Minors
The Department of Architecture offers four minors, which are open to all UC Berkeley students. See below for descriptions and requirements. The deadline to declare a minor is one semester prior to your final semester.
Minor in Sustainable Design
Discover how decisions made at various scales of the built environment (buildings, communities, land use patterns, urban support systems) can support environmental quality, social equity, and economic vitality. Offered jointly by the Department of Architecture and the Department of Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning, the minor includes courses taken in other departments across campus.
Requirements
- Guidelines
- Lower Division Requirement
- Upper Division Requirements
- A letter grade of C- or higher in ENV DES 1, LDA ARCH 1, or LD ARCH 12 (or a 3 or higher in AP Env Sci) is required to declare the minor.
- To declare, complete the College of Environmental Design Request to Declare Minor Form. The deadline to submit is one semester prior to your final semester.
- Each course used to fulfill minor requirements must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher.
- You must earn a 2.0 GPA in the upper division requirements for the minor.
- CED Students: Any course used in fulfillment of minor requirements may also be used to fulfill major and upper division CED non-major requirements.
- CED Students: Courses used to fulfill a breadth requirement may also be used to satisfy minor requirements.
- You may apply the non-CED version of a CED cross-listed course towards the minor.
- You may use up to two courses taken abroad to fulfill upper division minor requirements, with faculty approval of the individual courses.
- Students declared in a CED minor do not have priority in CED courses that satisfy a requirement for the minor. To enroll in courses, students must add themselves to the waitlist. A declared CED minor will be considered when the waitlist is processed. For non-CED courses please connect with the department of the course.
One course from the following (a letter grade of C- or higher is required to declare the minor):
- ENV DES 1 – People and the Environment (3 units)
- LD ARCH 1 – Drawing a Green Future: Fundamentals of Visual Representation and Creativity (4 units)
- LD ARCH 12 – Environmental Science for Sustainable Development (4 units)
- AP Environmental Science (passing score of 3 or above)
Five additional courses (minimum of two courses from each list below), all completed with a letter grade of C- or higher:
List 1: CED Courses
- ARCH 124A – 3-D Computer Technology (2 units)
- ARCH 140 – Energy and Environment (4 units)
- ARCH 149, 169, 249 – Special Topics (minimum 2 units)
- ARCH 240 – Advanced Study of Energy & Environment (3 units)
- ARCH 241 – Research Methods in Building Sciences (3 units)
- ARCH 142 or 242 – Sustainability Colloquium* (1, 2 units)
- CY PLAN 114 – Introduction to Urban and Regional Transportation Planning (3 units)
- CY PLAN 115 – Urbanization in Developing Countries (4 units)
- CY PLAN 119 – Planning for Sustainability (3 units)
- CY PLAN 140 – Urban Design: City Building and Place Making (3 units)
- CY PLAN 254 – Sustainable Communities*** – Only with instructor approval for students in their senior year (3 units)
- CY PLAN 256 – Healthy Cities – Only with instructor approval for students in their senior year (3 units)
- ENVDES 102 – Climate Change and City Planning: Adaptation and Resilience (3 units)
- ENVDES 131 – The Community Design Process (3 units)
- LD ARCH 103 – Energy, Fantasy, and Form (5 units)
- LD ARCH C110A – Ecological Analysis (formerly LD ARCH C110, cross-listed as ESPM C110A) (3 units)
- LD ARCH 111 – Plants in Design (3 units)
- LD ARCH 122 – Hydrology for Planners (4 units)
- LD ARCH 130 – Sustainable Landscapes and Cities*** (3 units)
- LD ARCH 138AC – Analysis of Metropolitan Form (3 units)
- LD ARCH 140 – Social and Psychological Factors in Open Space Design (3 units)
- LD ARCH C188 – GIS (4 units)
- LD ARCH 225 – Urban Forest Planning Management (3 units)
- LD ARCH 191 – Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe, UC Davis Study Abroad
*ARCH 142/ARCH 242 may only count as a third course from this list and may be taken P/NP for either 1 or 2 units.
**ARCH 124A may only count as a third course from this list.
***These classes are very popular, and your enrollment is not guaranteed. Please be sure to create a flexible graduation plan in case you are not able to enroll in your preferred classes.
