Declaring an MCDB Sponsored Major
Qualifying for MCDB Sponsored Majors
To qualify for any of the MCDB Sponsored majors, students must complete and pass a series of 8 qualification courses. These courses must be completed and passed prior to submitting a Petition to Declare the Major. Students who enter UCSC as Frosh, must complete and pass all qualification courses by the end of their 5th quarter at UCSC (Summer terms are not counted toward the 5th quarter timeline).
All courses must be taken for a letter grade, see Letter Grade Policy.
Students with two or more non-passing grades (grades of NP, C-, D+, D, D-, or F) in the qualification courses are not qualified to declare and must submit an Appeal.
Qualification Planner - Use this tool to keep track of your qualification course progress
Qualification Courses
Biology, BS; MCD Biology, BS; & Neuroscience, BS Qualification Courses & Policy
The Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology has a qualification policy that applies to the Biology, B.S.; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, B.S.; and Neuroscience, B.S. majors. To qualify for any of these majors, students must pass (with a letter grade of C or better) the following courses or their equivalents:
- MATH 11A: Calculus with Applications or MATH 16A: Mathematics for Life and Environmental Sciences or MATH 19A: Calculus for Science, Engineering, and Mathematics
- CHEM 3A: General Chemistry
- CHEM 3B: General Chemistry and CHEM 3BL: General Chemistry Lab
- CHEM 3C: General Chemistry and CHEM 3CL: General Chemistry Lab
- CHEM 8A: Organic Chemistry
- CHEM 8L: Organic Chemistry Lab - though CHEM 8L is not a qualification course, it is generally completed in the same quarter with CHEM 8A
- BIOL 20A: Cell and Molecular Biology
- BIOE 20B: Developmental and Physiology
- BIOL 20L: Experimental Biology Laboratory
NOTE: Students with two or more non-passing grades (grades of NP, C-, D+, D, D-, or F) in the qualification courses are not qualified to declare and must submit an Appeal.
Declaring Your Major
Students should submit a petition to declare by completing the online declaration petition as soon as they complete the major qualification courses or reach their declaration deadline quarter, whichever comes first.
Students petitioning when the campus declaration deadline is imminent (i.e., in their sixth quarter, for students admitted as frosh), will either be approved, denied, or provided with conditions (e.g., completion of some courses with certain grades) that will be resolved within at most one more enrolled quarter, even if they have not completed major qualification courses.
Students who petition to declare the major after the campus major declaration deadline must submit an Appeal.
Academic Year Declaration Deadlines
Please see the Office of the Registrar's Academic and Administrative Calendar for Campus Major Declaration deadlines:
- Frosh students must declare a major before enrolling in their 7th quarter/third year at UCSC
- Transfer students must declare a major by the posted Declaration of Major deadline in their 2nd quarter at UCSC
Once you have completed and passed your qualification courses, submit a Petition to Declare the Major (found here).
Appeal Process
Students who are not eligible to declare the major may submit an appeal to the Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology faculty advisor. The department will notify the student and their college of the decision within 15 days of the quarterly appeal deadline. See our appeal process for more information.
Appeal Deadlines
Winter 2024 Filing Period: October 14th, 2023 to February 5th, 2024
Results were sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by February 9th, 2024
Summer 2024 Filing Period: April 20th, 2024 to June 30th, 2024
Results were sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by July 19th, 2024
Fall 2024 Filing Period: June 30th, 2024 to October 14th, 2024
Results were sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by October 24th, 2024
Winter 2025 Filing Period: October 24th, 2024 to February 7th, 2025
Results will be sent to students via email to their UCSC.edu email address by February 21st, 2025
