Media Studies
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
COLLEGE OF LETTERS & SCIENCE
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Media Studies

Transfers

Welcome to UC Berkeley! Congratulations on being admitted to the College of Letters & Science!

We are delighted you are interested in the Media Studies major and look forward to advising you. This page is intended to help new incoming junior transfer students prepare for transitioning to UC Berkeley and the Media Studies major.

We look forward to meeting you. Go Bears!

Laura Demir and Chelsea Prieto
Media Studies Student Academic Advisors

Direct Admission vs. Declaring

Beginning in Fall 2026, new transfer students who intended Media Studies on their UC Berkeley application are automatically declared and do not need to take any other action to join the major.

Transfer students who did not intend or select Media Studies on their UC Berkeley application will still need to become eligible and then declare the Media Studies major.

Transfer students who started at UC Berkeley before Fall 2026 will still need to follow Media Studies declaration steps and requirements.

To confirm whether you’ve been declared in the Media Studies major, start by logging in to your UC Berkeley CalCentral. Select the “My Academics” tab at the top of screen and you’ll be taken to your Academic Profile.

If you see “Media Studies” as your major, then you are already declared in the major (see image below). If you do not see a concentration name underneath “Media Studies”, please get in touch with us at mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu to have this added.

If you see “ Letters & Sci Undeclared” or another program as your major, then you are not currently declared in Media Studies (see image below).

Students who are already declared in Media Studies do not need to take any other action to join the major. However, any remaining lower-division courses that are not completed prior to transferring must be completed in order to graduate. This includes Media Studies 10, which must be completed at UC Berkeley. It’s strongly advised incoming students take Media Studies in their first semester.

Double check your CalCentral and make sure you have a concentration listed with your Media Studies major. If you do not see a concentration listed, please get in touch with us at mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu to have this added.

Transfer students who did not intend Media Studies on their UC Berkeley application or are adding Media Studies as a second major will still need to follow the steps to declare the Media Studies major. 

To become eligible to declare the Media Studies major, students must complete all four prerequisite courses, earn a C or better in each, and earn a GPA of 2.0 across the major prerequisites and any course that applies to the major at the time of declaration. If eligible for declaration, students must then submit the Media Studies Major Declaration Form during an open declaration period. Declaration forms outside of these dates are not accepted.

For more information including eligibility requirements, declaration period dates, and steps to declare, please visit Declaring.

Information For All Transfer Students

Important Dates & Deadlines

Below are important dates and details related to Media Studies, Golden Bear Advising (GBA), and Golden Bear Orientation (GBO):

  • Golden Bear Advising (GBA) takes place between Tuesday, June 16 through Tuesday, June 30.
  • Visit Berkeley Golden Bear Orientation (GBO) and see Berkeley GBO: Dates and Deadlines.
  • Media Studies 10: Introduction to Media Studies (Summer 2026) is offered during Summer Sessions 2026 and begins on June 22. If interested in enrolling during the summer and seats are available, visit Summer Session 2026 and Transfer Edge.
  • Fall 2026 enrollment for new junior transfer students begins on Tuesday, July 14. Check your specific Phase I enrollment time in CalCentral. Go to “My Academics” and your Class Enrollment times are listed in the top right column.
  • On Wednesday, June 17, the Media Studies Academic Advisors will start sending announcements to incoming transfer students through L&S Golden Bear Advising FL26 in bCourses/Canvas. This is how we will communicate with you as a group during GBA and beyond.
  • New junior transfer students who intended Media Studies on their application to UC Berkeley, will automatically be added to the Media Studies GBA Group.
  • New junior transfer students who did not intend Media Studies on their application to UC Berkeley, should email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu to request to be added to the group.

 

Next Steps for Incoming Transfer Students

Below are the first steps incoming junior transfer students should take in preparation to participate in Golden Bear Advising (GBA), which is from Tuesday, June 16 through Tuesday, June 30, and enroll in classes on Tuesday, July 14:

  1. Allow yourself plenty of time to review the this page and to do the tasks required during GBA. The time you devote to preparing for your first fall semester will serve you well and can improve the quality of your future semesters and overall undergraduate academic experience.
  2. Read through the Media Studies website, paying particular attention to major requirements on the Requirements Overview page. If you chose a different major other than Media Studies on your application to UC Berkeley and will not be directly admitted into the major, also review Declaring Overview and Prerequisites.
  3. Complete Golden Bear Advising (GBA), including all four modules by Tuesday, June 30. Watch for bCourses announcements and emails from the Media Studies Program.
  4. When enrollment for new transfer students begins, enroll in Media Studies 10: Introduction to Media Studies (Fall 2026). This is important for all transfers since Media Studies 10 is a prerequisite to enroll in the four Media Studies core courses. See Requirements Overview. See Section A below.
  5. Plan to enroll in any remaining lower-division/prerequisite courses for the major in fall 2026. See Section A below.
  6. Decide which concentration – Digital Studies, Global Cultural Studies, or Media Law & Policy – you want to pursue. See Section B below.
  7. Plan the rest of your first semester courses and enroll. See Section C below.

It is strongly advised that all four lower-division/prerequisite courses should be completed by the end of the first term after transferring to meet L&S’s Unit Ceiling and Semester Limit requirements.

Students should identify the Media Studies lower-divsion/prerequisite courses they have already completed and make a plan to take the remaining courses in their first semester.

Transfer students who were not directly admitted to the major should start off by reviewing the Declaring Overview and Prerequisites pages.

