College of Letters & Science: Mathematical and Physical Sciences
The Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences seeks to expand our physical and mathematical understanding of the universe, from its microscopic substructure to its largest structures, from our own earth to the edge of the universe and the beginning of time. The language used is mathematical. Discovery and understanding advance through the interplay between theory and experiment or observation.
Undergraduate majors include applied mathematics, astrophysics, earth science, geology, geophysics, mathematics, physical science, physics, and statistics. Undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research with faculty in all disciplines.
In a recent National Research Council report, the overall ranking of Berkeley's doctoral programs in the physical sciences was number one. Research facilities include Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, the Seismological Laboratory, the Radio Astronomy Laboratory, the Space Sciences Laboratory, Lick Observatory, the Berkeley Atmospheric Sciences Center, the Center for Integrative Planetary Science, the Theoretical Astrophysics Center, and the Climate Readiness Institute.
In addition to the division, we welcome gifts to the following departments or institutes: