BA Comparative Literature at University of California, Davis

Programme overview

Comparative Literature as the study of literature and culture across national boundaries and throughout historical time. Comparative Literature is a dynamic major whose own self-definition is constantly shifting. Once mostly limited to the study of western European literature and its Greco-Roman classical past, today Comparative Literature focuses on global interdisciplinary study of literature in original languages and in translation, as well as other media (including cinema, television, and fine arts).

Faculty: College of Letters & Science | Department: Comparative Literature | Duration: 56 units (quarter system) | Study mode: full-time | Location: Davis, CA, United States

What you will study

The major requires a minimum of 56 units. Requirements are organised into preparatory subject matter, depth subject matter components. Required courses include COM 001 Major Works of the Ancient World; COM 002 Major Works of the Medieval & Early Modern World; COM 005 Fairy Tales, Fables, & Parables; COM 006V Myths & Legends; COM 007V Literature of Fantasy & the Supernatural.

Career pathways

A Comparative Literature major trains students to communicate, analyze, argue, appreciate, and empathize. As such, it offers an excellent enhancement to pre-professional training, preparing students for graduate study in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and other science fields as well as law and business.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is to UC Davis and the College of Letters & Science; the catalogue entry gives no major-specific admission requirement beyond the major requirements below.

Domestic applicants: USD 14,202 a year (2026-27). Systemwide UC undergraduate Tuition for California residents, cohort first enrolled in 2026-27 (annual, quarter system); rate is the same for all undergraduate majors. Excludes Student Services Fee, campus-based fees, and Nonresident Supplemental Tuition. Source

First-year and transfer students enter in the fall term (quarter system); the UC application opens Aug. 1 and the filing period is Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 for admission the following year.

The UC application filing period is Oct. 1 to Nov. 30 for admission the following year, and a single application covers all UC campuses.

The UC application filing fee is $80 per campus for domestic applicants and $95 per campus for international applicants, payable by credit card or mail; fee waivers are available for up to four campuses.

Transfer applicants submit the UC application by Nov. 30; Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) applications are due Sept. 1-30; the priority deadline for the Transfer Academic Update is Jan. 31.

Apply through the official page: https://www.ucdavis.edu/admissions

Explore more study programmes

Arts & Humanities