1. What are the American History and Institutions (AH&I) requirements?
The AH&I requirements constitute two of the University of California's three system-wide requirements (the other being the Entry-Level Writing requirement, formerly known as "Subject A"). They were established in accordance with Academic Senate Regulation 638, which reads as follows:
"A knowledge of American history and of the principles of American Institutions under the federal and state constitutions is required of all candidates for the degree of A.B., B.Arch., and B.S. This requirement may be met by passing an examination or examinations under the direction of the appropriate committee, or by passing any course or courses of instruction that may be accepted as satisfactory by that committee. The papers submitted in the examination shall be rated 'passed' or 'not passed'."
UC Berkeley does not currently offer an exam or exams to satisfy the requirements.
2. Who needs to satisfy the AH&I requirements?
All UC Berkeley undergraduates must satisfy the American History and American Institutions requirements in order to graduate. An exception is made only for international students who have at least 90.5 semester units (senior status), hold a current, non-immigrant visa (F is the most common), and an I-94 departure record. (International students, see instructions for waiving the requirement below.)
3. I am an international student. How do I apply for a waiver of my AH&I requirements?
If you have accumulated at least 90.5 semester units (senior status), hold a current, non-immigrant visa (F is the most common), and an I-94 departure record, you may ask to have your AH&I requirements waived by presenting your visa and I-94 to the Office of the Registrar in 120 Sproul Hall before the semester in which you will graduate.
4. I will be an incoming freshman next semester. How do I know if I have already satisfied the AH&I requirements?
Nearly all incoming freshman have already satisfied their AH&I requirements with course work completed in high school or at another college in California. If you completed one year of U.S. history OR one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of U.S. government in high school with a grade of C or better, you have satisfied both the American History and American Institutions requirements. If you passed the high school Advanced Placement American History exam with a score of 3 or better, the SAT subject test (formerly named the Achievement Test) in U.S. History with a score of 550 or better, or the International Baccalaureate Higher Level (IBHL) "History of the Americas" exam with a score of 5, 6, or 7, you have satisfied both the American History and American Institutions requirements. Only the American Institutions requirement may be satisfied by passing the AP U.S. Government exam with a score of 3 or better.
5. I am a transfer student. Can I use course work that I completed at the college I am transferring from to satisfy my AH&I requirements?
If you are transferring from another college in California and you took and passed one approved course in U.S. History or U.S. Government, you have satisfied both the American History and American Institutions requirement. Use Assist.org to find out what courses are approved at the college you attended before transferring to UC Berkeley. You may have also satisfied the AH&I requirements with high school coursework (see above).
6. I took a course in American History at the college I attended before transferring to UC Berkeley, but my Info-BEARS report indicates that I still need to satisfy the AH&I requirements. How do I clear this up?
Use Assist.org to find out what courses are approved at the college you attended before transferring to UC Berkeley. If the course has been approved to satisfy the requirements, and, after the fourteenth week of your first semester at UC Berkeley your records still indicate that you have not satisfied your AH&I requirements, go to 110 Sproul Hall and ask an Admissions Evaluator to pull up your college transcripts and clear you of the requirements.
7. My Info-BEARS report indicates that I still need to satisfy my AH&I requirements, but I took the necessary course work (or test) in high school (or course work at another college). How do I fix this?
It can take the Admissions Office up to fourteen weeks to clear incoming students of their AH&I requirements based on approved work done in high school or at another college. If you completed the required course work or testing in high school or course work at another college, and, after the fourteenth week of your first semester at UCB, your records still indicate that you have not satisfied the AH&I requirements, go to 110 Sproul Hall and ask an Admissions Evaluator to pull up your high school and/or college transcripts and clear you of the requirements.
8. I am a returning student. Have the rules with regard to satisfying the AH&I requirements changed since I was first enrolled?
Changes to AH&I policy were made effective July 1, 2005. The new policy applies to all undergraduate students and is posted on the AH&I website and the online UC Berkeley General Catalog.
