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MCD Biology Enrollment Guide for Winter 2025!

Updated 11/04/2024

 

This Enrollment Guide contains important information and updates about enrolling in classes for Winter Quarter 2025. The Enrollment Guide is also available on the MCD Biology Advising's Enrollment Webpage.

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Global and Community Health, BS and Human Biology, BS majors should see the Global and Community Health Website for Global and Community Health, BS Major Advising. 

 

Helpful Reminders: 

  • Prioritize your major courses during First Pass enrollment and add GE’s during Second Pass enrollment, if necessary. 
  • Waitlists can only be joined during SECOND pass. 
  • Ensure you have no holds on your enrollment by checking your MyUCSC Student Center well before your enrollment appointment. 
  • Need to repeat a class for the third time? Be sure to check in with your College regarding a Double Repeat/Triple Take petition!

 

Winter Enrollment Schedule (At-a-Glance): 

  • Enrollment Prep Week Begins November 7th, 2024 to November 14th, 2024
  • First Pass Appointments: November 15th, 2024 to November 20th, 2024
    • 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 
  • Second Pass Appointments and Waitlist: November 22nd, 2024 to December nd, 2024
    • Credit limits: 
      • Enrolled: 19-credit limit
      • Waitlist: 14-credit limit
    • Appointments every half hour - 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
  • Also see: 

 

Table of Contents:

 

Winter 2025 Enrollment Resources 

How to Get Support During Enrollment

Be sure to check your UCSC.EDU email! 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 Winter 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:

      • Tuesday, November 5, 2024 at 12pm in Sinsheimer Labs 123
      • Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at 9:30am in Biomedical Sciences Building 200
      • Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 12pm in Sinsheimer Labs 123
    • Remember! If you are emailing mcdadvising@ucsc.edu, be sure to put your College in the subject line!

 

What Should I Enroll In?

Winter 2025 Transfer Students

If you have not completed the CHEM 8B Organic Chemistry equivalent at your community college → Enroll in BIOE 107: Ecology (for Biology, BS majors) or BIOL 105 Genetics and CHEM 8B Organic Chemistry. 

If you have completed the equivalent of the whole Organic Chemistry Series (i.e, CHEM 8A, CHEM 8L, and CHEM 8B) at your community college → Enroll in BIOL 100 Biochemistry and any lower division course you have not already completed (e.g.,  MATH 11B, STAT 5 or 7/L, or PHYS 6A/L).

 

Second Quarter Transfer Students

If you have not completed CHEM 8B Organic Chemistry be sure to enroll in Winter 2025 - delaying CHEM 8B may delay your graduation as CHEM 8B is a prerequisite for BIOL 100. 

*Note: BIOL 100 is the main prerequisite for most upper division MCD Biology (BIOL) courses and should be completed as soon as possible after transferring to UCSC.

Other courses you can consider completing if you have not completed them already: 

  • any lower division course you have not already completed 
    • For Example: MATH 11B, STAT 5 or 7/L, or PHYS 6A/L or PHYS 6B/C)
  • BIOL 105
  • BIOE 109 (prerequisite: BIOL 105)
    • UD Elective for MCD Bio BS, Core course for Biology, BS 
  • Upper Division (UD) Electives if prerequisites have been completed. 

You can declare your major right now via your MyUCSC Student Portal - Instructions available HERE.

If you find any discrepancies in your Degree Progress Report (DPR) regarding your Transfer credit; please consult your “Transfer Credit: Report '' in MyUCSC for accurate transfer information and speak with an MCD Biology Advisor.

 

Second Quarter Frosh

Continue your General Chemistry Series with the aim of completing CHEM 3A, CHEM 3B (and CHEM 3BL), and CHEM 3C (and CHEM 3CL) by the end of Spring 2025 (Fall 2025 at the very latest!). 

If you were not able to enroll in CHEM 3A for the Fall 2024 quarter, that is ok! Be sure to enroll in CHEM 3A for Winter 2025 as it will NOT be offered in Spring 2025.

Once you complete CHEM 3A (with a C or better grade), you can enroll in BIOL 20A. Once BIOL 20A has been completed, you can look to enroll in BIOE 20B and BIOL 20L in the subsequent quarter. 

MATH 11A or MATH 16A or MATH 19A is also a high priority to be completed by Winter 2026. 

*Remember that ALL qualification courses need to be completed by your 5th quarter, so that you can declare in your 6th quarter.

 

Full/Closed Class - What Should I Do? 

Always prioritize qualification courses and/or Core Four (BIOL 100, 101, 105 and 110) courses during first pass enrollment. We try to hold some seats in courses until second pass enrollment.

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. 

If you are not able to enroll or waitlist during your 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 2025 a few weeks before the First Day of Instruction on Monday, December 16th, 2024.

*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.

 

Academic Planning

MCD Biology Curriculum Plan 2024-2025

Visit the MCD Biology Department Curriculum Plan to help you plan your courses for the rest of the year. Please remember that the curriculum plan is subject to change.

