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 suitable as a double major for students in the humanities or social sciences.
Academic Advising for the Program
The Baskin School of Engineering Undergraduate Advising office offers general advising for prospective and declared undergraduates majoring in School of 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
advising@soe.ucsc.edu
(831) 459-5840
Getting Started in the Major
Students applying for admission as first-year students proposing to take biotechnology should have completed high-school biology. Any UC-eligible student with a strong interest in biotechnlogy is welcome in the program.
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 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.
Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process
Major Qualification
Transfer students should refer to the Transfer Information and Policy section.
To declare the biotechnology major, students must have completed four of the following lower-division courses:
| CHEM 1A | General Chemistry | 5 |
| BIOL 20A | Cell and Molecular Biology | 5 |
| BME 5 | Introduction to Biotechnology | 5 |
| BME 18 | Scientific Principles of Life | 5 |
| BME 80G
/PHIL 80G
| Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society | 5 |
| BME 80H | The Human Genome | 5 |
| ECE 80B | Engineering Innovations for Medicine and Natural Sciences | 5 |
| STAT 5 | Statistics | 5 |
| STAT 7 | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences | 5 |
Appeal Process
Students who are informed that they are not eligible to declare may appeal this decision by submitting a letter to the BSoE Undergraduate Advising Office. Within 15 days of receipt of the appeal, the Undergraduate Advising office will notify the student, the college, and the Office of the Registrar of the decision.
If you have further questions concerning the appeal process, please contact the Undergraduate Advising office at (831) 459-5840 or email advising@soe.ucsc.edu.
More information regarding the appeal process can be found on the division's website.
How to Declare a Major
Instructions for declaring a major in the Baskin School of Engineering are on the division's website.
Transfer Information and Policy
Transfer Admission Screening Policy
Transfer students need to have completed the following three courses:
Both these courses
| BIOL 20A | Cell and Molecular Biology | 5 |
| CSE 20 | Beginning Programming in Python | 5 |
And
Either this course
Or these courses
| STAT 7 | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences | 5 |
| STAT 7L | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory | 2 |
Students with a different introductory programming course can still be accepted. Any course with C-ID COMP 112 or C-ID COMP 122 is acceptable. A course teaching Python is preferred even if it does not match either of these C-IDs.
Getting Started at UCSC as a Transfer Student
Transfer students should declare their major in their first quarter at UCSC. Instructions for declaring a major in the Baskin School of Engineering are on the division's website.
Letter Grade Policy
The Baskin School of Engineering requires letter grades for all courses in a major.
Course Substitution Policy
Please refer to the Undergraduate Affairs course substitution website for Baskin School of Engineering policies about taking courses at other institutions after enrolling at UCSC.
Double Majors and Major/Minor Combinations Policy
Double majoring with humanities or social science majors is encouraged. Double majoring with other biology-related majors is permitted, except for the Biomolecular Engineering and Bioinformatics major, which has too high an overlap in courses.
Honors
Students with a GPA of 3.3 or higher in the major courses will receive Honors in the Major, unless they have been found guilty of academic misconduct.
Requirements and Planners
Course Requirements
Lower-Division Courses
| CHEM 1A | General Chemistry | 5 |
| BIOL 20A | Cell and Molecular Biology | 5 |
| BME 5 | Introduction to Biotechnology | 5 |
| CSE 20 | Beginning Programming in Python | 5 |
Statistics: either both of these courses
| STAT 7 | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences | 5 |
| STAT 7L | Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences Laboratory | 2 |
| or this course | | |
| STAT 5 | Statistics | 5 |
Biotechnology and Society
Either
| BME 18 | Scientific Principles of Life | 5 |
| | OR | |
| BME 80G
/PHIL 80G
| Bioethics in the 21st Century: Science, Business, and Society | 5 |
And
| BME 80H | The Human Genome | 5 |
| | OR | |
| ECE 80B | Engineering Innovations for Medicine and Natural Sciences | 5 |
Upper-Division Courses
| BME 105 | Genetics in the Genomics Era | 5 |
| BME 110 | Computational Biology Tools | 5 |
| BME 160 | Research Programming in the Life Sciences | 6 |
Electives
Three of the following courses:
BME 128, BME 177, and BME 178 all have additional prerequisites not covered by the major requirements.
Students may petition to have one upper-division biology or microbiology course count as an elective, but most such courses have prerequisites that are not required for the major.
Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement
| BME 185 | Technical Writing for Biomolecular Engineers | 5 |
Comprehensive Requirement
The comprehensive requirement is covered by the project in the entrepreneurship course:
| BME 175 | Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology | 5 |
Exit Requirements
Students are required to submit a portfolio and exit survey, and they must attend an exit interview.
The portfolios must be turned in electronically as PDF files by the last day of the quarter of graduation, and will be reviewed quarterly by the undergraduate director.
Portfolios must contain the following:
- A substantial written report on a project. This is typically satisfied by the capstone project report.
- Slides from a substantial verbal presentation.
- A poster. This is typically satisfied by a capstone design project poster, presented at the undergraduate poster symposium.
The three parts of the portfolio should represent at least two different projects. At least one of the submissions must be from the capstone course.
Exit interviews are scheduled during the last week of the quarter by the Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE) advising office, generally as small group interviews.
Planners
Sample Plan for Incoming Frosh
*These are elective courses. Other elective courses may have prerequisites.
General education requirements:
C is not met by courses in the program, but is a prerequisite for the required BME 185 course.
CC, ER, and IM are not met by any courses in the program.
SR and PE are met by required courses.
SI can be met by BME 18.
TA can be met by several electives: BME 122H, BME 132, BME 177, or BME 178.
Sample Plan for Transfer Students
*These are elective courses. Other elective courses may have prerequisites.