MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising

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

Click one of the links below to be directed to that page:

• Important Announcements
  • Global and Community Health, BS and Human Biology, BS Major Advising
  • BIOL 186 Application Now Open for Fall 2025
  • Full/Closed Class - What Should I Do?
    • Helpful Enrollment Links
  • New BIOL 20A First Pass Enrollment Restrictions
  • MCD Biology Student Opportunities Email Google Group
• How to Contact MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising
• MCD Biology Staff

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 infromation and to schedule an appointment for advising.

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.

Full/Closed Class - What Should I Do? 

Always prioritize qualification courses or the Core Upper Division (BIOL 100, 101, and 105) 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, you can complete the Enrollment Request Form for Fall 2025 a few weeks before the First Day of Instruction: Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025 at 8am!

*Note: The Enrollment Request Form does not override holds or prerequisites nor is completing the form a substitution for being on the waitlist for a course.

The reason we are waiting until a few weeks before the first day of class 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. 

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

Helpful Enrollment Links

• MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising's Enrollment Guide
• Office of the Registrar - Enrollment Information: Everything you never knew you wanted to know about enrollment, especially the technical aspects and enrollment times
• Key Dates for Registration and Enrollment 
• FAQs for Students: Enrollment Appointments - How to check your enrollment date and time and much more! 

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 requirments 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 Access 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 Peer Advising Calendar
• MCD Biology Undergraduate Advisor Drop-in Calendar
• MCD Biology Advising Email
• MCD Biology Undergraduate Advisor Appointments Instructions