Biology B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

The general biology bachelor of arts major permits flexibility, but demands careful attention to a student’s own interests and plans. Each student should select courses on the basis of up-to-date information in consultation with an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) Department advisor or faculty advisor whose interests reflect the student’s interests. A hallmark of the major is the many field courses that introduce students to a diversity of ecosystems and the skills to conduct field research. See the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology undergraduate webpage for more information on these courses.

Program Learning Outcomes

The undergraduate curriculum offered by the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) is designed to ensure that all students declared in any EEB-sponsored major will achieve the following seven program learning outcomes.

1. Students will demonstrate broad-based knowledge of the fundamentals of ecology, behavior, evolution, and physiology and the relationships among these disciplines.
2. Students will demonstrate skills in the observation and experimental study of organisms, using both field-based and laboratory-based approaches.
3. Students will demonstrate skills in identifying, accessing, comprehending, and synthesizing scientific information, including interpretation of the primary scientific literature. This includes understanding key questions and hypotheses, interpreting results and conclusions, and evaluating quality through critique.
4. Students will demonstrate the ability to conceive and execute independent scientific research, including developing their own questions and hypotheses, designing an appropriate theoretical or empirical/experimental approach, executing that approach, and analyzing and interpreting data.
5. Students will demonstrate an ability to understand and apply fundamental quantitative skills, including models and statistical analyses, so as to properly interpret published research and apply such skills in their own research.
6. Students will demonstrate the ability to communicate scientific work, such as a scientific paper, proposal, essay, or notebook, in written, oral or poster format.
7. Students will exhibit strong teamwork and problem-solving skills. They will demonstrate the ability to make arguments from evidence and work together to find optimal solutions.

Academic Advising for the Program

Academic advising is available at the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) undergraduate advising office located in the Coastal Biology Building on the University of California, Santa Cruz Coastal Science Campus, and via email at eebadvising@ucsc.edu. The undergraduate webpages contain advice and information pertinent to students’ most frequently voiced questions. Each student should review the information posted on the website; for further assistance, contact an EEB undergraduate advisor at eebadvising@ucsc.edu. Transfer students should also review the Transfer Information and Policy Section.

Getting Started in the Major: Frosh

Prerequisites

An online mathematics placement is required to enroll in a mathematics course or CHEM 3A or CHEM 4A. Students are expected to take this examination prior to orientation, or at least well before the enrollment appointment for their first planned quarter at UCSC. Students are encouraged to work in the learning modules, and assess/reassess (three total assessments allowed) until they place into MATH 16A (recommended) or MATH 11A or MATH 19A. For more information, see the mathematics placement website.

The introductory biology sequence is prerequisite to virtually all upper-division biology courses. BIOL 20A (offered by the Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology Department) has a prerequisite of CHEM 3A or CHEM 4A. Therefore, it is essential for students to start chemistry as soon as possible. Students who have not taken CHEM 3A or CHEM 4A may begin the introductory sequence with BIOE 20C. The entire introductory biology sequence should be taken in the first and second year, concurrently with or following the general chemistry sequence, with all completed by the sixth quarter campus declaration deadline. We also strongly recommend completing the lower-division physics requirements early in your academic career.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

The following courses or their equivalents are required prior to transfer, by the end of the spring term for students planning to enter in the fall. Some courses may be satisfied via exam credit.

More information on qualifying for the major as a transfer applicant is here. Additional transfer preparation information is here.

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

Transfer students who satisfy the major screening requirements may declare the major at any time after matriculation only after their official transcripts have been posted to their MyUCSC student portal by the UC Santa Cruz Office of Admissions.

Beginning in late June and early July (for fall transfer students), EEB Advising will review admitted students' reported transfer course work and determine how it applies to their major's requirements.
EEB Advising will contact admitted students via email. The email will include information on how students' transfer coursework fulfills major requirements. We will suggest courses for students' fall enrollment, and invite you to make an appointment to talk with EEB Undergraduate Advising or direct questions to eebadvising@ucsc.edu. Transfer students may also expect to receive regular email messages from EEB Advising in June, July, and August with additional information about the major.

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process

Major Qualification

All courses must be taken for a letter grade. The following qualification courses, or their equivalents, must be completed with a grade of C (2.0) or better. Some courses may be satisfied via exam credit.

All of the following courses:

And one of the following options:

How to Declare a Major

Students may log into MyUCSC and submit the Petition for Major/Minor via MyUCSC as soon as they have completed the EEB major qualification requirements and/or reached their declaration deadline quarter, whichever comes first. Information on major declaration can be found here.

Additional questions may be directed to eebadvising@ucsc.edu.

Appeal Process

Students who are not eligible to declare the major may appeal this decision by submitting an appeal letter to EEB undergraduate advising. The department will declare the student's major, deny the student admission to the major, or set conditions for admission (provided the conditions may be met within no more than one quarter of enrollment). Within 15 business days of receipt of the appeal, the department will notify the student and college of the decision. For more information about the appeal process, see the appeal process website.

Letter Grade Policy

All courses used to satisfy any major requirement must be taken for a letter grade, except for approved courses which are ONLY offered as Pass/No Pass (P/NP).

