Admission to the program will be by application. There is no application deadline. Before applying, students should meet with faculty chair, Professor Christopher Kutz, to discuss their interests. Students should write Professor Kutz directly, at ckutz@berkeley.edu, to set a time to meet. To apply, students will write a short application essay of a few paragraphs, explaining the reason for their interest in the normative study of politics, their future plans, and how they think they might benefit from the writing-intensive component of the Minor. A minimum GPA of 3.3 will also be required. Students will also be asked to have an instructor (GSI or faculty, at Berkeley or community college) who has supervised their writing submit a brief note attesting to the student’s capacity to benefit from the Minor. Application materials should be sent to the Program Coordinator, Ms. Laura Spautz, lspautz@berkeley.edu.
IMPORTANT LOGISTICS:
You must declare the minor no later than the semester before your EGT (Expected Graduation Term).
You will need to complete minors within your semester limit and unit ceiling to complete a minor. Your semester limit and unit ceiling do not change as a result of adding on a minor. If you are unable to finish your minor within your limits, you will need to drop your minor.
If you are unsure whether or not your minor plan will fit within your time limits for your degree, bring your major and minor program plan to an L&S College Adviser for help understanding your options.
You can use a total of two courses in common with your major and the PPL minor: (1) one upper division course and (2) one thesis or capstone writing course.
The PPL Minor Program Planning form is here:
FILLABLE PDF – PPL MINOR PROGRAM PLANNING FORM
During the semester you graduate, you must complete and submit a minor completion form with all required signatures. For form, instructions and deadlines, please see this page.