Note that other departments have these too:

 

Need a Second or Third Class? 

Be sure to meet with your College Advisor to check your General Education (GE) requirements as well as other University requirements are met. The Colleges have provided a list of courses that have few (if any) prerequisites - this list is called the “Best Bets List”. If you have questions regarding the Best Bets list, please contact your College Advisor.

Remember! You have at least 2 Advisors at UCSC! MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising is your Major advising home; your College Advisors are your General Education and University Requirement advisors - they also have resources to help you be successful during your time at UCSC.

 

Need to Make a Plan for Yourself? 

Visit our MCDB Academic Planning Page where you will find blank plans, sample plans, and checklists for your majors.

You can also meet with the MCD Biology Peer Advisors for help with Academic Planning! Please see the MCD Biology Peer Advisor webpage for more information on Drop-in Times and appointments for Academic Planning.

 

MCD Biology Department Updates

Reduced Advising Staff Starting Fall 2024

Due to a reduction in Advising Staff, the MCD Biology Department Major Advisors will have limited availability. 

We ask that students who need assistance with Academic Planning please meet with one of the MCD Biology Peer Advisors or attend an Academic Planning Workshop; once you have a completed Academic Plan, please share that plan with mcdadvising@ucsc.edu before scheduling an appointment with an MCD Biology Department Major Advisor. 

We are trying our best to continue to offer Drop-in, appointments, and respond to emails as quickly as possible. 

 

Prerequisites for MCD Biology Courses

The MCD Biology department strictly enforces prerequisites for our upper division courses - be sure to read the course descriptions for courses. 

 

Interested in Research and Graduating in 2025 or 2026?

Interested in research, currently at or above junior level standing, and have not completed BIOL 101L and your Comprehensive Requirement/DC Lab course? Check out the MCD Biology departments 2 CUREs Lab offerings for Winter and Spring 2025.

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.

For the 2024-2025 academic year, we are offering the following 2 MCD Biology CUREs Labs:

 

Toxic RNA Lab (BIOL 102L/103L)

Faculty: Jeremy Sanford

Capacity: 20 students

Prerequisites for BIOL 102L: BIOL 20A, BIOL 20L, satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements. 

Prerequisites for BIOL 103L: BIOL 102L and satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements. Enrollment is by application. Students cannot enroll in BIOL 103L after receiving credit with a 'C' or better in BIOL 100L, BIOL 105L, BIOL 106L, BIOL 108L, BIOL 109L, BIOL 115L, BIOL 120L, BIOL 129L, BIOL 121L, BIOL 186L or METX 119L/100L.

Lab Description: Introduces hypothesis-driven laboratory research. Students create models of a unique, uncharacterized, disease-causing mutation and determine how it impacts the process of pre-mRNA splicing. An understanding of introductory molecular biology and genetics is required.

There are two courses: BIOL 102L (5 Units) and Biol 103L (5 units). 102L satisfies the requirement for BIOL 101L;  103L satisfies the upper division 5 unit lab and fulfills the Disciplinary Communication (DC) and Senior Exit Lab requirements.

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Human Genetic Variation Laboratory (BIOL 104A/104B)

Faculty: Olena Vaske

Capacity: 20 students

Prerequisites for BIOL 104A: BIOL 20L and BIOL 105. Enrollment is restricted to sophomore, junior, and senior molecular, cell, and developmental biology B.S., Biology B.S., and biochemistry and molecular biology majors

Prerequisites for BIOL 104B: BIOL 104A and satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements. Enrollment is restricted to sophomore, junior, and senior biology B.S. molecular, cell, and developmental biology, and biochemistry and molecular biology majors. BIOL 104B after receiving credit with a 'C' or better in BIOL 100L, BIOL 105L, BIOL 106L, BIOL 108L, BIOL 109L, BIOL 115L, BIOL 120L, BIOL 129L, BIOL 121L, BIOL 186L or METX 119L/100L.

Lab Description: This course together with its companion course BIOL 104B provide a supportive research immersion experience and training in computational and experimental approaches in cancer genomics. Instruction in cancer biology, genomics, and applications of genomic analysis for precision medicine is provided. Students work on their own projects to identify, visualize and interpret genetic variants that contribute to human cancers. BIOL104A focuses primarily on computational biology research, while BIOL104B focuses on experimental laboratory research.

There are two courses: BIOL 104A (5 Units) and Biol 104B (5 units). BIOL 104A satisfies the requirement for BIOL 101L;  BIOL 104B satisfies the upper division 5 unit lab and fulfills the Disciplinary Communication (DC) and Comprehensive Lab requirements.

 

How to Enroll in the CUREs Lab for Winter 2025

To enroll in one of the CUREs Lab options above, please be sure to add yourself to the waitlist for the CUREs Lab you are interested in: BIOL 102L: Toxic RNA Lab with Jeremy Sanford or BIOL 104A: Human Genetic Variation Laboratory with Olena Vaske; once Second Pass Enrollment has handed (on December 3, 2024), you may receive an application for the CUREs Lab to your ucsc.edu email address. If you have any specific questions about the lab, please reach out to the instructor.

