Study Abroad Opportunities

"Sociology majors, we want you to study abroad!"

Dept. of Sociology

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Study Abroad Opportunities for Sociology Majors

Berkeley Study Abroad offers a variety of excellent programs during the Summer, Fall, Spring, or Academic Year:

Financial Aid

Worried about cost? Berkeley Study Abroad has helpful info on financing your time abroad. You can also talk to financial aid counselors located in the Berkeley Study Abroad office.

👉 View advising hours here

Using Study Abroad Courses for the Sociology Major

âś… Automatic Approval for Sociology Electives (UCEAP only)

Some UCEAP courses automatically count toward Sociology Elective requirements if all of the following are true:

  • The course appears as a Sociology course on your UC Berkeley transcript

  • It is upper-division (numbered 100+) on your transcript

  • It is at least 4 quarter / 2.7 semester units

  • It is an academic course (not research/internship-based)

  • You earned a letter grade of D- or higher

Note: 

  1. This Google Document will list sociology courses from Fall 2022-Spring 2025 that meet the criteria for automatic approval. Please note a course can be listed under multiple departments, and it's your job to ensure that the course is listed as "sociology". Also, that this list is not exhaustive. 

  2. Cristina or Seng may be able to tell you which programs typically offer courses that meet these criteria, but this is not guaranteed — please plan ahead.

⚠️ Approval by Exception (UCEAP & Non-UCEAP)

If your course doesn’t meet all the criteria above, if you don't know if they meet the criteria above, or if you’re studying through a non-UCEAP program — you may request approval by exception.

You can request exception approval for:

  • Sociology Electives that do not meet automatic approval criteria listed above (most common)

  • Other major requirements (e.g., Sociology Survey), if applicable

How to Request Approval by Exception

To get a course reviewed, submit the following:

  1. Syllabus from the term you took the course

  2. A weekly reading list with full citations

    • If your syllabus includes this already, you're all set

    • If not, you must create a separate document listing the readings by week

📩 Submit your materials to Cristina or Seng. They’ll forward them to the Director of Undergraduate Studies for review.
Note: This process takes 2–3 weeks.