Admissions Blog

Undergraduate Admissions Uncensored

  • Admissions.Blog

All About UC Berkeley’s Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) Dual Degree

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Sandy Clingman

In the past, aspiring entrepreneurs with interests in both engineering and business gained their expertise “in a silo,” says Chris Dito, Executive Director of the Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) program at the University of California, Berkeley. They might typically earn an engineering degree, and then learn the business management and leadership side later, either on the job or by earning another degree.

UC Berkeley

That was old way. The new way is the streamlined M.E.T program: a dual degree from Berkeley’s College of Engineering and Haas School of Business, earned in four years, integrating the knowledge, experience and career development of the intersecting fields. Students gain “a comprehensive understanding of technology innovation, ready to start their own company, lead innovation inside an established firm or contribute to a social-impact venture.”

The first cohort of fifty students began in the fall of 2017. Current high school seniors admitted as freshmen in 2019 will be just the third cohort, but already can benefit from enhancements to the program. One is the new addition of Bioengineering and Civil Engineering to the current engineering choices of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science; Industrial Engineering & Operations Research; and Mechanical Engineering. “I think that is the best kept secret we have about the program,” says Dito.

To spread the news, Berkeley is heavily marketing M.E.T. right now to reach students from around the nation and around the globe. Assembling a diverse group of candidates is essential to developing a unique cohort and international students are very much encouraged to apply.

The M.E.T. program is rigorous. A typical course load is five or six classes and 20 units each semester, versus four classes and 16 units for a typical Cal Berkeley undergraduate. M.E.T. freshmen, for example, take math, natural science, computer science, business administration, and M.E.T. special topics their first semester; by senior year, they’ll be completing their required upper division engineering, business and computer science courses, as well as M.E.T. special topics and elective business courses. By the time they graduate, they will have earned 150 course units.

How can students manage this? The answer, says Dito, is a carefully curated academic experience, with a built-in support system of advisors to help students select their courses and manage their schedules. M.E.T. students also receive multiple advantages, such as priority access to classes, special programming, information sessions, and a speaker series, as well as being part of a tight-knit community of peers.

To help keep stress in check, there is an enhanced student services team dedicated to M.E.T. students, in addition to regular campus resources. They have access to complimentary wellness services, mindfulness resources, and their own collaboration space with TVs and snacks. “M.E.T. students are well-resourced and well-served,” says Dito.

Berkeley’s proximity to Silicon Valley and San Francisco enriches the M.E.T. experience. “We have companies on campus almost every day,” says Dito, either specifically for M.E.T. students or for the campus at large. Many companies are interested in hiring summer interns the fall before, so students are securing those internships right now. If M.E.T. students are interested in companies Berkeley is not already working with, staff will reach out to them on the students’ behalf.

Part of the M.E.T. curriculum includes helping students maximize their career potential. They receive ongoing career development to increase their self awareness and boost their professional confidence; and participate in industry meet-ups and presentations to gain occupational awareness. “When they know both themselves and the world of work better, they can make better career-based decisions,” says Dito.

If it sounds as if this program was created just for you, consider a campus visit and tour. It won’t give you an admission advantage, but it can help you gain more clarity about your fit for the program.  M.E.T. staff are available by appointment and every Friday afternoon to speak with prospective students.

To apply, you’ll select the engineering major, and choose the M.E.T. track. The University of California application is open August 1 to November 30, so you can start on the supplemental essay now; submission runs from November 1 to November 30. Potential candidates will be offered a 20-minute SKYPE interview with faculty by the end of January. Students who are not selected for the M.E.T. program will be automatically considered for admission to the College of Engineering; if they are admitted for the regular engineering program, they will be automatically added to the M.E.T. wait list.

About Sandy Clingman

Sandy Clingman is an independent educational consultant and founder of BetterCollegeChoices.com. She writes about the college admissions process to enlighten and encourage college-bound students from all backgrounds as they find their place in higher education.

Filed Under: Advice & Analysis, Majors, Public Universities, UC Berkeley

Related posts:

Two Great Reasons to Get Your Degree in England Benefits of Earning a Degree Abroad Top game design programs for 2017 University of California Application: 10 Requirements Out-of-State Students Don’t Expect

Subscribe to our mailing list

Ohio State moves Early Action Deadline in Fall 2021

Oh, Canada! The Definitive List of Canadian University Application Deadlines

College Application Completion Playlist: Top 20+ Tracks to Get Inspiration to Get Into College

Trending Posts

1404 Error: University of Georgia Early Action Stats Full of Spin

Dear 12th Grader: Don’t Blow Your Ivy Chances Now

Dear 11th Grader: Don’t Screw Up Your Ivy League Chances Now

What to make of Tufts’ Early Decision Deadline Extension

Dear 10th Grader: Don’t Become An Ivy League Reject!