List 2: Non-CED Courses
- ANTHRO 137 – Energy, Culture and Social Organization (4 units)
- CE 170A: Infrastructure Sensing and Modeling (3 units)
- CIV ENG 103 – Introduction to Hydrology (3 units)
- CIVENG C103N/ESPM C130/GEOG C136 – Terrestrial Hydrology (4 units)
- CIV ENG 107 – Climate Change Mitigation (3 units)
- CIV ENG 108: Climate Change Adaptation
- CIV ENG 113N – Ecological Engineering for Water Quality Improvement (3 units)
- CIV ENG 292A** – Technologies for Sustainable Societies (1 unit)
- ENERES C100/PUB POL C184 – Energy and Society (4 units)
- ENERES W100 – Energy and Society (4 units)
- ENERES 131: Data, Environment and Society (4 units)
- ENERES 160 – Climate Justice (4 units)
- ENVECON 100 – Microeconomic Theory with Application to Natural Resources (4 units)
- ENVECON C101 – Environmental Economics (cross-listed as ECON C125) (4 units)
- ENVECON C102 – Natural Resource Economics (cross-listed as ECON C102) (4 units)
- ENVECON 162 – Economics of Water Resources (3 units)
- ENVECON C175 – Economics of Climate Change (cross-listed as IAS C175) (4 units)
- ENVECON C176 – Climate Change Economics (4 units)
- ENVECON C183 – Forest Ecosystem Management (4 units)
- ESPM 102C – Resource Management (4 units)
- ESPM 102D – Climate and Energy Policy (4 units)
- ESPM 117 – Urban Garden Ecosystems (4 units)
- ESPM 134 – Fire, Insects, and Diseases in Forest Ecosystems (3 units)
- ESPM 136: Sustainable Industry (4 units)
- ESPM 137 – Landscape Ecology (3 units)
- ESPM 151 – Society, Environment and Culture (4 units)
- ESPM 155AC – Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems (4 units)
- ESPM 161 – Environmental Philosophy and Ethics (3 units)
- ESPM 162 – Bioethics and Society (4 units)
- ESPM 163AC – Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment (formerly SOCIOL 128AC) (4 units)
- ESPM C167 – Environmental Health and Development (cross-listed as PB HLTH C160) (4 units)
- ESPM 168 – Political Ecology (4 units)
- ESPM 169 – International Environmental Politics (4 units)
- ESPM 173 – Sustainable Cities of Northern Europe, UC Davis Study Abroad
- ESPM 177A – Sustainable Water and Food Security (4 units)
- ESPM 183 – Forest Ecosystem Management and Planning (4 units)
- ESPM 186 – Management and Conservation of Rangeland Ecosystems (4 units)
- GEOG 130 – Food and the Environment (4 units)
- GEOG 138 – Global Environmental Politics (4 units)
- GEOG 160 – American Landscapes: History, Culture, and the Built Environment (4 units)
- GEOG 181: Urban Field Study (4 units)
- GEOG 185 – Earth System Remote Sensing (3 units)
- GEOG 186 – Web Cartography (5 units)
- NWMEDIA 132: How to Build a Global Internet
- PBLHLTH 101: A Sustainable World: Challenges and Opportunities (3 units)
- PB HLTH C160: Environmental Health and Development (4 units)
**CIV ENG 292A may only count as a third course from List 2.
Courses below have been phased out of the minor for the List 1 requirement. It may only be used if taken spring 2022 or before.
- ENV DES 104 – Design Frameworks (3 units)
- IEOR 185 – Smart Cities in India (4 units)
Spacing: large
Minor in the History of the Built Environment
The undergraduate minor in the History of the Built Environment is designed to give you an awareness of the history of the built environment through a series of courses in history, architectural history, and cultural landscape. This minor requires consultation with a faculty advisor.
Requirements
- Guidelines
- Lower Division Requirement
- Required Courses
- A letter grade of C- or higher in ENV DES 1 is required to declare the minor.
- To declare, complete the College of Environmental Design Request to Declare Minor Form. The deadline to submit the form is one semester prior to your final semester.
- Each course used to fulfill minor requirements must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher.
- You must earn a 2.0 GPA in the upper division requirements for the minor.
- CED Students: Any course used in fulfillment of minor requirements may also be used to fulfill major and upper division CED non-major requirements.
