About the Program
Bachelor of Science (BS)
The Molecular Environmental Biology (MEB) major is designed to expose students to the organization and function of biological organisms. Molecular approaches are expected to play an increasing role in environmental problem-solving in the near future, and their success will depend upon a sound understanding of biological principles from molecular through ecological levels. The program trains students in the organization and function of biological organisms and their integration into the environment.
Declaring the Major
Advice on admission for freshmen and transfer students can be found on the CNR Admissions Guide page or the CNR Prospective Student website. Freshman students may apply directly to the major, or they may select the College of Natural Resource's undeclared option and declare the major by the end of their fourth semester. Transfer students apply directly to the major through the UC application.
Information for current Berkeley students who would like to declare the major after admission, including information on change of major or change of college, please see chapter 6 of the College of Natural Resources Undergraduate Student Handbook. Students can meet with peer advisors or academic advisors for full guidance.
- There is a 3.0 GPA requirement to transfer into the College of Natural Resources from other colleges on campus.
- Required pre-requisite courses to declare the Molecular Environmental Biology are: Chemistry 1A/L and 3A/L, one semester of Biology (1A/L or 1B), R1A and R1B, Math 1A or 16A or 10A, and a second quantitative course in either Math (1B, 16B, 10B) or Statistics (STAT 2, C8, 20, 25, 131A, PB HLTH 141, 142A).
- It is recommended that students complete the ESPM lower-division core courses prior to declaring.
- Undeclared students must declare a major by the end of their fourth semester. Failure to declare a major by junior standing will result in a registration block, and you will not be able to enroll in any courses until you are declared.
- Current UC Berkeley students who entered as freshmen are expected to be able to graduate in a total of 8 semesters (summers excluded). Exceptions are rarely granted. Students should be progressing in major requirements each semester.
- All major requirements must be taken for a letter grade (including breadth).
- Both halves of the Reading and Composition requirement must be completed by the end of the fourth semester.
Honors Program
Students with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher may enroll in the College of Natural Resources Honors Program (H196) once they have reached upper division standing. To fulfill the program requirements, students design, conduct, and report on an individual research project working with a faculty sponsor. For further information on registering for the Honors Symposium and on Honors requirements, please see the College of Natural Resources website.
Minor Program
There is no minor program in Molecular Environmental Biology.
Other Majors and Minors Offered by the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Conservation and Resource Studies (Major and Minor)
Environmental Sciences (Major only)
Food Systems (Minor only)
Forestry and Natural Resources (Major and Minor)
Geospatial Information Science and Technology (Minor only)
Society and Environment (Major only)
Major Requirements
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
Structure of the MEB Major
The lower division coursework provides a strong foundation in biological principles, and the upper division areas introduce students to the organization and function of biological organisms at the molecular, cellular, organismal, and ecological levels. The major also offers specialization through six Areas of Concentration: (1) animal health and behavior, (2) biodiversity, (3) ecology, (4) environmental and human health, (5) insect biology, and (6) global change biology.
**The curriculum has been revised effective Fall 2016. Students admitted prior to Fall 16 and following the previous curriculum should refer to the 15-16 Guide.
Lower Division Requirements
Breadth Requirement
Select courses from L&S “7 Breadth” Categories
□ One course (3-4 units) in Arts & Literature, Historical Studies, or Philosophy & Values
□ One course (3-4 units) in Social & Behavioral Sciences or International Studies
Reading & Composition Requirement
Students must complete Reading & Composition by the end of sophomore year.
Core Requirement
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ESPM Environmental Science Core | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| The Biosphere [3] | ||
| Environmental Biology [3] | ||
| Environmental Issues [4] | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Sciences [3] | ||
| Climate Change and the Future of California [4] | ||
| ESPM Social Science Core | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| FROM FARM TO TABLE: FOOD SYSTEMS IN A CHANGING WORLD [4] | ||
| Americans and the Global Forest [4] | ||
ESPM C12 | Course Not Available | |
| Fire: Past, Present and Future Interactions with the People and Ecosystems of California [4] | ||
| Introduction to Culture and Natural Resource Management [4] | ||
| Environmental Policy, Administration, and Law [4] | ||
| Science Core | ||
| Complete all of the following: | ||
| General Chemistry and General Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Chemical Structure and Reactivity and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Chemical Structure and Reactivity and Organic Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| General Biology Lecture and General Biology Laboratory | ||
| General Biology Lecture and Laboratory [4] | ||
| Introductory Physics [4] 2 | ||
| Quantitative Core (2 courses) | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Calculus [4] | ||
| Methods of Mathematics: Calculus, Statistics, and Combinatorics [4] | ||
| Analytic Geometry and Calculus [3] 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Calculus [4] | ||
| Methods of Mathematics: Calculus, Statistics, and Combinatorics [4] | ||
| Analytic Geometry and Calculus [3] | ||
| Introduction to Statistics [4] | ||
| Foundations of Data Science [4] | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics [4] | ||
| Statistical Methods for Data Science [4] | ||
| Introduction to Biostatistics [5] | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology and Public Health [4] | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics in Biology and Public Health [4] | ||
| 2 | For pre-health students, PHYSICS 8B is required in addition to PHYSICS 8A. |
Upper division Requirements
Select two courses from Area A and two courses from Area B. Also complete 12 units in Area of Concentration and two lab courses.