The Ultimate Virtual College Admissions Library – 2020 Edition

Building Your Best College List

Another Reason Why Your Common Application Essay is So Bad

Wake Forest Reveals Summer 2021 Pre-College Programs for High School Students

Dear 9th Grader: Don’t get rejected from the Ivy League so soon!

Many high school counselors mean well but…

University of Rochester Application Deadlines Extended

Amherst Shares Latest Admissions Stats

12 of the nation’s most prestigious science competitions for high school students

Georgetown’s 2020 School-Specific Acceptance Rates

The 3 Dos and Dont’s to get Accepted into America’s Most Selective Colleges

Best College Acceptance Gifts for the Class of 2021

Common App Essay: Size Does Matter

Avoid Tuition Anxiety: Put Strong Merit Aid Colleges on Your List

Featured Blog Topics

  • 3 Year Degree (2)
  • Accommodations (2)
  • Admissions Policies (67)
  • Admissions Statistics (39)
  • Advice & Analysis (249)
  • Alabama (1)
  • Amherst (1)
  • AP (2)
  • Applications (58)
  • Arizona (2)
  • Boston University (2)
  • Brown (2)
  • Bryn Mawr (1)
  • Caltech (1)
  • Canada (2)
  • Career and Technical Education (3)
  • Case Western (3)
  • China (1)
  • CMC (1)
  • Coalition (13)
  • College Counselor (11)
  • College Fairs (3)
  • College Life (19)
  • College List (27)
  • College List Deathmatch (4)
  • College Visit (15)
  • Columbia (5)
  • Common Application (27)
  • Community Colleges (4)
  • Cornell (2)
  • COVID-19 (6)
  • Dartmouth (2)
  • Demonstrated Interest (15)
  • DePaul (1)
  • Dickinson (1)
  • Duke (1)
  • Early Action (27)
  • Early Decision (31)
  • Enrichment (12)
  • Essays (18)
  • Europe (4)
  • Extracurricular Activities (25)
  • Feature (2)
  • Financial Aid (18)
  • First Person (9)
  • France (1)
  • Gap Programs (2)
  • GED (1)
  • Georgetown (3)
  • Germany (1)
  • GPA (3)
  • Hamilton (1)
  • Harvard (4)
  • High School (17)
  • HiSET (1)
  • IB (2)
  • IEC (1)
  • Indiana (2)
  • International (1)
  • Internships (5)
  • Interviews (10)
  • Iowa (1)
  • Ivy League (18)
  • JHU (2)
  • LD (1)
  • Majors (7)
  • MIT (3)
  • Naviance (2)
  • NCAA (3)
  • News (35)
  • Northwestern (2)
  • Notification News (1)
  • Notre Dame (1)
  • NYU (1)
  • Of Note (3)
  • Parents (5)
  • Penn (5)
  • Popular Posts (8)
  • Princeton (4)
  • Priority (2)
  • Professor of the Month (1)
  • PSU (3)
  • Public Universities (8)
  • Purdue (1)
  • Rankings (3)
  • Recommendations (4)
  • Regular (12)
  • Research (4)
  • Resume (17)
  • ROI (2)
  • Rolling (5)
  • South America (2)
  • Standardized Tests (25)
  • Stanford (1)
  • Summer (19)
  • Swarthmore (1)
  • TASC (1)
  • Teacher Recommendations (6)
  • Texas (2)
  • Ticker (17)
  • Trending Posts (19)
  • Tufts (3)
  • Tuition (1)
  • Tulane (2)
  • UC Berkeley (5)
  • UCAS (2)
  • UCLA (6)
  • UF (1)
  • UGA (2)
  • UMass (1)
  • UMD (4)
  • UNC (1)
  • Uncategorized (1)
  • United Kingdom (4)
  • Universal College Application (1)
  • University of Chicago (1)
  • University of Rochester (1)
  • USC (1)
  • UVA (6)
  • Vanderbilt (1)
  • Video Game Design (1)
  • Villanova (2)
  • Wake Forest (1)
  • Wash U (4)
  • Williams (1)
  • Wisconsin (1)
  • Yale (8)
  • ZeeMee (1)
Get Expert College Admissions Coaching Now
  • Write for Us
  • Courses – Amazing Value!
  • Valuable Resources
  • Sponsored Posts

All content © 2020
Tactical College Consulting, LLC
All Rights Reserved
Terms of Service
+1 410-526-2558 | Connect

Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in