Overview
- Phase 1: All seats in upper-division Media Studies courses are reserved for declared Media Studies majors. Intended majors and interested students in other majors can add themselves to the waitlist.
- Phase 2: All remaining seats are released and waitlists begin to be processed. Students are added to remaining seats in numerical waitlist order.
- Demand for Media Studies courses has historically been high; it is recommended that declared and intended majors prioritize enrollment in required courses.
- Freshmen are not eligible to enroll in any Media Studies courses and may enroll only after their first two semesters at Cal.
- Enrollment Permission: All Media Studies courses hold a few enrollment permission seats in reserve which will be allocated by the department. Allocation is determined by a few factors including Expected Graduation Term (EGT) and whether or not the student is declared in the Media Studies major. Reserve seats will be released closer to the beginning of the semester.
- The information below pertains to Fall and Spring semesters. Please see “General Tips and Information” at the end for Summer specific information.
Media Studies 10 – Fall & Spring
- Phase 1: Seats are reserved for sophomores and juniors, as well as new transfer students during the Fall semester.
- Phase 2: Remaining seats are opened up for general enrollment, excluding freshmen, and the waitlist is processed.
- Freshmen will not be admitted to the course and may enroll only after their first two semesters at Cal.
- When enrolled in Media Studies 10, students are strongly advised not to enroll in upper-division courses offered by Media Studies during the same semester.
- Enrollment Permission Seats: A few seats are held in reserve for Enrollment Permission. Intended majors who register late should add themselves to the Media Studies 10 waitlist to be considered for a seat in the course.
Core Courses (Media Studies 111B/111C/112/113/114) – Fall & Spring
- Phase 1: Declared Media Studies majors have enrollment priority for Media Studies core courses during Phase 1. Non-majors cannot enroll during Phase 1, but can add themselves to the waitlist.
- Phase 2: The waitlist begins to be processed and remaining seats are opened up for general enrollment, excluding freshmen. Remaining seats in the class not filled during Phase I will be automatically be filled with waitlisted students when Phase II begins.
- Media Studies 111B, 112, 113, and 114 are offered during the Fall semesters.
- Media Studies 111C, 112, 113, and 114 are offered during the Spring semesters.
- Enrollment Permission Seats: A few seats are held in reserve for enrollment emergencies such as if a student needs the course to graduate that same semester. If you are registering late and need a course to graduate, add yourself to the waitlist and please email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu.
Other Upper Division Courses – Fall & Spring
- Phase 1: Declared Media Studies majors have enrollment priority. Non-majors cannot enroll during Phase 1, but can add themselves to the waitlist.
- Phase 2: The waitlist begins to be processed and remaining seats are opened up for general enrollment, excluding freshmen. Remaining seats in the class not filled during Phase I will be automatically be filled with waitlisted students when Phase II begins.
- Enrollment Permission Seats: A few seats are held in reserve for enrollment emergencies such as if a student needs the course to graduate that same semester. If you are registering late and need a course to graduate, add yourself to the waitlist and please email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu.
H194/H195: Honors Program
- Media Studies H194 (Fall): Students interested in participating in the Media Studies Honors Program should review the Honors page regarding eligibility and application instructions for Media Studies H194. Information about applying for the program and enrolling in Media Studies H194 will be emailed to students declared in the major during Phase 2. Students admitted to the program will be emailed a permission code by the instructor.
- Media Studies H195 (Spring): Students will be emailed a permission code by the instructor.
General Tips and Information
- If you are on a waitlist, we encourage you to enroll in an alternate course while you wait and then drop either the waitlisted or alternate course as needed.
- Declared Media Studies majors need to prioritize core courses during Phase 1 since seats in core courses and electives will be open to non-majors during Phase 2 and the wait list will be processed in numerical wait list order. Core courses are only offered in the fall and spring; see Core Courses section above. Elective course options are available fall, spring, and/or summer.
- Since declared Media Studies majors have enrollment priority for all Media Studies upper-division courses, interested intended majors can waitlist themselves during Phase 1. Intended majors can also enroll in concentration courses or electives in outside departments (e.g. sociology, film, etc.) that count towards fulfilling Media Studies major requirements. Please consult the Courses by Term page on the Media Studies website for a complete list of courses that satisfy major course requirements each semester.
- Declared and intended majors should refer to the Requirements page for additional course requirement information.
- Summer Enrollment: Media Studies 10 and select Media Studies upper division courses are offered during Summer Sessions; pre-collegiate students and freshmen are restricted from enrolling in Media Studies course. Core courses are not offered during Summer Sessions.
- Students in their second semester of their first year who are interested in taking Media Studies 10 should waitlist for the course if they are not able to enroll in the class directly. These students will be automatically added into the class late March/early April when the system recognizes they will be a second year student.
Updated 6/25/2024