Please remember - the waitlist is only available during Second Pass Enrollment (Starting November 22, 2024). Please note that the waitlist does check prerequisites for the course, if you are unable to waitlist the course due to not completing a prerequisite, please look to complete a CUREs Lab next year after you have completed all the necessary prerequisites. The MCD Biology department strictly enforces prerequisites for courses. 

 

Biology, BS

METX 100L (formerly METX 119L) has been approved to meet the Comprehensive Requirement and Disciplinary Communication (DC) Lab requirements for the Biology, BS major!

 

MCD Biology, BS

BIOL 104L will be offered in Spring 2025. 

Reminder - BIOL 104L is only required for MCD Biology, BS FROSH admitted Fall 2021.

If you are an MCD Biology, BS major and trying to graduate early/in 3 years/before the next offering of BIOL 104L, please meet/get in contact with an MCD Biology Undergraduate Advisor to discuss your options.

 

Neuroscience, BS

2025 Graduates, be sure you note the following limited course offerings:

BIOL 126: Neural Plasticity and Cognitive Neuroscience is being offered during the Winter 2025 quarter ONLY for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please remember that the Curriculum Plan is subject to change and should be checked frequently when class planning.

BIOL 128: Developmental Neurobiology is being offered during the Winter 2025 quarter ONLY for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please remember that the Curriculum Plan is subject to change and should be checked frequently when class planning.

BIOL 129L: Neurobiology Lab will be offered in Winter 2025 and Spring 2025 - be sure you have completed the prerequisites for the course! Prerequisites are: BIOL 100 and BIOL 101 or BIOC 100A and BIOC 100B, BIOL 101L (or equivalent), BIOL 125, and STAT 5 or STAT 7 and STAT 7L.

 

All 3 Advanced Topics courses are being offered this academic year! 

 

Upper Division Comprehensive Requirement/DC Labs

If you have already met the requirement for your Comprehensive Requirement/DC, PLEASE do not enroll in another one! 

Biology BS majors: Please utilize the option of choosing the shaded electives on your checklist to meet the senior exit and DC requirements.

Planned Comprehensive Requirement/DC Lab courses:

  • BIOL 105L Eukaryotic Genetics Lab
    • Fulfills the upper division lab requirement for Biology BS and MCD Biology BS.
    • Capacity of 20.

  • BIOL 115L Eukaryotic Molecular Biology Laboratory
    • Fulfills the upper division lab requirement for Biology BS and MCD Biology BS.
    • Capacity of 16.

 

  • BIOL 129L Neurobiology Lab
    • Fulfills the upper division lab requirement for Neuroscience, BS. Biology, BS and MCD Biology, BS majors if space is available in the course.
    • Capacity of 20.

  • BIOL 186L Undergraduate Research in MCD Biology
    • Fulfills the upper division lab requirement for Biology BS and MCD Biology BS, majors only. Enrollment is by application only.
    • Please do not submit an application unless you already have a faculty member who is serving/willing to serve as your research mentor and you have carefully reviewed the course description.
    • Capacity of 25. Priority will be given to students who submit an application by Friday, December 13th, 2024. 
    • Please note - attending the first day of class for BIOL 186 is mandatory to enroll in the course. Please be sure to attend the first day of class even if your application is still in process.

 

  • METX 100L General Microbiology Lab 
    • Formerly METX 119L. Fulfills the DC and Senior Lab requirements for the Biology, BS and MCD Biology, BS (2023 or prior catalogs) majors.  
    • METX 100L enrollment is handled by the Microbiology Major Advising office. Please be sure to read the course description and enrollment details to see how to enroll in the course.

Important Policies for MCD Biology-Sponsored Majors (consult the catalog for full details):

 

  • Letter Grade Policy: All major and minor requirements require a letter grade. P Grades will not be accepted to satisfy major specific requirements. 
    • Exception: Only courses completed in Spring 2020 are permitted to fulfill a major requirement with a “P” grade.
  • Major Policy Reminder: Effective Fall 2019, all MCD Biology sponsored majors must complete BIOL 20A and all of the Core 4 courses (BIOL 100, 105, 101 and 110) at UCSC. Frosh who began attending UCSC in Fall 2019 and onward, will need to remember that the above classes cannot be taken outside of UCSC unless they submit an Exception to Policy asking for permission - Note: There is no guarantee that any petition submitted will be approved.
  • C- grades CANNOT be used to satisfy a major requirement and cannot satisfy a prerequisite for another course. You must repeat a course if you receive a C- grade for major or pre-requisite credit. Only grades of “C” (2.0) or better will fulfill major requirements.



Best wishes for a wonderful winter quarter,

Jeannette, Kylie, and Leanna

MCD Biology Undergraduate Advising

Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

Division of Physical and Biological Sciences

MCD Biology Advising

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