Undergraduate Minor in Demography
Please note that starting in fall 2020, students who wish to obtain the Minor in Demography must declare the minor by the last day of RRR week, one semester prior to their Estimated Graduation Term (EGT). The Degrees Office will not make exceptions, please plan accordingly.
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 five upper-division courses.
All courses applied to the minor must be taken on a letter-grade basis. **Courses taken in the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters only may be taken using the P/NP grading option.** 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 Requirements
Required courses
| Course Number | Description | Units | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEMOG 110 | Introduction to Population Analysis | 3 | Offered in Fall only |
| DEMOG/SOCIOL C126 | Sex, Death, and Data | 4 | Offered in Fall only |
| DEMOG/ECON C175 | Economic Demography | 4 | Offered in Spring only |
You are not allowed to make substitutions for these three courses unless they are not being offered in the current academic year. In this case, written approval of a valid substitute course must be obtained and submitted along with the L&S Minor Completion Form. Please note that Demography courses are only offered once per academic year. Plan your schedule accordingly.
Elective courses
To complete your minor you must take two elective courses, one from each group below.
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 upper-division and at least 3 units. Be sure to check with the department to make sure that the course you plan to take will be offered in the semester in which you plan to enroll.
Please e-mail the Student Services Adviser for approval of substitutions. Include the course description from the Academic Guide and a course syllabus for the course you would like to take and indicate which core course or elective category requirement you would like to substitute.
Statistical Methods or Vital Statistics: Pick one course from this group:
| Course Number | Description | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PB HLTH 141 | Introduction to Biostatistics | 5 |
| PB HLTH 142 | Intro to Prob. & Stat. in Biology & Pb Hlth | 4 |
| ECON 140 | Economic Statistics and Econometrics | 4 |
| ECON 141 | Econometric Analysis | 4 |
| PSYCH 101 | Research and Data Analysis in Psychology | 4 |
| SOCIOL 106 | Quantitative Sociological Methods | 4 |
| STAT 131A | Intro to Prob. & Stat. for Life Scientists | 4 |
| STAT 135 | Concepts of Statistics | 4 |
| STAT 140 | Probability for Data Science | 4 |
Social science dealing with demographic factors: Pick one course from this group
| Course Number | Description | Units |
|---|---|---|
| DEMOG 145AC | The American Immigrant Experience | 4 |
| DEMOG C164 | Impact of Gov. Pol. on Poor Child. & Fam. | 4 |
| DEMOG C165 | Fam. & HH in Comparative Perspective | 3 |
| DEMOG 180 | Social Networks | 3 |
| ECON 155 | Urban Economics | 4 |
| ECON 157 | Health Economics | 4 |
| ECON C171 | Economic Development | 4 |
| ECON N171 | Economic Development | 4 |
| HISTORY 137AC | The Repeopling of America | 4 |
| PB HLTH 181 | Poverty and Population | 3 |
| SOCIOL 111 | Sociology of the Family | 4 |
| SOCIOL 111AC | Sociology of the Family | 4 |
| SOCIOL 130 | Social Inequalities | 4 |
| SOCIOL 130AC | Social Inequalities: American Cultures | 4 |
Duplication of Courses
You are allowed to count only one upper-division course toward both major and minor programs. In order to verify the overlap of courses, please complete the Major/Minor Overlap Check page, included in the L&S Minor Completion Form and obtain the signature of your Major advisor. 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 “Completion of L&S Minor.” 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. Please submit your paperwork, including written approval of any valid course substitutions, after you have completed the required coursework or toward the end of the last semester in which you will complete the coursework.
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.
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 and would then choose your major and minor programs after you have been admitted.