Course Substitution Policy

To discuss the process for a course substitution, contact an EEB undergraduate advisor.

At least half of the upper-division courses (numbered BIOE 100 – BIOE 179) required for each major must be taken in EEB at UC Santa Cruz and not as transfer credits from another department or institution.

Transfer students are advised to contact an EEB undergraduate advisor before enrolling in any upper-division courses at other institutions. For more information on transferring courses to UC Santa Cruz, please consult the Transfer Coursework website. Additional information for transfer students is provided above in the “Transfer Students” section.

Only one upper-division course requirement may be met with a research-based independent study or graduate-level UC Santa Cruz biology course.

Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy

Students cannot double major/minor in Biology B.A., Ecology and Evolution B.S., Marine Biology B.S., or Plant Sciences B.S. and any other major/minor offered by the EEB Department, nor by the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology; or MCD Biology, including the Global and Community Health B.S. major.

Should a student choose to double major, they must qualify for and complete the disciplinary communication and comprehensive requirements for each of the majors.

Study Abroad

The UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) offers qualified students unique opportunities to broaden their educational horizons. The EEB Department encourages interested students to participate. It is possible to satisfy major requirements abroad and graduate on time; consult with an EEB undergraduate advisor early in the planning process.

Many programs are in English-speaking countries or use English for advanced courses. Many programs offer small classes, extensive laboratories, and/or field research experience.

There are excellent programs in Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Germany, among others. The Costa Rica Tropical Biology Program is of note to students interested in tropical biology and ecology. Held spring and fall quarters at the Monteverde research station, this program gives students experience with hands-on field research and offers a homestay program. The University of Queensland (Australia) offers an intensive, full-semester marine science program, which includes stays at research stations on the Great Barrier Reef and in sheltered mangrove and seagrass habitats near Brisbane.

Students interested in study abroad need to get an early start on their introductory requirements, including chemistry, mathematics, and biology and must declare their major prior to going abroad. Visit the UCEAP office as soon as possible to begin planning and seek advice and approval for your UCEAP plan from an EEB undergraduate advisor prior to participation in UCEAP.

Honors

Honors in the biological sciences majors are awarded to graduating students whose academic performance in all major-required lower and upper-division course options taken at UCSC demonstrates excellence at a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 to 3.79.

Highest honors are awarded to those students whose performance in all major-required lower and upper-division course options taken at UCSC demonstrates the highest level of excellence and results in a GPA of 3.8 or above.

Requirements and Planners

Course Requirements

Complete the following requirements. Some courses may be satisfied via exam credit.

Lower-Division Courses

Introductory Biology:

General Chemistry:

Choose one of the following options:

Statistics:

Choose one of the following options:

Physics:

Choose one of the following options. Enrollment in PHYS 6A requires concurrent enrollment in the PHYS 6L laboratory as well as either MATH 11A, MATH 16A or MATH 19A (or their equivalents) as a prerequisite.

Upper-Division Courses

A total of eight (8) upper-division biology courses, including electives, as follows:

Lecture/Lab Combination Notes:

Lecture and lab combinations generally count as one course. For 5-credit lectures with required, concurrent 2-credit labs, successful completion of both the lab and lecture is required and counts as one course. For 5-credit lectures with optional labs, only the lecture must be successfully completed to count as one course (except for DC requirements). Successful completion of the optional lab will count as overall unit credit and may count toward the comprehensive requirement. 5-credit lectures with 5-credit labs count as two courses. 7-credit labs count as one course.

Three core courses:

One of the following anatomy or physiology courses:

Electives

Four additional BIOE courses numbered 100 - 179 of 5 or more credits, or the following courses:

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major's upper-division disciplinary communication (DC) requirement. The DC requirement in the biology bachelor of arts degree is satisfied by completing two of the following Ecology and Evolutionary Biology courses:

Note: Lecture and 2-credit lab combinations count as a single course.

Comprehensive Requirement

All majors in the biological sciences require completion of a comprehensive requirement. This requirement can be satisfied in one of the following ways:

• receiving a passing grade in an independent research course, or field/laboratory course listed below.
• completing a senior thesis.

Comprehensive courses offered by Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Note: Lab courses may have associated prerequisite or corequisite lecture courses.

Comprehensive courses offered in METX

Planners

The tables below are for informational purposes and do not reflect all university, general education, and credit requirements. See Undergraduate Graduation Requirements for more information.

In addition to the specific courses shown in these planners, a student must complete courses satisfying the C, CC, ER, IM, MF, PE, PR, and TA campus general education requirements.

Sample Frosh Planner

Two of the upper-division course options must satisfy DC requirements.

One of the upper-division course options must satisfy the Senior Comprehensive Requirement.

*WRIT 2 should be taken in or before spring quarter of the second year.

Additional Frosh sample planners may be found on the EEB website.

Sample Transfer Planner

Two of the upper-division course options must satisfy DC requirements.

One of the upper-division course options must satisfy the Senior Comprehensive Requirement.

*If WRIT 2 is not completed prior to transfer, it should be taken in the first enrolled quarter at UCSC.

Additional Transfer student sample planners may be found on the EEB website.