- CED Students: Courses used to fulfill a breadth requirement may also be used to satisfy minor requirements.
- You may apply the non-CED version of a CED cross-listed course towards the minor.
- Students declared in a CED minor do not have priority in CED courses that satisfy a requirement for the minor. To enroll in courses, students must add themselves to the waitlist. A declared CED minor will be considered when the waitlist is processed. For non-CED courses please connect with the department of the course.
- You may use up to two courses taken abroad to fulfill upper division minor requirements, with faculty approval of the individual courses.
- ENV DES 1 (3) People and Environmental Design (a letter grade of C- or higher is required to declare the minor).
A total of five courses must be completed as outlined below, all with a letter grade of C- or higher.
- ARCH 170A (4) Historical Surveys of Architecture and Urbanism.
- ARCH 170B (4) Historical Surveys of Architecture and Urbanism.
- One upper-division, non-CED course with a focus on history and environmental design. Approval required by faculty minor advisor. To request review please follow the CED Course Substitution and Curriculum Petition Process on the Forms + Documents page.
Two of the following:
- ARCH 179 (3) Special Topics in the History of Architecture (various offerings each semester)
- GEOG 160 (4) American Landscapes: History, Geography, and the Built Environment
- HISTART 108 (4) Cities and the Arts
- LD ARCH 170 (3) History of Landscape Architecture (not applicable for landscape architecture majors)
- LD ARCH C171 (3) The American Designed Landscape Since 1850
Spacing: large
Minor in Environmental Design and Urbanism in Developing Countries
The minor in Environmental Design and Urbanism in Developing Countries exposes you to basic problems, cultural contexts, policy alternatives, and design solutions in the Third World. It serves students majoring in humanities, social sciences, and a variety of professional fields. You must take five courses in this minor to satisfy the requirements, with a minimum of 16 units.
Requirements
- Guidelines
- Lower Division Requirement
- Upper Division Requirements
- A letter grade of C- or higher in ENV DES 1 is required to declare the minor.
- To declare, complete the College of Environmental Design Request to Declare Minor Form. The deadline to submit the form is one semester prior to your final semester.
- Each course used to fulfill minor requirements must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher.
- You must earn a 2.0 GPA in the upper division requirements for the minor.
- CED Students: Any course used in fulfillment of minor requirements may also be used to fulfill major and upper division CED non-major requirements.
- CED Students: Courses used to fulfill a breadth requirement may also be used to satisfy minor requirements.
- You may apply the non-CED version of a CED cross-listed course towards the minor.
- You may use up to two courses taken abroad to fulfill upper division minor requirements, with faculty approval of the individual courses.
- Students declared in a CED minor do not have priority in CED courses that satisfy a requirement for the minor. To enroll in courses, students must add themselves to the waitlist. A declared CED minor will be considered when the waitlist is processed. For non-CED courses please connect with the department of the course.
- ENV DES 1 (3) People and Environmental Design (a letter grade of C- or higher is requried to declare the minor).
A total of five courses must be completed as outlined below, with a minimum of two courses from each list; all must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher:
CED Offerings
Three courses required:
- ARCH 170A (4) An Historical Survey of Architecture and Urbanism
- ARCH 170B (4) An Historical Survey of Architecture and Urbanism
- ARCH 179 (2-4) Special Topics in Architectural History (when topic relates to developing countries ONLY)
- ARCH 218 (4) Housing, Urbanization, and Urbanism: Design, Planning, and Policy Issues in Developing Countries (formerly ARCH 219A) (with permission of instructor only) or CY PLAN 231 (3) Housing in Developing Countries (co-listed)
- CY PLAN 111* (3) Introduction to Housing: An International Survey or ARCH 111* (3) Housing: An International Survey (co-listed)
- CY PLAN 115* (4) Urbanization in Developing Countries
- ENV DES 100* (4) The City: Theories and Methods in Urban Studies
- Students may propose additional CED courses not on this list. To request review please follow “CED Course Substitution and Curriculum Petition Process” on the “FORMS + DOCUMENTS” page.
University Offerings — Specialized Area Studies
Two courses required. In order for an alternative course to be considered, it must include content related to developing countries.
