Major Maps Project

Helping students navigate their undergraduate experience

Image credit:
Elena Zhukova

The Major Maps Project supports UC Berkeley’s goal of improving the undergraduate student experience by providing a resource for students to discover academic and co-curricular opportunities.

This resource—major maps— features experience maps that help matriculated students navigate their UC Berkeley undergraduate journey based on their intended major or field of interest. Prospective students who have not yet enrolled at Berkeley may use major maps to aid them in their decision to attend the university and which majors to pursue.

Staff and faculty who support students can use major maps to guide their advising conversations and help students develop plans of action to achieve their Berkeley goals. High school, community college, and UC Berkeley counselors and admissions staff will also have access to major maps to help advise prospective Berkeley students. Parents, guardians, families, and others who provide support to prospective and current students will also benefit from major maps.

For more information or questions about the Major Maps Project, email major-maps@berkeley.edu

About the Project

The Major Maps Project launched in fall 2018 with the aim of producing a major map for each of the nearly 100 undergraduate majors at UC Berkeley. With sponsorship from Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education Catherine P. Koshland and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Stephen C. Sutton, a project team was formed and a staff advisory group was convened to guide the development of map content and design.

The major maps project team created map prototypes, which were tested with the advisory group and with the Student Advisory Council for Undergraduate Education (SACUE). Input was also gathered from stakeholders such as the Berkeley Online Advising group, Council of Undergraduate Deans, and the Council of College Deans. Production of four-year major maps began in spring 2019 with a pilot set of maps from the most popular undergraduate major programs. In partnership with academic departments, the major maps project team has produced four-year maps for 93 majors to date.

Major Maps 2.0

The major maps project team is currently developing the next generation of major maps using insights gathered from the inaugural production of major maps. These “2.0 major maps” will feature:

  • Transfer student content - The next iteration of major maps will introduce information specific to transfer students, and integrate that content with existing four-year maps. In addition, the next generation of major maps will include refreshed content on the undergraduate major program, what can I do with my major, student opportunities, and undergraduate advising.

  • Redesign of the PDF map - New major maps will feature a completely redesigned and expanded layout to accommodate the additional content above.

  • Webpage versions of maps - To improve accessibility and the user experience, future major maps will be available as both a mobile-friendly webpage and a printable PDF. 

 We invite you to preview the 2.0 major map and share your feedback with us at major-maps@berkeley.edu

Project Updates

Summer 2023

Created new template for web version of major map

Spring 2023

Created and tested new template for print version of major map

Fall 2022

Developed prototypes for new print version of major map that integrate four-year and transfer content

Summer 2022

Completed annual update of current maps

Updated maps for 51 majors

Fall 2021

Tested prototypes for new My Major Maps webpage with SACUE students

Launched new My Major Maps webpage

Summer 2021

Developed prototypes for new My Major Map webpage

Completed major maps for:

  • Ancient Greek and Roman Studies

  • Bioengineering and Business Administration

  • Civil Engineering and Business Administration

  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and Business Administration

  • Greek

  • Industrial Engineering and Operations Research and Business Administration

  • Latin

  • Life Sciences, Business, and Entrepreneurship

  • Materials Science and Engineering and Business Administration

  • Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration

  • Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures

Spring 2021

Hosted feedback sessions with SACUE students for transfer map prototypes

Conducted transfer prototype feedback sessions with Major Maps Advisory Group and major advisors

Refined prototypes of transfer student major maps

Fall 2020

Major maps now appear in the Academic Guide

Produced prototypes of transfer student major maps

Hosted feedback sessions with SACUE students for transfer map prototypes

Completed major maps for:

  • Architecture

  • Astrophysics

  • Chemical Biology

  • Chemistry

  • Energy Engineering

  • Engineering Mathematics and Statistics

  • Engineering Physics

  • Environmental Engineering Science

  • Film and Media

  • History

  • Materials Science and Engineering

  • Operations Research and Management Science

  • Political Economy

  • Political Science

  • Social Welfare

  • Urban Studies

Summer 2020

Completed major maps for:

  • African American Studies

  • Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies

  • Chicano/a and Latino/a Studies

  • Environmental Sciences

  • Ethnic Studies

  • Gender and Women’s Studies

  • Global Studies

  • Linguistics

  • Native American Studies

Spring 2020

Completed major maps for:

  • American Studies

  • Conservation and Resource Studies

  • Data Science

  • Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

  • Interdisciplinary Studies Field

  • Landscape Architecture

  • Legal Studies

  • Mechanical Engineering

  • Media Studies

  • Microbial Biology

  • Nuclear Engineering

  • Nutritional Sciences

  • Physics

  • Public Health

Fall 2019

Hosted workshops with SACUE students for feedback on existing maps and transfer student experiences

Completed major maps for:

  • Art Practice

  • Chemical Engineering

  • Ecosystem Management and Forestry

  • Genetics and Plant Biology

  • Mathematics

  • Rhetoric

  • Society and Environment

  • Sustainable Environmental Design

Summer 2019

Completed major maps for:

  • Celtic Studies

  • Classical Civilizations

  • Classical Languages

  • Comparative Literature

  • Dance and Performance Studies

  • Dutch Studies

  • East Asian Religion, Thought, and Culture

  • English

  • Environmental Economics and Policy

  • French

  • German

  • Greek

  • History of Art

  • Italian Studies

  • Japanese Language

  • Latin

  • Molecular and Cell Biology

  • Molecular Environmental Biology

  • Scandinavian

  • Slavic Languages and Literature

  • South and Southeast Asian Studies

  • Spanish and Portuguese

  • Theater and Performance Studies

Printed all maps to date and delivered to departments for Golden Bear Orientation

Spring 2019

Completed major maps for:

  • Applied Mathematics

  • Bioengineering

  • Business Administration

  • Chinese Language

  • Civil Engineering

  • Cognitive Science

  • Computer Science

  • Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

  • Integrative Biology

  • Music

  • Psychology

  • Sociology

  • Statistics

Printed all maps to date and delivered to departments for Cal Day

Fall 2018

Project launched and project team formed

Convened advisory group

Hosted workshops with SACUE students on map design and content

Completed design template

Launched Major Maps Project website

Major Maps Project Team

Anthony Yuen, Project/Policy Analyst and Project Lead

Jesus Rubio, Content Development Assistant

Kelly Chuang, Visual Communications Assistant

Mimi Hoang, Content Development Assistant

Naomi Manuel, Visual Communications Assistant

Paola Diaz, Visual Communications Assistant

Major Maps Advisory Group

Juliana Golden, Office of the Registrar

Larry Jackson, Berkeley Career Engagement

Lorena Valdez, Centers for Educational Equity & Excellence

Mecca Shakoor-Cook, College of Letters & Science