Undergraduate Minor Program
The undergraduate minor in Demography provides an opportunity to combine a traditional major, typically in one of the social sciences, with specialized training in population studies. Students in the minor must complete, with an overall grade point average of at least 2.0 (C), a total of 5 upper division courses.
All courses applied to the minor must be taken on a letter-grade basis. Equivalent courses (or appropriate graduate-level courses) may be substituted with the consent of faculty. At least three of the five courses must be completed at UC Berkeley. Students planning on taking Demography courses while participating in the Study Abroad program should first consult with Demography regarding their course choices related to the minor. At least three of the five required courses must be completed at Berkeley.
Minor Course Requirements
- Three required courses: Demography 110 (Introduction to Population Studies), Demography/Sociology 126 (Population Issues), and Demography/Economics 175 (Economic Demography). You are not allowed to make substitutions for these three courses.
- One elective course from Public Health 140 or 142A; Economics 140 or 141; Sociology 105; Statistics 102, 131A or 135. These courses are meant to be courses in statistical methods or vital statistics. It is possible to use courses other than these to fulfill this requirement, however you should first consult with the Demography Department regarding your choice. Substituted courses must be at least 3 units.
- One elective course from Demography 140, 145,164,165 or 189; Economics 155, 157 or 171; History 137; Sociology 111 or 125. These are courses in social science dealing with demographic factors. It is possible to use courses other than these to fulfill this requirement, however you should first consult with the Demography Department regarding your choice. Substituted courses must be at least 3 units.
Duplication of Courses
You are allowed to count only one upper-division course toward both major and minor programs. The Demography Department does not have the capacity to check for this, however; we only verify that you have fulfilled our own requirements. After we give our approval for the minor, the College of Letters and Science will examine your transcript for duplication of courses. This is therefore something that you will need to monitor carefully when planning your senior year program. If you are in doubt as to whether more than one class overlaps, try making two lists, one of those courses you are counting toward your major requirements, and one of those counting toward the minor requirements, including courses that fulfill class requirements, unit requirements, electives, etc. If you find that you have more than one class in common, you will need to take an additional class in either major or minor to make up for it.
Submission of Forms
Forms required to declare a minor are downloadable from the Letters and Science advising page. You need the form entitled "Confirmation of Minor Program Completion." Bring this form, along with an unofficial copy of your transcript, to the Demography office when you have completed, or are currently enrolled in, the courses required for the Demography Minor.
Demography Program Events and Mailing Lists
The Department of Demography maintains a Demography Minor e-mail list, for occasional updates on minor requirements, as well as information on fellowships and jobs that might be of interest to you.
We also have an ongoing series of Wednesday lunchtime Brown Bag Seminars and monthly meetings of the Bay Area Population Colloquium (BACPOP); you are welcome to attend any of these events. If you would like to be added to the minor information list or to either the Brown Bag or the BACPOP lists, please contact the Demography Office. You are welcome to sign up for the minor list or the events lists even if you do not anticipate being able to complete the minor.
College of Letters and Science Advice
Please visit the Step by Step website for further information about how to start preparing yourself for graduate school from your freshman year on.
Useful Links
Considering graduate school?
- A good place to start when looking for financial support for graduate school is UC Berkeley Graduate Division's Fellowship Resources on the Web.
- The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation also sends us fliers regarding merit-based Mellon Fellowships
NOTE: The Demography Department does not process undergraduate admissions for people who have not yet been admitted to UC Berkeley. You would apply directly through the Undergraduate Admissions program (link opens in new window) and would then choose your major and minor programs after you have been admitted.