The following links and resources will prepare you for success during WE Launch and the rest of your time in the EWMBA Program. Please bookmark them for easy access in the future.
WE Launch Preparation
bCourses is UC Berkeley’s learning management system that hosts the websites for each of your courses.
For WE Launch, we have set up a bCourses site where you will access pre-work for three sessions:
- DEIJB: Awareness and Skills for Inclusive Leadership (due July 23)
- Berkeley Leader Toolkit (due July 23)
- Case Study Method Workshop (due July 23)
An invitation to the bCourses site will be sent to your @berkeley.edu email address the week of July 6th.
The Career Management Group (CMG) will be your partners in your career journey.
CMG will be leading a session during the WE Launch Weekend:
Saturday, July 25: Power of the Network: Your Career Journey and Partnering with CMG
Many of the pre WE Launch virtual sessions will be held via Zoom. All registered UC Berkeley students are provisioned a Zoom Pro account. Sign in to Zoom first, then register for the virtual sessions, please use your @berkeley.edu email address.
Login to berkeley.zoom.us via web browser
Login to Zoom on Desktop and mobile apps with “SSO”
- Do not enter just your email address and password.
- Click the “SSO” option.
- Enter “berkeley” as the domain.
- You will be prompted to log in with your CalNet username and password.
Note for users on company managed laptops: Students have reported that Zoom defaults to their company Zoom account. We advised using an alternative laptop, tablet, or mobile device when participating in UC Berkeley Meetings/Webinars.
Getting Set Up
EWMBA students are eligible to use BayPass, which will grant you unlimited access to public transit services across the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. This includes, but is not limited to:
- AC Transit
- BART
- Muni (buses, light-rail trains, historic streetcars, and cable cars in San Francisco)
- Caltrain
- Golden Gate Transit
- San Francisco Bay Ferries
BayPass is built into your Clipper Card, which you will receive at WE Launch, along with your Cal1 Card.
*Please note! BayPass will not yet be active upon your arrival.
- In accordance with main campus, BayPass will activate starting Wednesday, August 19.
Visit the Parking & Transportation website to learn more about BayPass.
Connect your bConnected Account to CalCentral?
- bConnected is UC Berkeley’s suite of tools designed to empower educators and students as they learn and innovate together. This includes the Google Education Suite of Applications.
- You should see an action item in CalCentral prompting you to connect so that notifications can appear in CalCentral.
bMail Aliases and Display Name
- MBA students are automatically provisioned an @mba.berkeley.edu email alias. Manage the alias in your bMail settings or bConnected settings.
- Manage your specific bMail Display Name in your bMail settings.
- More info on the Tools FAQ page.
Manage Your Preferred Name in Campus Systems
- Review the Tools FAQ page.
Set your Berkeley Haas Email Signature
- Berkeley Haas Marketing has created a template for a Haas branded email signature (scroll down to For Students).
Setting Up bCourses
- bCourses is the learning platform at UC Berkeley. It is an important hub for course announcements, lecture materials, assignments, and more.
- Please be sure to update your CalCentral contact information to ensure your @berkeley email address is the default contact method for University communications.
- Review your notifications settings to receive email updates! It may not be the default setting to automatically email you when there is an announcement or other action item.
- Learn how to change how you will receive notifications and how often here.
- Review Display Name
- Your bCourses display name will be what is listed in CalCentral > My Profile. Please update your preferred first name, if you wish to go by another name in class.
Set Up Your Slack Profile!
- Photo
- Please keep this relatively professional, as it may also be used in instructional planning, such as seating charts for when a professor needs to track participation points!
- Display (aka Preferred) First and Last Name
- This is your different than Full Name, which is your legal name in campus records.
- Current Job Info
- Preferred Pronouns
- Name pronunciation
- Name Recording
Once you are a registered student (e.g. have paid tuition and fees for the semester), you will have access to a number of software programs.
Visit Software@Berkeley website for more information about programs and eligibility requirements.
The Haas Technology Services Department has many helpful guides for various resources available to MBA students.
Berkeley’s recommended virtual private network (VPN) solution is the bSecure Remote Access by Palo Alto Networks’ GlobalProtect.
Instructions for how to install and connect to the Campus VPN are on the Haas Technology Solutions website.
The secure campus Wi-Fi network is called eduroam. Set up eduroam by completing these steps under “For those new to campus” to set your eduroam Key and review how to configure according to your device or OS.
The alternative network is called CalVisitor. It provides a basic level of Wi-Fi access for those without a CalNet ID or sponsored guest account. However, it is not as fast or secure as eduroam.
All registered UC Berkeley students are provisioned a Zoom Pro account. There is no need to sign up for a Zoom account with your @berkeley email address. Instead, access Zoom via the options below:
Login to berkeley.zoom.us via web browser
Login to Zoom on Desktop and mobile apps with “SSO”
- Do not enter just your email address and password.
