There are two paths to declaring the Political Economy Major, depending on when you arrived on Campus. Applications are accepted throughout the year, on a rolling basis.
You arrived on campus as a first-year student before Fall 2023 OR as a transfer student anytime
To be eligible to declare students must:
- have completed the Political Economy Major Declaration Form.
- have completed GLOBAL 45 with a grade of B- or better on the 1st attempt. (GLOBAL 45 may not be repeated to achieve a grade of B- or better).
- have completed Econ 1 or 2 with a grade of C or better (Econ 1 or 2 may be repeated only once to achieve a grade of C or better.) or completed the equivalent at another college or received AP scores of 4 or 5 on BOTH the micro-economics AND macro-economics exams.
- schedule an appointment through CalCentral to meet with a Political Economy Advisor.
Additionally, students are encouraged – but not required – to complete two semesters of college-level foreign language or the equivalent before applying to the major.
For complete information on declaring PE, please consult the PE Requirements & Policies booklet
You arrived on campus as a first-year student in Fall, 2023 or later
For first-year students admitted into UC Berkeley in Fall 2023 or later, and who did not select Political Economy as their major when applying to UC Berkeley, the following criteria must be met: you must also apply NO LATER THAN the end of your sixth semester. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; please expect several weeks for a decision to be communicated. Before applying, please ensure that you have:
- earned a 2.0 GPA in major prerequisite courses
- earned a 2.0 GPA for the semester in which you are declaring the major with letter grades of C or better;
- have a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Comprehensive Review Process
If you were admitted into UC Berkeley in Fall 2023 or later, and did not select Political Economy as your major when applying to UC Berkeley, the following criteria must be met: you must also apply NO LATER THAN the end of your sixth semester. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; please expect several weeks for a decision to be communicated. Before applying, please ensure that you have:
- earned a 2.0 GPA in major prerequisite courses with no grade lower than C-;
- earned a 2.0 GPA for the semester in which you are declaring the major with no grade lower than C-;
- have a 2.0 cumulative UC GPA.
Comprehensive Review
The Comprehensive Review for admission to the undergraduate major in Political Economy will consist of a holistic review by a faculty committee. Although academic performance is important, your ability to articulate your interest in political economy is just as important.
For more information, click here.