Immerse yourself in UC Berkeley
Submit your application by July 1, 2018
The Berkeley College of Environmental Design's Global Access Program (CED-GAP) provides unique access to top-notch Berkeley faculty, courses and networks within the innovation ecosystem of the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. Through CED-GAP, top qualifying international students gain the knowledge, skills and connections necessary to excel as innovators and thought leaders in sustainable built environment design. Built for both majors and non-majors, the core curriculum emphasizes sustainability, design and social difference, and history and theory of cities and landscapes. Majors engage in a design studio or planning workshop, while non-majors are able to take one UC Berkeley elective from outside the College's curriculum.
In addition to a formal course of study, CED-GAP students are welcome to attend all college public lectures, symposia and conferences; join CED student clubs; participate in college social events; and attend university lectures and other events. CED will provide GAP students with opportunities to explore the San Francisco Bay Area through organized field trips that combine experiential education and fun.
Programs may also be customized to meet curricular needs of students. Enhancements may include: professional development, graduate school admissions workshops, cohort lunches and immersive California field trips.
Students take 4 courses (12-15 units). Upon completion, students will receive a transcript from University of California, Berkeley Extension and a Certificate of Completion from Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design.
Apply online for the CED Global Access Program
Jump to helpful links: Request More Information • Facts about CED • College Resouces • Programs • Portfolio Requirements • Program Cost + Language Requirement • Scholarships • Program Video
Program Details
- Program Duration: 1 or 2 semesters
- Upcoming Progams: Fall 2018 and Spring 2019
- Fall 2018 Semester Dates: August 20 - December 14, 2018
- Participants: Top-qualifying undergraduate international students
- 4 Distinct Program Tracks: 1) architecture, 2) landscape architecture, 3) city planning + urban studies, 4) sustainable environmental design
SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION FOR THE FALL 2018 PROGRAM BY JULY 1st!
The College of Environmental Design can help put international students at the forefront of creating a sustainable future. Today’s students have inherited unprecedented global and environmental challenges. These challenges require students to learn in radically new ways to fashion buildings and neighborhoods, cities and regions, and landscapes that will harbor our diverse ways of life. Our Global Access Program has shaped its curriculum to help students tackle these challenges and think in new ways toward that future.
GET MORE INFORMATION
Students present their work to judges.
The College of Environmental Design @ UC Berkeley: By the Statistics
- The College of Environmental Design programs are ranked #1 among all public universities in the USA.
- UC Berkeley is ranked as the #4 university in the world by the 2016 Shanghai Ranking Consultancy.
- Our Architecture Program is ranked #4 in the world by QS Ranking.
College Resources
CED's is housed in Wurster Hall, home to an exceptional array of activities and resources for CED-GAP students:
CED's newly renovated architecture studio.
CED features renowned international guest speakers, faculty critics, social events and facilities.
CED staff offer individualized advising for courses. The University also offers career services and health & wellness programs. Find out more about college resources below:
- Renowned award-winning faculty
- Experts and innovators visiting from around the world
- A superb Environmental Design Library
- Blake Garden, a large teaching garden in the Berkeley Hills
- The Environmental Design Archives, one of the nation’s leading archives of architectural and landscape plans and drawings
- The Visual Resources Center, an extensive slide, photograph, and digital image collection
- Computer-aided design and manufacturing technology in CED’s advanced digital fabrication laboratory, as well as traditional wood and metal fabrication shop
Program Tracks
CED has design oriented tracks for students majoring in architecture and landscape architecture. For students who are more interested in the broad study of urban and sustainablity issues, CED has a city planning + urban studies track as well as a sustainable enviromental design track.
Browse more information about coursework and requirements for the 4 program tracks here.
Portfolio Requirements
If you are a student looking to pursue the architecture or landscape architecture track, you have the opportunity to take the Integrated Design Studio: You Are Here - Bay Area Transformations course. Students applying to these tracks must submit a portfolio with their application. Portfolios may contain up to 12 pages (8-1/2"x11"-format) of design content. Please note that beyond 12 pages, your portfolio may not be reviewed. Title page and/or table of contents may be submitted, and will not count toward the 12 pages of content. The digital portfolio should showcase recent, high-quality work, and will be judged on both content and overall design. Applicants without professional training may submit work that shows other evidence of creativity (studio art, construction/renovation, furniture design, etc.) and clearly demonstrates interest in the proposed subject field. Any material that is not entirely the applicant's own work must be clearly identified.
Portfolio must be saved as a single file in PDF format, and submitted via the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design's Global Access Program (CED-GAP) online application. The file size must be no larger than 10MB. If your portfolio PDF file exceeds 10MB, try compressing it in Adobe Acrobat.
The portfolio may be in a two-page spread format, and any dimensions may be used. Please keep in mind the review will take place on monitors of varying size.
Program Cost
$19,500 per semester Includes international student fee, course fees, health insurance, orientation, student advising, final transcript, completion certificate and selected UC Berkeley - Environmental Design enhancements.
Language Requirements
TOEFL: 90 (iBT) or
IELTS Academic Format: 7 or
TOEIC: 800+
If you have a lower English test score or do not have an English proficiency test score when you apply, please contact us to request a language proficiency interview. If you complete this interview satisfactorily, you may be admitted to the program or may be eligible for CED-GAP.
If you have a TOEFL of 79 or below or do not demonstrate adequate language proficiency, you may attend one of our partner English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) schools. We have agreements with several schools in the United States to accept institutional TOEFL scores.
Scholarships
CED is excited to announce four (4) scholarships, up to $3,000 each, to be applied toward the Fall 2018 program (August 20 - December 14, 2018). Visit our scholarships page for more information.
ELIGIBILITY
- Current undergraduate 3rd or 4th year international students
- Must apply to Fall 2018 CED-GAP prior to June 24, 2018.
- 3.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) in your undergraduate studies.