Identify Your Media Studies Transfer Coursework

Reviewing Approved Courses on ASSIST

If you attended a California community college, look up your community college, UC Berkeley, and Media Studies on assist.org. If a course is on Assist, it has been approved as a Media Studies lower-division course or prerequisite.

Notes

  • It is important that you check assist.org for yourself now because you are responsible for making sure you are meeting your requirements for graduation.
  • Satisfying UC IGETC/CalGETC requirements does not mean you satisfied Media Studies lower-division/prerequisite course requirements. UC IGETC/CalGETC and major requirements are different sets of requirements.

 

Requesting Approval for Courses Not on ASSIST

For possible lower-division/prerequisite courses not on assist.org, which includes other four-year schools or out-of-state community colleges, you will need to submit the course description and syllabus for approval using the Intended Majors Media Studies Course Substitution Form [add link] for our faculty to review. We encourage you to do this during GBA. The decision will be emailed to you. Do not assume you have met a course requirement without going through this course review.

If you attended a four-year university and think you may have satisfied a Media Studies elective requirement with a course you took there, you may also submit it for review using the Intended Majors Media Studies Course Substitution Form [add link]. The course would need to be letter-graded and upper-division (junior or senior level) per UC Berkeley’s Central Evaluation Unit in addition to Media Studies faculty approved to satisfy the requirement.

Plan to Enroll in Media Studies 10 in Your First Semester

In addition to any lower-division/prerequisite courses you may still need to take, plan to take Media Studies 10 during your first term at UC Berkeley.

Media Studies 10: Introduction to Media Studies must be taken at UC Berkeley. If you are interested in taking this course during the summer before fall 2026, visit Media Studies 10 – Summer 2026, Summer Sessions 2026, and Transfer Edge. If you are not able to take Media Studies 10 during Summer 2026, prioritize enrolling in Media Studies 10 – Fall 2026.

Beginning Spring 2027, Media Studies 10 will be required as a prerequisite to enroll in the Media Studies core courses. See Requirements Overview page.

Timely completion of Media Studies 10 (and declaration in the major) is necessary to graduate on time and within the L&S’s Unit Ceiling and Semester Limit requirements.

Media Studies offers the following three areas of concentration in its curriculum:

          

Familiarize yourself with the concentrations and decide which one would be best for your academic interests. Knowing your concentration will be helpful in your course planning for your first semester and beyond.

Directly admitted to the major?

Submit the Media Studies Concentration Update Form [pending name] to have their selected area of concentration added. Do this before the first day of classes.

Need to declare the major?

Students who need to declare the major must select their area of concentration when they submit a declaration form.

  • Concentration area electives will be calculated as part of your major declaration GPA, along with your prerequisites, if you complete them before you declare the major.
  • Students will need a C or better in all four prerequisites and a major declaration GPA of 2.0, which will include your prerequisites and any course that applies to the major.

General Information/Tips

  • Read Courses: Course Enrollment Information on the Media Studies website.
  • Review Courses: Courses by Term on the Media Studies website. This page includes term-specific courses being offered.
  • Look up course descriptions and class meeting information on the UC Berkeley Class Schedule.
  • Plan to take between 13 to 16 units. We recommend taking 13 units, the minimum required by the College of Letters and Science, your first semester to give you time to adjust to being in a new academic setting. See L&S Unit Minimum and Maximum in a Semester.
  • All courses taken for the Media Studies major must be taken for a letter grade.
  • Make a list of the courses you need and would like to take your first semester. It is important to have an alternate course plan in case you end up on any wait list. If you add yourself to the waitlist for a course, have an alternate course plan and attend both classes. You are not guaranteed a seat in a waitlisted course.

 

Priority and Possible Courses to Consider

  • PRIORITY: Media Studies 10: Introduction to Media Studies – This course is a must if you have not already taken Media Studies 10 at UC Berkeley.
  • PRIORITY: Remaining lower-division/prerequisite courses needed for Media Studies.
  • A major elective – an approved concentration elective or upper-division elective (numbered 100 – 199) from any of the three concentrations. See Courses: Courses by Term.
  • A course for an intended double major or minor, if interested.
  • A course of interest to balance out the semester.
  • Do not plan on enrolling in or wait-listing for core courses until you have completed Media Studies 10.

 

Other Courses to Help You Reach Between 13 – 16 Units

Where do you go for advice about non-major degree requirements in the College of Letters and Science?

Visit the L&S Office of Undergraduate Advising on Berkeley L&S Advising and get to know this website well. Review Degree Requirements. If you cannot find your answer, ask an L&S College Adviser.

Where do you go if you have questions not answered on the Media Studies website?

If you have a specific question or two, email mediastudies_advising@berkeley.edu and include your student ID# in the email. If you have multiple or complex questions, schedule an appointment or come to drop-in advising with a Media Studies Student Academic Advisor, Laura Demir and Chelsea Prieto. Our advising pages include instructions for both meeting options.

Is there any other information I should review beyond this page?

Yes! Your GBA L&S Modules in bCourses are a must now and will be a valuable resource to refer back to in the future. Read your UC Berkeley emails too. A lot of important information and updates are shared that way from various campus offices. We also recommend reading through the Golden Bear Orientation (GBO), reviewing the Academic Progress and Planning pages on the Berkeley L&S Advising, as well as taking some time to familiarize yourself with CalCentral. These pages are worth bookmarking. Additional resources below:

  • Office of the Registrar
  • Cal Student Central