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FAQ: General | Community College Students
General
- What is the American Cultures (AC) requirement?
- Who needs to take an AC course?
- I am a graduating senior with no time left and I just found out I need AC to graduate. What should I do?
- Can I take my AC course on a pass/not pass basis or do I need to take it for a letter grade?
- How do I find an AC course?
- Are all approved AC courses at Berkeley offered on a regular basis?
- Should I try to take an AC course in my first semester?
- Can I also use my AC course to satisfy a breadth requirement?
- I know I passed an AC course at Berkeley, but my transcript still shows that I haven't satisfied the AC requirement. How can I fix this?
- I see that History 7B at Berkeley is an AC course. I took a course with the same course number at another college. Does this count for AC credit?
- I was told that History 7A at Berkeley has been an AC course since fall 1998. I took History 7A earlier. Does the course I took count for AC credit?
- I am an international student. Do I still need to satisfy the AC requirement?
- Can I take a course that satisfies the AC requirement at a community college through concurrent enrollment?
- Do all AC courses have an AC suffix?
- I notice some courses (e.g. Sociology 3, Anthropology 3, American Studies 10) are sometimes offered with the AC suffix and sometimes without. Are both versions AC courses?
- Is the AC requirement the same as the AH&I requirements?
- Where can I find out more information about other requirements I need to graduate?
Community College Students
- At my previous college, I took a course that was about race and ethnicity in the US so I thought it was an AC course. My Info-BEARS report still shows that I haven't satisfied the AC requirement. Why not?
- As a community college transfer student, I satisfied the IGETC requirements. Does this mean I have automatically satisfied my AC requirement?
- I'm a transfer student. Do I have to complete the AC requirement in order to be admitted to Berkeley?
- If I can complete the AC requirement after enrolling at Berkeley, why should I take the course at community college?
- How can I tell if my community college course will satisfy Berkeley's AC requirement?
- I know I passed an AC course at my Community College, but my transcript still shows that I haven't satisfied the AC requirement. How can I fix this?
- My community college course is not listed on www.assist.org or on the AC website, but I think it should satisfy Berkeley's AC requirement. Who should I contact?
1. What is the American Cultures (AC) requirement?
AC is a Berkeley campus requirement, the one course that all undergraduate students at Cal need to pass in order to graduate. The AC requirement introduces students to the diverse cultures of the United States through a comparative framework. Courses are offered in more than forty departments in many different disciplines at both the lower and upper division level.
2. Who needs to take an AC course?
All students who entered Berkeley in fall 1991 or thereafter in lower division standing (as a freshman or sophomore with 0-55 transferable semester units), and all students who entered in fall 1993 or thereafter.
3. I am a graduating senior with no time left and I just found out I need AC to graduate. What should I do?
You can enroll in an AC course during summer session at U.C. Berkeley or a Community College, or through concurrent enrollment at a community college. Discuss your options with your academic advisor.
4. Can I take my AC course on a pass/not pass basis or do I need to take it for a letter grade?
The AC requirement may be taken for either a letter grade of C- or better, or on a Pass/Not Pass basis.
5. How do I find an AC course?
There are two ways to find an AC course. You can access a list of current courses from the AC website or you can search the Online Schedule of Classes by typing "American Cultures" in the "additional information" box and using any other parameters you choose to narrow your search.
6. Are all approved AC courses at Berkeley offered on a regular basis?
No. Just because a course is on the approved list of AC courses at Berkeley doesn't mean it will be offered again in the future. For current course offerings, please consult the Online Schedule of Classes or use the side navigation bar to access a list of AC courses for the current semester.
7. Should I try to take an AC course in my first semester?
Many AC courses are offered each term, but they often have high demand and long waitlists. Although you don't have to take an AC course in your first semester, the best advice is to satisfy your AC requirement early.
8. Can I also use my AC course to satisfy a breadth requirement?
Yes. Many AC courses also satisfy college and major requirements, in addition to satisfying the campus-wide AC requirement.
9. I know I passed an AC course at Berkeley, but my transcript still shows that I haven't satisfied the AC requirement. How can I fix this?
