As a graduate student at Berkeley, you’re here to develop expertise in a specific field. But as you map out your schedule for the fall semester, keep in mind that you have access to all kinds of classes outside of your department that can help you build new skills or explore new fields or career paths. Consider enrolling in one of the many courses offered across campus that will help you expand your professional skill set, whether you are considering a career in academia or beyond.
Here’s a sample of a few courses that you might find interesting. Act quickly as seats are limited.
Classes in Professional Schools
Haas School of Business
- Haas (MBA) 209F: Fundamentals of Business This introduction to business language, practices, and concepts is offered every semester and is designed for non-business grad students. The course is taught in three five-week modules: (1) organizational behavior and management, (2) accounting and finance, and (3) marketing and strategy.
- Haas (MBA) 209P: Personal Financial Management Survey of major life financial decisions (e.g., career choice, consumption versus saving, investments, mortgages, insurance) and how decision-making biases (e.g., overconfidence, present bias, limited attention) can lead to suboptimal choice. The course draws on research from economics, psychology, and sociology.
School of Journalism
- Journalism (JOURN) 221: Introduction to Data Visualization This weekly three-hour course will explore the skills needed to find, clean, analyze and visualize data. The class consists of two hours of instruction and one hour of supervised lab time working on directed projects. Students will create a final project suitable for publication. The focus will be on free and open source tools that can immediately be applied to other projects and professional work
School of Education
- Education (EDUC) 244: Data Mining and Analytics This course introduces students to the practical fundamentals of data mining and machine learning. The course is project-oriented, with a project beginning in class every week and to be completed outside of class by the following week, or two weeks for longer assignments. The in-class portion of the project is meant to be collaborative, with the instructor working closely with groups, while weekly lectures introduce the concepts and algorithms which will be used in the upcoming project.
School of Public Health
- Public Health (PBHLTH) 290C: Changemaker Microcourse on Community Engagement through Storytelling A growing body of literature highlights the role that narrative plays in inspiring community action and influencing policymakers. By the end of this course, students will be familiar with the theoretical literature regarding narrative engagement and ethical challenges inherent in public health storytelling for community engagement. Participating students will enhance their skills in analyzing and building narratives, including techniques of effective non-fiction storytelling.
School of Information
- Information (INFO) 225: Foundations of Leadership and Influence in Tech Succeeding in today’s distributed, technology-rich companies demands effectively leading and influencing others. This dynamic, interactive course is designed for ambitious professionals who are looking to have an impact, whether just starting out or already managing teams. Students will engage with case studies and hands-on exercises to build the practical, research-backed skills needed to drive business impact with leadership and influence.
- Information (INFO) 201: Research Design and Applications for Data and Analysis This course introduces students to the data sciences landscape. Students will explore decision-making in organizations and big data’s emerging role in guiding tactical and strategic decisions. Lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments will teach how to apply disciplined, creative methods to ask better questions, gather data, interpret results, and convey findings to various audiences in ways that change minds and behaviors.
Other Courses
Berkeley Changemaker Courses
- Engineering (ENGIN) 283A: A. Richard Newton Lecture Series This lecture series serves as an entry point for undergraduate and graduate curriculum sequences in entrepreneurship and innovation. The course features a selection of high-level industry speakers who share their insights on industry developments, leadership, and innovation based on their careers.
Language Classes
- Language Classes Foreign language skills can be valuable in a variety of careers. Whether you want to pick up a new language that makes you more marketable in your field, brush up on your current language skills, or just explore new linguistic spheres, Berkeley is the place to do it. UC Berkeley offers instruction in 59 languages. Introductory language classes at Berkeley are often time-intensive, but if your schedule allows, graduate school can be a great time to add a language to your skillset. Check out the course catalog to learn more about available classes for Fall 2025.
Maria Almeida Reis received her Ph.D. from UC Berkeley’s Department of HIstory in July 2024. She currently works as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the GradPro Office of the Graduate Division. Maria previously served as a co-director and the logistics lead of Beyond Academia.
Nirupika Sharma received her Ph.D. in Summer 2025 from the Department of Psychology at Berkeley. Until her graduation, she worked as a Professional Development Liaison with the Graduate Division.
Yana Zlochistaya is a sixth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Comparative Literature and a Professional Development Liaison with the Graduate Division. She is also a former co-director of Beyond Academia.