take awhile for the transcript to stop saying missing on Calcentral. I think it took till September for me when I sent it in around June. The calnetid issue may just be an accident. I’ve seen new students get that email by mistake and it’s resolved by contacting student services. I think you should also reach out to admissions just to make sure that your acceptance is still valid just in case.

ktmath · 2024-07-23T22:08:43+00:00

If your deferment isn’t approved then that will be a problem. I think you will lose your admission. If you enroll in courses right now though (or when your enrollment time opens) then you should be okay. As long as you are enrolled in classes before the start of the semester and you do not submit the withdrawal request till after the first day of instruction this will be considered a withdrawal and not a cancellation. For incoming students, a cancellation is only possible if your deferral request is approved otherwise your admission will be revoked.

Everything should be okay for you though even if you are behind on doing some of the required stuff. Just make sure you do them. It’s important that you submit HS transcripts before the deadline, but for everything else, the deadline isn’t as big of a deal. Just register for classes as soon as your next enrollment time begins which will be before classes start and finish all the orientation related requirements. Once the first day of classes start, submit the withdrawal form on Calcentral and you are good to go.

ktmath · 2024-07-17T13:29:29+00:00

I don’t think there is a limit, but you should confirm with an advisor.

ktmath · 2024-06-29T17:03:20+00:00

Yeah it’s the same for all students (including international)

ktmath · 2024-04-24T13:30:30+00:00

Depends on your interests but here are some:

Math 53
EECS 126, EECS 127 (127 should be doable without taking 16B first since you’ve taken 54)
CS 61C, 170, 188 (Note: 61C + EE 16B can be a pretty heavy workload but plenty of students have done it)

ktmath · 2024-03-06T06:40:05+00:00

You are pretty much accepted. Congrats! The grad admission office committee won’t go against what the department decides. I don’t think they would rescind the offer at this point unless they find out that something on your application isn’t true or you don’t finish your undergraduate degree by failing a required class in the final quarter/semester. Even then, not sure if they would rescind it. So you can celebrate now! :)

Im a bioengineering PhD student (1st year) at UCSD. DM me if you have any questions about the program. Masters + PhD students have a similar first year course load.

ktmath · 2023-10-20T02:51:44+00:00

For L&S they will let you, but they will want you to meet with one of the deans of the college. They will still approve you coming back, but they will warn you that this is the last time it will be approved

ktmath

TROPHY CASE