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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

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.

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 Spring 2025 about 2 weeks before the First Day of Instruction: Monday, March 17, 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 2 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.

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.

 

Spring 2025 Enrollment Guide

The Spring 2025 Enrollment Guide has been published to the Enrollment Webpage. Please be sure to review the Enrollment Guide to answer some frequently asked questions regarding Spring 2025 course offerings and other enrollment questions. 

Spring 2025 Enrollment Information

Spring 2025 First Pass and Second Pass

  • Enrollment Prep Week Begins February 19, 2025 to February 20, 2025 
  • First Pass Appointments: February 27, 2025 to March 4, 2025
    • Credit Limits:
      • Senior Standing: 19-credit limit
      • Junior, Sophomore, and Frosh Standing: 14-credit limit
      • Appointments every half hour - 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
      • First-pass enrollment remains open from your assigned enrollment appointment opens until 11:59pm on March 4, 2025
  • Second Pass Appointments and Waitlist: March 6, 2025 to March 11, 2025
    • Credit limits: 
      • Enrolled: 19-credit limit
      • Waitlist: 14-credit limit
    • Appointments every half hour - 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
    • Second-pass enrollment remains open from your assigned enrollment appointment opens until 11:59pm the day before instruction begins for the Spring 2025 quarter (Monday, March 31, 2025)

Helpful Enrollment Links

 

Spring 2025 Enrollment Preparation Week

Spring Enrollment Preparation Week begins on Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 and runs until Thursday, February 25th, 2025! 

The Spring 2025 Class schedule is set to be released on Wednesday, Febrauary 19th, 2025 - though the course location and time is not posted, to see what courses the MCD Biology Department plans to offer for Spring 2025, please visit our 2024-2025 Curriculum Plan webpage.

Want to meet with an MCD Biology Undergraduate Advisor to quickly review your Spring 2025 class schedule? 

Be sure to check your UCSC.EDU email after February 3rd, 2025! All students Proposed or Declared an MCD Biology Department Sponsored Major (Biology, BS; MCD Biology, BS; and Neuroscience, BS) should have received an email from one of the MCD Biology Advisors inviting you to schedule a 15 minute Enrollment Check Appointment. These appointments are not mandatory, however, if you have any enrollment questions for the Spring 2025 quarter, be sure to schedule an appointment via that message. 

If you cannot schedule an appointment or do not wish to schedule an appointment, additional resources are available, the resources are listed below:

    • Remember! If you are emailing mcdadvising@ucsc.edu, be sure to put your College in the subject line!

  

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 Staff
MCD Biology Advisors:

Leanna

Kylie

Jeannette

MCD Biology Faculty Advisor:

 John Tamkun
MCD Biology Curriculum Chair:

John Tamkun
MCD Biology Department Chair:

William Sullivan
MCD Biology Department Manager:

Teel Lopez