Research Courses
Undergraduate Research: Research Courses
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.
How to find a faculty sponsor:
- Familiarize yourself with the research in the department.
- Identify an area of research you are interested in.
- Read up on faculty in that area, i.e. their research focus and publications. Faculty are much more likely to take on a student who has made an investment in learning about their research work.
- Attend office hours or make an appointment to meet with the faculty member. Be clear about your intentions and what you have to offer. You may also consider bringing a copy of your transcript.
Research Courses sponsored by the Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology Department below are by DocuSign application only. Please complete the Application here (be sure you are logged into your UCSC.EDU email address).
BIOL 186F Undergraduate Research in MCD Biology:
Supervised undergraduate research in laboratory of an MCD biology faculty member accompanied by weekly lectures on ethical and practical scientific issues. Topics include: laboratory safety; the scientific method; the collection, treatment, and presentation of data; critical evaluation of scientific literature; scientific misconduct; and peer review. Career issues, including how to apply for admission to graduate and professional schools, are also discussed.
Prerequisite(s):BIOL 100 or BIOC 100A; and BIOL 20L or BIOL 102J; and previous completion of the Disciplinary Communication requirement. Each enrolled student must have a committed MCD faculty sponsor by the first class meeting. Enrollment is restricted to biology and affiliated majors. Credit: 2 units; may be repeated for credit.
BIOL 186L Undergraduate Research in MCD Biology:
Supervised undergraduate research in laboratory of an MCD biology faculty member accompanied by weekly lectures on ethical and practical scientific issues. Topics include: laboratory safety; the scientific method; the collection, treatment, and presentation of data; critical evaluation of scientific literature; scientific misconduct; and peer review. Career issues, including how to apply for admission to graduate and professional schools, are also discussed.
Prerequisite(s):Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements; BIOL 100 or BIOC 100A; and BIOL 20L or BIOL 102J. Each enrolled student must have a committed MCD faculty sponsor by the first class meeting. Enrollment is restricted to declared Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Biology B.S.; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and Neuroscience B.S. majors. Other majors may enroll by permission of the instructor. Students cannot enroll in BIOL 186L after receiving credit with a 'C' or better in BIOL 100L, BIOL 103L, BIOL 105L, BIOL 106L, BIOL 108L, BIOL 109L, BIOL 115L, BIOL 120L, BIOL 121L, BIOL 129L, or METX 119L. Credit: 5 units
BIOL 186R Undergraduate Research in MCD Biology:
Supervised undergraduate research in the laboratory of an MCD biology faculty member accompanied by weekly lectures on practical scientific issues. Topics include: laboratory safety; the scientific method; the collection, treatment, and presentation of data; critical evaluation of scientific literature; ethics and scientific misconduct; and peer review. Career issues, including how to apply for admission to graduate and professional schools, are discussed. Students cannot receive credit for this course and BIOL 186L.Prerequisite(s):BIOL 100 or BIOC 100A; and BIOL 20L or BIOL 102J; and previous completion of the Disciplinary Communication requirement. Each enrolled student must have a committed MCD faculty sponsor by the first class. Enrollment is restricted to MCD Biology-affiliated majors. May be repeated for credit. Credit: 5 units.