- ANTHRO 141 (4) Comparative Society
- ANTHRO 170-188 (4) Anthropology specialized topics
- DEV STD C100 (4) History of Development and Underdevelopment (also offered as GEOG C112)
- ESPM 155 (4) Sociology of Natural Resources or ESPM 155AC (4) Sociology and Political Ecology of Agro-Food Systems
- HISTORY 109C (4) The Middle East From the 18th Century to the Present
- HISTORY 111B (4) Modern Southeast Asia
- HISTORY 111C (4) Political and Cultural History of Vietnam
- HISTORY 112B (4) Modern South Africa
- HISTORY 113B (4) Modern Korean History
- HISTORY 114A (4) Medieval and Early Modern India to the Coming of the British
- HISTORY 114B (4) Modern South Asia
- HISTORY 116B (4) Two Golden Ages: China During the Tang and Song Dynasties
- HISTORY 116C (4) Modern China
- HISTORY 140B (4) Modern Mexico
- HISTORY 141B (4) Social History of Modern Latin America
- HISTORY 143 (4) Brazil
- POL SCI 139B (4) Development Politics
- POL SCI 141C (4) Politics and Government in Eastern Europe
- POL SCI 142A (4) Middle East Politics
- POL SCI 143A-B (4) Northeast Asian Politics
- POL SCI 144B (4) Politics of Divided Korea
- POL SCI 145B (4) South Asian Politics
- POL SCI 146B (4) African Politics
- POL SCI 148A (4) Latin American Politics
Notes
Studies (LATAMST), Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), Development Studies (DEV STD), and Political Economy of Industrial Societies (POLECIS) may be used as substitutes provided prior approval of the faculty minor advisor is granted. To request review please follow “CED Course Substitution and Curriculum Petition Process” on the “FORMS + DOCUMENTS” page.
Graduate courses in subjects related to those on Lists 1 and 2 may be used as substitutes if approved by the faculty advisor.
Spacing: large
Minor in Social and Cultural Factors in Environmental Design
The Social and Cultural Factors in Environmental Design minor emphasizes the political, cultural, social, and economic issues of concern to architects, landscape architects, and city planners.
Requirements
- Guidelines
- Lower Division Requirements
- Upper Division Requirements
- A letter grade of C- or higher is required in ENV DES 1 to declare the minor.
- To declare, complete the College of Environmental Design Request to Declare Minor Form. The deadline to submit form is one semester prior to your final semester.
- Each course used to fulfill minor requirements must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher.
- You must earn a 2.0 GPA in the upper division requirements for the minor.
- CED Students: Any course used in fulfillment of minor requirements may also be used to fulfill CED major and upper division CED non-major requirements.
- CED Students: Courses used to fulfill a breadth requirement may also be used to satisfy minor requirements.
- You may apply the non-CED version of a CED cross-listed course towards the minor.
- You may use up to two courses taken abroad to fulfill upper division minor requirements, with faculty approval of the individual courses.
- Students declared in a CED minor do not have priority in CED courses that satisfy a requirement for the minor. To enroll in courses, students must add themselves to the waitlist. A declared CED minor will be considered when the waitlist is processed. For non-CED courses please connect with the department of the course.
- ENV DES 1 (3) People and Environmental Design (a letter grade of C- or higher is required to declare the minor)
A total of five courses must be completed as outlined below; all must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher.
One of the following:
- ARCH 130 (4) Introduction to Design Theories and Criticism
- ARCH 112 (3) The Social Life of Building (last offered Fall 2024)
- ARCH 110AC (3) Social and Cultural Factors in Design (last offered Fall 2020)
Four of the following:
- ARCH 179 (3-4) Proseminar in the History of Architecture (a non-Western architecture section)
- ARCH 212 (3) Body Conscious Design (Arch 110AC is prereq)
- CY PLAN 110 (4) Introduction to City Planning
- CY PLAN 115 (4) Urbanization in Developing Countries
- CY 118AC (4) The Urban Community
- CYPLAN 120 (3) Community Planning and Public Policy for Disability
- CY PLAN 190 (3-4) Advanced topics in Urban Studies. Must be taken for at least 2 units
- LD ARCH 130 (4) Introduction to Landscape Architecture
The deadline to submit this declaration form is one semester prior to a your final semester.