Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences major (EECS), offered through the College of Engineering, combines fundamentals of computer science and electrical engineering in one major.

Note that students wishing to study computer science at UC Berkeley have two different major options: The EECS major leads to the Bachelor of Science (BS), while the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. An essential difference between the two majors is that the EECS program requires a greater number of math and science courses than the CS program, which requires a greater number of non-technical, or breadth, courses. For further information on the BA program, please see the Computer Science program page in this Guide. 

After completing the required lower division courses, students in the EECS major are able to pursue coursework in computer science and/or electrical engineering, based on their personal interests. 

Admission to the Major

Prospective undergraduates to the College of Engineering apply to a specific major within the college. For further information, please see the College of Engineering's website.

Students accepted into colleges other than the College of Engineering will not be allowed to change to the College of Engineering in order to declare the EECS major. Prospective undergraduates interested in the EECS major must apply for admission to the College of Engineering.  

Accreditation

All UC Berkeley programs are accredited through the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC).

Honors Program

The EECS honors degree program is designed to provide accomplished undergraduate students a greater connection to the department. Honors students pursue undergraduate research and select an academic concentration outside of EECS. In addition, students receive a special faculty adviser, engage in research, receive official notation of the honors degree on their Berkeley transcript, and are invited to special events with faculty and EECS honors alumni.

For more information regarding this program, please visit the EECS Honors Program webpage.

Five-Year BS/MS Program

The Five-Year Bachelor/Master Program, called the 5th Year MS Program for short, offers qualified Berkeley EECS and CDSS Computer Science students a unique opportunity to begin graduate study immediately after their undergraduate program, thereby accelerating the master's degree by requiring only one additional year beyond the bachelor's degree. This is not a concurrent degree program. Students earn their bachelor's degree first and then the master's. However, careful planning during the undergraduate program allows motivated students to begin a research project and complete some master's course requirements while still in undergraduate standing. Depending on how quickly a student progresses through the undergraduate program, the additional graduate year may come sooner than the fifth year at Berkeley. The Five-Year Program is not intended for those who wish to pursue a PhD. For further information regarding this program, please see the Five-Year BS/MS tab on this page or the Department's website.

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