FAQ
Declaring the Minor
The first step to declaring the GPP Minor is submitting a Declaration of Intent Form online. Visit the Requirements page for the deadline to submit the form. Once you have submitted this form, we ask that you schedule an appointment with a GPP Peer Advisor, so they can look over your form with you and make sure you are on track to beginning the minor. You will also be invited to attend a GPP Orientation shortly after the declaration deadline.
The GPP Minor is open to all students who are able to demonstrate that they are committed to fulfilling the requirements by the time they graduate.
Course Requirements
The GPP Minor typically takes at least 3 semesters to complete, but in some cases, it can be completed within two semesters. Each year many transfer students successfully complete the minor. Incoming transfer students who are interested in declaring the minor are highly encouraged to enroll in the first GPP core course, GPP 115, during their first fall semester. This will allow more flexibility in determining when to complete the rest of the requirements for the minor. Transfer students should meet with a GPP Advisor to discuss your timeline for completing the Minor.
To see sample academic plans for completing the minor, please refer to the GPP Handbook.
Yes! Please note that you must declare the minor to get into GPP 105 and you will need to confirm what your practice experience will be within the first few weeks of the semester you are taking it.
No. GPP 105 prepares students for their practice experience, while GPP 196 is a reflection course meant to follow the practice experience, so this overlap is not permitted.
Yes, you may submit a Course Substitution Form along with a syllabus or detailed description for the course to request approval to count it as one of your electives.
No. All courses taken for the GPP Minor must be upper division and taken for a letter grade.
Yes, you may use your thesis as the reflection component of the GPP Minor in place of GPP 196, but it is important that the thesis be grounded in your practice experience. You must take a thesis course through your major, as GPP does not offer one. Also, if you choose this option, it WILL count toward the one overlapping component between the minor and your major (which means that no other classes may overlap for certain colleges). Please speak with a GPP Advisor if you are interested in pursuing this option.
Practice Experience
The Practice Experience is meant to be a learning experience for students to connect the theories and practice of poverty action and to experience first hand the complex challenges of poverty action.
Students engage in practice experiences locally or internationally with a wide variety of organizations committed to poverty action. When you are in the process of determining your practice experience, it is important to reflect deeply on what kind of poverty action you want to learn more about (public health, education, food security, economic development, housing, and so forth). Likewise, think carefully about where you want to do your practice experience (In the US or, internationally) and what kind of organization (community based, government, private sector, non profit, etc.). There are considerable resources to help you find the best practice experience for you including: the GPP Peer Advisors, other GPP students, our GPP database of organizations (made available to students after declaring), and Cal faculty and graduate students with expertise in your field of interest or region. For local practices, the UC Berkeley Public Service Center can also provide valuable support.
The practice experience can be done any time during the year. Students who do their practice experience outside of the Bay Area often do so in the summer. Student who complete Bay Area practice experiences have flexibility to complete their practice experience while taking classes in the fall and spring or to complete it during the summer.
The minimum time requirement is 6 consecutive weeks and 240 hours, though students are encouraged to spend as much time working at their practice site as possible.
The GPP Minor offers a fellowship to help cover the costs associated with students’ practice experiences. Additionally, many student receive funding from other grants and scholarships at UC Berkeley and elsewhere.See the Funding pagefor more information.
If your practice experience meets the minimum time requirements and you are able to articulate how it will help you further learn about a particular approach to poverty action, it likely satisfies the minor requirement. A GPP Advisor will review your practice approval form and let you know if there are any questions or concerns about your proposed practice experience.
The GPP 105 course is designed to support you in preparing for your practice experience. This course will highlight the variety of ways you can prepare for your experience. Additionally, we hold a half day “Pre-Departure Orientation” during the spring semester to help students understand how to maintain their safety and health during the PE. Facilitators who have done fieldwork and research in various regions of the world are invited to this event to also answer questions students may have about living and working in the areas they will be completing their PEs in.
The best way to find out about the practice experiences of former students is to visit thestudent storiesportion of our website and, if you are declared in the minor, access the GPPorgs database which catalogs past student experiences.
Yes, the practice experience can be a paid or unpaid internship or volunteer experience.
Many GPP students have successfully completed their practice experience while studying abroad. However, it is easiest to do so with study abroad programs that have a field work or internship option available through the program. View some opportunities here that have been arranged in collaboration between the GPP Minor and UC Berkeley Study Abroad. Please speak with a GPP Advisor if you are interested in combining your practice experience with studying abroad.
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