- Click the “SSO” option.
- Enter “berkeley” as the domain.
- You will be prompted to log in with your CalNet username and password.
Note for users on company managed laptops: Students have reported that Zoom defaults to their company Zoom account. We advised using an alternative laptop, tablet, or mobile device when participating in UC Berkeley Meetings/Webinars.
According to Cal Student Central, students need to meet these criteria to have their affiliation updated to registered, which allows them to access software, including Zoom:
- You must be enrolled in at least one course.
- Your registration fees must have been paid (even if “not yet due”), either in full or, if on the Tuition and Fee Payment Plan, at least the first installment.
- You must have no holds against your registration.
Tips for the First Day of Class
Check out the overall Fall 2026 Academic Calendar and your Fall 2026 Core Schedule below.
Please note, prior to the start of each semester, you can find the academic calendar on the current student home page.
- Fall 2026 Academic Calendar
- Fall 2026 First Year Core Schedule by Cohort Tab
Please note that final exams must be taken on the scheduled date and time.
Evening & Weekend Schedule: Classroom locations are listed on your Core schedule tab.
Flex Schedule: Your virtual classroom link will be provided in your bCourses page.
Your syllabus will outline all the required course materials, including but not limited to textbooks, books, cases, software, etc.
Not all classes have a textbook; some have smaller assigned books or just a reader. Alternatively, a course might have a textbook and no reader.
Readers
Reader materials such as cases and articles are usually posted in the bCourses Study.net module. EW students are granted permissions to access Study.net reader materials at no cost with their @berkeley email address. Study.net also uses the @berkeley to sync materials to bCourses. Please be sure that your default email address is your @berkeley email address.
Visit the Study.net page for more information about how to access materials.
Course Software
Some quant classes may require software, such as Pearson’s MyFinance Lab. Often, this can be purchased as a bundle with the eText book. Please check each courses’ syllabus for details.
Parking & Transportation
Evening Shuttles: Pick up locations and times will be posted on the Parking & Transportation page. Tip! Get the phone number of a fellow shuttle rider in case of emergency.
Driving/Parking: EW students who opt for the UC Berkeley Parking Permit should complete the permit registration instructions in the WE Launch bCourses site or our Parking and Transportation page. The closest lot next to Haas is the Berkeley Law Lot. However, the UC Berkeley Parking Permit is not valid there until 5PM. The Program Office has no authority over citations. Always review any signs at lot entrances.
Public Transportation: Visit the BayPass Program is a great option .
Special Events Impacting Parking: There will be times when parking is impacted by events or Cal Football games. We will communicate this via the Bear Necessities. For evening, it’s most often concerts at the Greek Theatre (August-October).
Snacks, Refreshments and Meal Breaks
There is a mandatory dinner break from 7:30-8:15PM.
The Program Office also has snacks and two Keurig Coffee machines! We’re located in S440 Student Services Building and are open for snacks until 8:00PM Monday – Thursdays. Stop by and say hi!
Café Think is available in the evenings for the start of EW courses. It is located in Chou Hall on the Courtyard level and they are open until 8PM Monday-Thursday. They may have different hours during finals week (e.g. close at 6PM).
Other food delivery options are ordering from Caviar, GrubHub, or DoorDash. Enter the street location for Haas (2220 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley, CA 94720). This should direct deliveries to the 3 min Loading Zone on Piedmont Ave.
Tech Requirements
Please review the Haas Technology Requirements for what you’ll need to run the Virtual Classroom.
Virtual Classroom Orientation
These training sessions are to help get you set up for class and familiarize yourself with the virtual classroom. More information and links to the session will be sent at a future date.
Parking & Transportation
Driving/Parking: EW students who opt for the UC Berkeley Parking Permit should complete the permit registration instructions in the WE Launch bCourses site or our Parking and Transportation page. The closest lot next to Haas is the Berkeley Law Lot. Pending any special events or reserved spaces, this lot is available on weekends from 5AM-2AM.
The Program Office has no authority over citations. Always review any signs at lot entrances.
Special Events Impacting Parking: There will be times when parking is impacted by events or Cal Football games. We will communicate this via the “Saturday Scoop” section of the Bear Necessities.
Meals and Refreshments
Continental breakfast, all day coffee, lunch and an afternoon snack will be provided for Saturday classes. The general schedule is:
- 8:30-10:45AM – Breakfast (Cafe Think/Chou Hall)
- 1-2PM – Lunch (Served out of Cafe Think/Chou Hall, seating in the Courtyard)
- ~3:30PM – Snack (Cafe Think/Chou Hall)
Once you are a registered student, you will have the ability to sign up for a vast number of clubs and organizations via Campus Groups.
Check out the complete list of clubs here.