Sage-Tips

What is the difference between lower division coursework and upper division coursework?

Upper division courses are courses offered at the junior level or higher. Lower division courses are any course taken at a junior college or community college or courses offered at the freshman and sophomore level at a four-year college or university regardless of the title or content of the course.

What are upper division courses UC Berkeley?

Upper division courses are numbered 100-199 and ordinarily open only to students who have completed at least one lower division course in the given subject, or six terms of college work. Special study courses for undergraduates are numbered 199. Other professional courses are numbered 400-499.

Can you take upper division classes as a freshman Berkeley?

Freshmen are not advised to take upper division courses (#100-199) or graduate level courses (#200+) in their first year. We also discourage students from taking more than 2 technical courses in a semester (such as Chem 1A, Math 16A, and Bio 1A).

Are upper division courses harder?

Speaking in terms of pure difficulty, upper division courses are meant to be more difficult than lower division courses. Wondering whether it’s easier to get a good grade in an upper-div than a lower-div is a whole other question.

What’s considered upper division course?

Upper-division courses are specialized, in-depth, and advanced, and emphasize problem-solving, analytical thinking skills, and theoretical applications. These courses often build on the foundation provided by the skills and knowledge of lower-division education.

How do you know if a class is upper division Berkeley?

Upper-Division Undergraduate Courses (X100–X199) Extension course titles that include X100 through X199 signify upper-division instruction, which corresponds to third- and fourth-year college-level instruction.

How many upper division classes should I take?

Additionally, you will need to make sure you complete at least 60 upper-division units by the time you graduate. What types of classes should I pick? Your first consideration is to create a balanced schedule. This usually means 1 or 2 major courses (chosen with departmental consultation) and an added GE or elective.

What are the prerequisites for upper division courses at Berkeley?

The prerequisites for upper division courses are listed in the Berkeley Academic Guide. For course planning, HKN course guides, maps, and prerequisite charts are a great resource. ¹Denotes that all courses for the major must be technical in nature. 199, 198, 197, 195, select 194, 191, 190, and various seminars do not count.

Are upper division classes easier than lower division classes?

Upper division classes are definitely not intrinsically easier. It’s just that the less dedicated students are eliminated from the major due to attrition in the lower division courses. Upper division courses are typically harder because there are required lower-division courses that you need to take to even be able to register for the classes.

What are the requirements for a CS major at UC Berkeley?

Required Courses for completion of the CS Major. All courses taken for the major must be at least 3 units and taken for a letter grade. All upper division courses applied toward the major must be completed with an overall GPA of 2.0 or above. The prerequisites for upper division courses are listed in the Berkeley Academic Guide.

How do I find out if a course is equivalent to UC Berkeley?

If you believe the course (s) to be equivalent to a UC Berkeley upper division computer science or electrical engineering course, contact the current faculty of the corresponding UC Berkeley EECS course. You should send them the syllabus and any additional information about the course.