9. As a community college transfer student I satisfied the IGETC requirements. Does this mean I have automatically satisfied my AH&I requirements?
No. Unless you passed one of the approved courses at other colleges, you have not satisfied the AH&I requirements. Use Assist.org to find out what courses are approved at the college you attended before transferring to UC Berkeley. (Some transfer students did the necessary work in high school. See FAQ #4 above.)
10. I still need to satisfy both my American History and American Institutions requirements. Can I take only one course at a community college to satisfy both requirements?
You may take transferable and approved courses at other California colleges to satisfy the AH&I requirements. However, once you have officially enrolled at UC Berkeley, you must take one course to satisfy the American History requirement and another course to satisfy the American Institutions requirement. Use Assist.org to find out what courses are approved at the college you will attend.
11. Can I take a course at community college at the same time I'm enrolled at UC Berkeley?
Being enrolled in two institutions at the same time is called "concurrent enrollment." To do this, check with your college advisor. No special permission is needed to take courses outside of UC Berkeley in the summer.
12. I still need to satisfy my American History requirement and I want to take a course at UC Berkeley to do so. Which courses count toward satisfying the American History requirement?
Currently, you may take History 7A, 7B, 130B, 131A, 131B, or 138 at UC Berkeley to satisfy the American History requirement. Please be aware that these courses are not necessarily offered every semester or year. Check with the department to find out when a given course will be offered next.
13. I still need to satisfy my American Institutions requirement and I want to take a course at UC Berkeley to do so. Which courses count toward satisfying the American Institutions requirement?
Currently, you may take either Political Science 1, 1AC, or 108A to satisfy the American Institutions requirement. Please be aware that these courses are not necessarily offered every semester or year. Check with the department to find out when a given course will be offered next.
14. Can I petition a UC Berkeley course for the American History or the American Institutions requirement that is not on the list of approved courses?
Yes. Please note that a positive outcome is not guaranteed, so you should have a back-up plan. See section "V. Petitioning."
15. Can I take an approved course on a pass/not pass basis or do I need to take it for a letter grade?
Only a grade of "pass" is needed to satisfy the American History or American Institutions requirement. If you take a course for a letter grade, you must receive a C- or better to satisfy the requirement.
16. I have taken the necessary coursework at UC Berkeley to satisfy AH&I, but my Info-BEARS report indicates that I still need to satisfy them. How do I fix this?
Go to the Office of the Registrar, 120 Sproul Hall, and ask to have your record updated.
17. After I enroll at UC Berkeley, can I take an exam or exams to satisfy my American History and American Institutions requirements?
No. You must take a course for each requirement. The exam option was eliminated effective July 1, 2005.
18. Are the AH&I requirements the same as the American Cultures requirement?
No. The AC requirement is a UC Berkeley breadth requirement. The American History & Institutions requirements are University requirements. At UC Berkeley, there are only three courses that can be used to satisfy AC and one of the AH&I requirements: students may take History 7A or 7B to satisfy both AC and American History; students may take Political Science 1AC to satisfy both AC and American Institutions. (These courses are not offered every semester.)
19. After entering UC Berkeley, is there one course I can take that will satisfy AH&I and AC (all three requirements)?
No. Before entering UCB, it is possible to take one course for all three, but after entering it is possible to take one course for only one or two of the requirements, not all three. See AH&I policy, approved UCB courses, and information on using Assist.org posted online. See also the AC website and the list of community college courses that satisfy AC.
20. Where can I find out more information about other requirements I need to satisfy in order to graduate?
The official explanation of all undergraduate requirements is at http://www.berkeley.edu/catalog/undergrad/requirements.html. For more information visit your undergraduate advisor.
21. I took the American Institutions exam to meet the American Institutions requirement before the exam was eliminated. Now I would like to find out if I can use it to clear the U.S. Constitution requirement for a California State teaching credential. Is this possible ?
Yes, it is possible, if you took the test on the required topics. Call the AH&I Office, 510-642-5006, to check.
Return to AH&I Home Page
Last updated July 9, 2008