Course Planning - Four-Year Students

Prepare for the Yardi Scholarship Academic Program.

Background image: Group photo of Yardi Scholars 2024-25 cohort

The Yardi Scholarship Program is an interdisciplinary experience where students from the College of Engineering and the College of Letters & Sciences’ Social Sciences Division take classes together that focus on technology, democracy, and social change. The required courses below are meant to be taken together as a cohort as much as possible to build community within the Yardi cohorts and for cohort members to learn from their peers across the different disciplines. Consult with the academic advisors in your college/department on planning for these courses along with your degree requirements:

Required Courses for Four-Year Students

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POLISCI 198BC: Berkeley Connect in Political Science

Term: Fall and spring of Freshman year

Units: 1 unit (each semester)

Prerequisites/Grading Option: None, Pass/No Pass

Description: The Berkeley Connect course creates a nurturing, tightly-knit community for Yardi Scholars over two semesters during their first-year on campus. Scholars are assigned a graduate student who serves as their personal mentor, advising them on academics, offering guidance on future career goals, and coaching them on how to build productive relationships with professors. Facilitated by their mentor, participants meet once a week with peers for informal small group discussions related to the core themes of technology, democracy, and social change. Field trips expose students to the wealth of campus resources available to them, and special events are designed to help students network with faculty and alumni.

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Statistical Methods & Programming Course

Term: Sophomore Year

Units: 4 units

Prerequisites/Grading Option: None, can be taken as a letter grade or Pass/No Pass. Please check with your individual major advisor to see if this courses satisfies your quantitative major requirements

Description: An approved course in statistical methods and programming are required of all Yardi Scholars. Being able to work with and understand data in its many iterations is foundational to building tangible skills for a multitude of interests/roles/jobs/careers post college. Most majors at Berkeley require some kind of quantitative prerequisite for their major, so in most cases this course can count towards the Yardi Scholarship academic program AND Yardi Scholars’ respective majors. Approved courses are DATA C8, STATS 20, ENGIN 178, and POLI SCI 3.

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POLISCI 132C: Berkeley Changemaker Cohort Course "Algorithms, Public Policy, & Ethics"

Term: Fall of Junior year

Units: 4 units

Prerequisites/Grading Option: Approved statistical methods & programming course (STATS 20, POLI SCI 3, Data C8 & ENGIN 178). Can be taken as letter grade or Pass/No Pass.

Description: This course will cover a broad range of topics on the use of predictive and related algorithms in public policy. The class culminates with group projects and presentations that give students an opportunity to propose their own ideas and consider the relationship between data and policy in real case scenarios. These projects will challenge students to think broadly and creatively about the efficacy and ethics of using data and technology in collective decision-making. Satisfies the Social and Behavioral Sciences Breadth.

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ENGIN C183F/POLI SCI C193A: "Building Bridges Between Democracy and Technology for a Better Society"

Term: Spring of Senior year

Units: 4 units

Prerequisites/Grading Option: Approved statistical methods & programming course (STATS 20, POLI SCI 3, Data C8 & ENGIN 178). Can be taken as a letter grade or Pass/No Pass.

Description: Crosslisted in both the College of Engineering & Political Science course catalog, this course provides Yardi Scholars working in teams to propose and select applied research projects with the goal of delivering valuable insights and/or tools to collaborating organizations. Projects are designed to allow students to both cement and utilize the skills and perspectives gained throughout their time as Yardi Scholars, prepare students for post-graduation success in the field, and present the opportunity for real social impact.

Sample Schedule

The following are sample schedules for completing the required courses of the Yardi Scholarship. Your college/department may also have sample schedules for your specific major program. Please contact the Program Manager of the Yardi Scholarship Program for guidance on when to take these courses should schedule conflicts arise. 

Your college/department may also have sample schedules for your specific major program.

Four-Year Students

Fall Spring
Freshman Year

Berkeley Connect course - POLISCI 198BC

Berkeley Connect course - POLISCI 198BC
Sophomore Year *Approved statistical methods & programming course (STATS 20, POLI SCI 3, Data C8 & ENGIN 178)* *Approved statistical methods & programming course (STATS 20, POLI SCI 3, Data C8 & ENGIN 178)*
Junior Year Berkeley Changemaker Course - POLI SCI 132C (Satisfies Social & Behavioral Sciences Breadth requirement)
Senior Year Capstone Course - ENGIN C183F/POLI SCI C193A

*Four-Year Students have the option to take the approved statistical Programming & methods course anytime during their Sophomore Year.

Currently approved courses include STATS 20, ENGIN 178, and DATA C8. Please check with your individual major advisor to see if any of those approved statistical methods & programming courses satisfy your quantitate major requirement as well.