The AC Requirement
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Collage of Student Efforts for UC to Divest from South African Apartheid Businesses
[The American Cultures requirement is] one of the most important curriculum-reform projects in the history of this campus. American Cultures challenges each discipline to raise questions that they had never raised before, and in the process, they have uncovered unknown aspects of their own disciplines.
Ling-chi Wang, professor emeritus of Asian American Studies

About the American Cultures Requirement

For over 30 years, the American Cultures (AC) requirement has been a staple of the undergraduate experience at UC Berkeley, fundamentally changing and challenging the undergraduate curriculum to better present the diversity of the American experience. The only university-wide undergraduate graduation requirement, the AC Requirement has led to the development of hundreds of courses, programs, and initiatives. 

Thanks to the support of the Division of Undergraduate Education and Equity & Inclusion, and our partnership with the Public Service Center, the AC Center offers courses in more than 49 departments and programs and supports a multitude of opportunities for faculty and student work. 

The AC Center offers tailored support for students, advisors, and faculty around the AC Requirement and AC-adjacent initiatives and programs. Please review the sections below to find unique advice no matter your position on campus!

For Students

For Faculty

For Advisors