Science Division

Molecular, Cell & Developmental Biology

Welcome to Molecular, Cell & Developmental (MCD) Biology Undergraduate Advising!

Undergraduate Programs Quicklinks

MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising

Click the links below to jump to the corresponding section:

Important Announcements

Global and Community Health BS and Human Biology BS Major Advising

Starting Fall 2024, Global and Community Health BS and Human Biology BS majors should reach out to the Global and Community Health Program for Advising. 

Please see their website or email gchBSadvising@ucsc.edu for more information and to schedule an appointment for advising.

2025-2026 CUREs Lab Interest Form

The Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are 2-quarter laboratory courses in which students are guided by a faculty member in an authentic research project. In contrast to traditional lab classes, the goal of the CUREs labs is the same as that of any research lab, to discover new knowledge.

All students interested in a CURE Lab will add themselves to the waitlist of the CUREs Lab they are interested in during Second Pass Enrollment for the Winter Quarter. If you are unable to waitlist for one of the labs, please complete the interest form below:

2025-2026 CUREs Lab Interest Form

Winter 2026 Enrollment Guide

The Winter 2026 Enrollment Guide has been posted! Please review the Enrollment Guide for any important information and updates from the MCD Biology department regarding enrollment for the Winter 2026 term.

Full/Closed Class – What Should I Do?

Always prioritize qualification courses or the Core Upper Division (BIOL 100, 101, and 105; BIOL 110 and BIOL 120 for MCD Biology, BS majors) courses during first pass enrollment. We try to hold some seats in courses until after second pass enrollment, but we cannot guarantee additional seats will be available.

The ONLY WAY to request a seat in a course that is FULL is to get on a waitlist during second pass enrollment. A spot on the waitlist does not guarantee a spot in the class, so make sure you have a back up plan.

Please be sure to also read the course notes/enrollment restrictions for courses. Most enrollment restrictions lift during or after Second Pass Enrollment.

If you are not able to enroll or waitlist during your Second Pass enrollment appointments, it may be because:

  1. You are missing a prerequisite
  2. You have an enrollment hold (check your portal for details)
  3. You have exceeded the number of units you are allowed to enroll in or waitlist

If you were unable to waitlist or add a class from your portal due to an enrollment restriction on the course (i.e. not being a declared MCD Biology major), you can complete the Enrollment Request Form for Winter 2026 a few weeks before the First Day of Instruction on Monday, December 15th, 2025.

*Note: The Enrollment Request Form does not override holds or prerequisites. 

The reason we wait to open the form is because many enrollment problems/challenges that students are encountering right now will be resolved well in advance of the first day of class or they may decide that they are no longer interested in taking the class.

Though the MCD Biology Department does try to hold a few seats in a class, once the class is full/reaches capacity, no additional seats will be available. Generally, by the end of the first week of instruction, all seats available in a course are opened or the course is fully enrolled.

Please remember that the MCD Biology Department strictly enforces course prerequisites – the Enrollment Request Sheet does not override course prerequisites.

Fall 2025 Welcome Newsletter

Welcome to UCSC and the MCD Biology Department to our incoming students and welcome back to our continuing students!

We have a new Fall 2025 Welcome Newsletter! Please check it out!

BIOL 186 Application Now Open

BIOL 186: Undergraduate Research in MCD Biology

MCD majors may receive credit for participating in research at UCSC. Completion of 5 units of undergraduate research may be used to satisfy one general elective/lab.

All Research Courses require a faculty sponsor. 

Please see the Undergraduate Research Courses page for more information and a link to the DocuSign application.

New BIOL 20A First Pass Enrollment Restrictions

Starting Spring 2025, BIOL 20A will have a First Pass Enrollment Restriction.

This new First Pass Enrollment Restriction is being implemented to ensure students proposed in one of the majors below can complete their qualification requirements and declare their proposed major before their university assigned major declaration deadline.

Students must be one of the following proposed majors to be eligible to enroll in BIOL 20A during First Pass Enrollment: 

  • All Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) majors: Biology BA, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology BS,Marine Biology BS, Plant Sciences BS
  • All Molecular, Cell, and Developmental (MCD) Biology Majors: Biology BS, MCD Biology BS, Neuroscience BS
  • EEB/ENVS combined BA
  • Global and Community Health BS
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology BS
  • Microbiology BS
  • Science Education BS
  • Biomolecular Engineering BS
  • Biotechnology BA

During Second Pass Enrollment, all other majors (proposed or declared) will be eligible to enroll or waitlist BIOL 20A. 

MCD Biology Student Opportunities Email Google Group

Join our Student Opportunities Email Google Group: MCDB FWD Opportunities!

NOTE: You will need to be logged into your UCSC email account.

This email list will be forwarded opportunities shared with MCD Biology Advising from other departments at UCSC, California state graduate schools, job, scholarship, research, training, volunteer & internship opportunities. You can unsubscribe at any time.

How to Contact MCD Biology Advising

Please see our How to Contact MCD Biology Advising page for more information on MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising options.

Know what type of advising you are looking for? Check out the specific advising pages below for availability:

MCD Biology Advisors:Leanna, Kylie, Jeannette
MCD Biology Faculty Advisor:Guido Bordignon
MCD Biology Curriculum Chair:Guido Bordignon
MCD Biology Department Chair:Jeremy Sanford
MCD Biology Department Manager:Teel Lopez

Last modified: Nov 12, 2025