Biotechnology B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

The Bachelor of Arts in Biotechnology is intended for students who plan to be involved in the biotechnology industry as writers, artists, ethicists, executives, sales force, regulators, lawyers, politicians, and other roles that require an understanding of the technology, but not the intensive training needed for technicians, research scientists, engineers, and bioinformaticians. (For those more technical roles, the biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics major or the molecular, cell, and developmental biology major is recommended.)

The major is deliberately designed to be paired as a double major for students in the humanities, social sciences, or the arts. Due to course overlap, the biotechnology B.A. cannot be combined with the biomolecular engineering and bioinformatics major (BMEB) B.S. or the bioinformatics minor.

Program Learning Outcomes

A biotechnology student completing the program should:

• have familiarity with several different biotechnologies;
• be able to find and use information from a variety of sources, including books, journal articles, and online encyclopedias;
• be able to write programs in Python;
• be able to communicate clearly in writing, orally, and as posters; and
• be able to apply ethical reasoning to make decisions about biotechnology in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.

Academic Advising for the Program

The Baskin Engineering Undergraduate Advising office offers general advising for prospective and declared undergraduates majoring in Baskin Engineering programs. The office handles major declarations, transfer credits, course substitutions, articulations, and degree certifications. Undergraduate students obtain and submit all paperwork requiring departmental approval to the undergraduate advising office. Transfer students should also refer to the Transfer Information and Policy section.

Baskin Engineering Building, Room 225
bsoeadvising@ucsc.edu
(831) 459-5840

Getting Started in the Major: Frosh

Any UC-eligible student with a strong interest in biotechnology is welcome in the program. This major is not highly sequential or course intensive. Although it is advisable to begin taking courses toward the major in the first year, it is not required.

Declaration of the major can happen no sooner than the student's second quarter, and no later than the campus deadline.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

Transfer students must complete the following courses, or their articulated equivalents, by the end of the spring term prior to fall enrollment, or the end of the fall term prior to winter enrollment. Students must have and maintain a cumulative minimum GPA of 2.0 in screening courses. Cumulative GPA is calculated based on all Biotechnology transfer screening courses taken. Please note that while AP courses satisfy transfer admission screening requirements, they do not count toward the GPA. If you satisfy the transfer admission screening requirements, you are not required to take additional coursework in order to declare the major.

Both of these courses

And

Statistics

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

Successful transition to UC Santa Cruz happens with early advisor contact, preparing and submitting course descriptions for articulation purposes, and taking summer session courses prior to their first fall quarter. Specific information for transfer students is available online. Transfer students should declare their major during their first quarter at UC Santa Cruz; instructions for declaring a major at Baskin Engineering are available here.

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process

Major Qualification

Transfer students should refer to the Transfer Information and Policy section.

To qualify for the biotechnology major, students must have completed four of the following lower-division courses:

Appeal Process

Students may appeal a major qualification decision by filing a petition with Baskin Engineering Advising. The appeal process is described at the Baskin Engineering Undergraduate Affairs website.

If you have further questions concerning the appeal process, please contact the Undergraduate Advising office at (831) 459-5840 or email bsoeadvising@ucsc.edu.

How to Declare a Major

Instructions for declaring a major with Baskin Engineering are on the Undergraduate Affairs website.

Students should submit a petition to declare as soon as they complete the major qualification requirements 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.

Letter Grade Policy

Baskin Engineering requires letter grades for all courses in a major.

Course Substitution Policy

Please refer to the Undergraduate Affairs course substitution website for Baskin Engineering course substitution policies and about taking courses at other institutions after enrolling at UCSC. Refer to the course substitution section of the Baskin Engineering page in the catalog for overall substitution policies.

Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy

Double majoring with humanities, social science, or the arts majors is encouraged. Students considering double majoring with biology-related majors should consider a minor in bioinformatics.

Honors

Students with a GPA of 3.30-3.69 receive honors in the major. Students with a GPA of 3.70 or higher receive highest honors in the major. The GPA includes all UCSC undergraduate and graduate courses in all departments that fall within the Divisions of Physical and Biological Sciences and of Baskin Engineering. Students with particularly significant accomplishments in undergraduate research may petition to receive honors or highest honors with a lower GPA.

Requirements and Planners

Course Requirements

Lower-Division Courses

Chemistry

Introductory Biology and Biotechnology

Statistics

Biotechnology and Society

This course

And one of these courses

Upper-Division Courses

Biotechnology Upper-Division Core

Electives

Three or more of the following courses must be taken to meet the requirement of 40 upper-division credits for the major. At least four of the following courses must be taken if a student completes CSE 20 instead of BME 160. We recommend that two or more of the courses should be BME courses.

Students may petition to have one upper-division biology credited as an elective, but most such courses have prerequisites that are not required for the major.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Comprehensive Requirement

The comprehensive requirement is covered by the project in the entrepreneurship course:

Planners

Academic planners for this and all majors can be found at programmaps.ucsc.edu.

Planning Notes

• The requirements of this major guarantee completion of MF, SI, SR, PE, and DC GEs. TA can be met by some elective choices: BME 132 or BME 177.
• The 2-year transfer planner assumes that a student has completed the equivalent of the following courses before coming to UC Santa Cruz: CHEM 3A, CSE 20, STAT 5, and BIOL 20A.