If you passed an American Cultures course at Berkeley, go to 120 Sproul Hall, the Registrar's Office and fill out a correction form. If you passed an American Cultures course at a community college before transferring to Berkeley, go to 110 Sproul Hall, the Admissions Office.
10. I see that History 7B at Berkeley is an AC course. I took a course with the same course number at another college. Does this count for AC credit?
It only counts if the course is listed as one of the approved courses at other colleges that satisfy the AC requirement. If not, then you would need to petition the AC subcommittee to see if the course meets the criteria for AC. Unless the course meets very specific criteria outlined in the Academic Senate regulations, it probably doesn't satisfy the requirement.
11. I was told that History 7A at Berkeley has been an AC course since fall 1998. I took History 7A earlier. Does the course I took count for AC credit?
No. If you took the course prior to its being approved as an AC course, you would need to petition the AC subcommittee to see if the course met the criteria for AC at that time, which is unlikely.
12. I am an international student. Do I still need to satisfy the AC requirement?
Yes, all students, including international students, need to satisfy the requirement.
13. Can I take a course that satisfies the AC requirement at a community college through concurrent enrollment?
Yes, but first consult your academic advisor.
14. Do all AC courses have an AC suffix?
No. Most AC courses have the AC suffix, but some do not.
15. I notice some courses (e.g. Sociology 3, Anthropology 3, American Studies 10) are sometimes offered with the AC suffix and sometimes without. Are both versions AC courses?
No. Sociology 3AC is AC-approved, but Sociology 3 is not. The same goes for similar pairs of courses. For AC purposes, these pairs of courses are different. For most other purposes (college breadth requirements or major requirements), these pairs of courses are equivalent.
16. Is the AC requirement the same as the AH&I requirements?
No. The AC requirement is a campus requirement. The American History & Institutions requirements are University requirements. However, students may take History 7A or 7B to satisfy both their AC and American History requirements. Students may take Political Science 1AC to satisfy both the AC and American Institutions requirement. Information about AH&I can be found at: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/ahi/.
17. Where can I find out more information about other requirements I need to graduate?
The official explanation of all undergraduate requirements is at http://www.berkeley.edu/catalog/undergrad/requirements.html. For more information, visit your academic advisor.
18. At my previous college, I took a course that was about race and ethnicity in the US so I thought it was an AC course. My Info-BEARS report still shows that I haven't satisfied the AC requirement. Why not?
If your course is not listed as one of the approved courses at other colleges that satisfy the AC requirement, then you haven't satisfied the requirement. Unless the course meets very specific criteria outlined in the Academic Senate regulations, it probably doesn't satisfy the requirement. If you believe the course meets those criteria, then you can submit a petition.
19. As a community college transfer student, I satisfied the IGETC requirements. Does this mean I have automatically satisfied my AC requirement?
No. Unless you specifically passed one of the approved courses at other colleges, you have not satisfied your AC requirement.
20. I'm a transfer student. Do I have to complete the AC requirement in order to be admitted to Berkeley?
No. AC is a graduation requirement, not an admission requirement. So you can satisfy this requirement after being admitted to Berkeley if you haven't already completed it at community college.
21. If I can complete the AC requirement after enrolling at Berkeley, why should I take the course at community college?
Why not satisfy the AC requirement at community college!
- You can count the units from the community college course towards the 60 UC-transferable semester units needed for admission as a junior; and
- Satisfying this requirement at your community college allows you to focus on your major requirements after admission to Berkeley.
22. How can I tell if my community college course will satisfy Berkeley's AC requirement?
Many California community college courses have been approved as satisfying AC.
- Go to assist.org
- Select University of California, Berkeley
- Select the year you're interested in, e.g., 07-08
- Select a California community college, e.g., Berkeley City College
- Under "By Major," select > "Information - American Cultures Graduation Requirement"
- The community college course(s) approved for satisfying the Requirement appear on the right side of the page.
23. I know I passed an AC course at my Community College, but my transcript still shows that I haven't satisfied the AC requirement. How can I fix this?
If you passed an American Cultures course at a community college before transferring to Berkeley, go to 110 Sproul Hall, the Admissions Office.
24. My community college course is not listed on www.assist.org or on the AC website, but I think it should satisfy Berkeley's AC requirement. Who should I contact?
Please refer to the Petition Guidelines.
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