Area A: Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 135 | Chemical Biology | 3 |
| ESPM 108B | Environmental Change Genetics (lab included) | 3 |
| INTEGBI 141 | Human Genetics | 3 |
| INTEGBI 161 | Population and Evolutionary Genetics | 4 |
| INTEGBI 162 | Ecological Genetics | 4 |
| INTEGBI 164 | Human Genetics and Genomics (lab included) | 4 |
| MCELLBI C100A | Biophysical Chemistry: Physical Principles and the Molecules of Life | 4 |
| MCELLBI 102 | Survey of the Principles of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| MCELLBI 104 | Genetics, Genomics, and Cell Biology | 4 |
| MCELLBI 110 | Molecular Biology: Macromolecular Synthesis and Cellular Function | 4 |
| MCELLBI 130 | Cell and Systems Biology | 4 |
| MCELLBI 133L | Physiology and Cell Biology Laboratory | 4 |
| MCELLBI 137L | Physical Biology of the Cell | 3 |
| MCELLBI 140 | General Genetics | 4 |
| MCELLBI 141 | Developmental Biology | 4 |
| PLANTBI C109 | Evolution and Ecology of Development | 3 |
| PLANTBI C112 | General Microbiology | 4 |
| PLANTBI C112L | General Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
| PLANTBI 135 | Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants | 3 |
| PLANTBI 150 | Plant Cell Biology | 3 |
| PLANTBI 160 | Plant Molecular Genetics | 3 |
| PB HLTH 162A | Public Health Microbiology | 3 |
| PB HLTH 162L | Public Health Microbiology Laboratory | 2 |
Area B: Ecology and Organismal Biology
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ESPM C105 | Natural History Museums and Biodiversity Science (lab included) | 3 |
| ESPM 106 | American Wildlife: Management and Policy in the 21st Century | 3 |
| ESPM 108A | Trees: Taxonomy, Growth, and Structures (lab included) | 3 |
| ESPM 111 | Ecosystem Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 112 | Microbial Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 112L | Microbial Metagenomic Data Analysis Lab | 1 |
| ESPM 113 | Insect Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 114 | Wildlife Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 115C | Fish Ecology (lab included) | 3 |
| ESPM 116B | Grassland and Woodland Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM C125 | Biogeography | 4 |
| ESPM 131 | Soil Microbiology and Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| ESPM 132 | Spider Biology (lab included) | 4 |
| ESPM 137 | Landscape Ecology (Lab included) | 3 |
| ESPM C138/PLANTBI C114/MCELLBI C114 | Introduction to Comparative Virology | 4 |
| ESPM 140 | General Entomology (lab included) | 4 |
| ESPM 144 | Insect Physiology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 102LF | Introduction to California Plant Life with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 103LF | Invertebrate Zoology with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 104LF | Natural History of the Vertebrates with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 132 | Survey of Human Physiology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 140 | Biology of Human Reproduction | 4 |
| INTEGBI 148 | Comparative Animal Physiology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 150 | Evolutionary Environmental Physiology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 151 | Plant Physiological Ecology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 151L | Plant Physiological Ecology Laboratory | 2 |
| INTEGBI 153 | Ecology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 154 & 154L | Plant Ecology and Plant Ecology Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 154L | Plant Ecology Laboratory | 2 |
| INTEGBI 157LF | Ecosystems of California | 4 |
| INTEGBI 167 | Evolution and Earth History: From Genes to Fossils | 4 |
| INTEGBI 168 & 168L | Course Not Available and Systematics of Vascular Plants with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 181L | Paleobotany - The 500-Million Year History of a Greening Planet | 4 |
| INTEGBI C185L | Human Paleontology | 5 |
| MCELLBI 136 | Physiology | 4 |
| NUSCTX 103 | Nutrient Function and Metabolism | 3 |
| PLANTBI C110L | Biology of Fungi with Laboratory (lab included) | 4 |
| PLANTBI 113 | California Mushrooms (lab included) | 3 |
| PLANTBI/MCELLBI C116 | Microbial Diversity | 3 |
| PLANTBI 120 | Biology of Algae | 2 |
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
Lab Requirement
Select two upper division courses which include a lab, as part of the Areas A or B or Area of Concentration requirements. Additionally, this requirement may be fulfilled by: (1) One 3-4 unit independent study lab (research units numbered 192C, H196 or 199); Summer Forestry Field Camp; or the Moorea Field Study course.
Area of Concentration Requirement
Select 12 units from one concentration below. Up to four independent study units (research units numbered 192C, H196 or 199) may be applied to the concentration.
Animal Health & Behavior
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ESPM C103/INTEGBI C156 | Principles of Conservation Biology | 4 |
| ESPM 106 | American Wildlife: Management and Policy in the 21st Century | 3 |
| ESPM 114 | Wildlife Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM C126/INTEGBI C144 | Animal Behavior | 4 |
| ESPM 142 | Insect Behavior | 3 |
| ESPM 157 | Data Science in Global Change Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 158 | Biodiversity Conservation in Working Landscapes | 4 |
| ESPM 186 | Management and Conservation of Rangeland Ecosystems | 4 |
| ESPM C192 | Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving | 2 |
| INTEGBI 104LF | Natural History of the Vertebrates with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 135 | The Mechanics of Organisms | 4 |
| INTEGBI C135L | Laboratory in the Mechanics of Organisms | 3 |
| INTEGBI C143A/PSYCH C113 | Biological Clocks: Physiology and Behavior | 3 |
| INTEGBI C143B/PSYCH C116 | Hormones and Behavior | 3 |
| INTEGBI 146LF | Behavioral Ecology with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 173LF | Mammalogy with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 174LF | Ornithology with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 175LF | Herpetology with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 148 | Comparative Animal Physiology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 184L | Morphology of the Vertebrate Skeleton with Laboratory | 4 |
| PSYCH 121 | Animal Cognition | 3 |
Biodiversity
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ESPM C103/INTEGBI C156 | Principles of Conservation Biology | 4 |
| ESPM C105 | Natural History Museums and Biodiversity Science (lab included) | 3 |
| ESPM 106 | American Wildlife: Management and Policy in the 21st Century | 3 |
| ESPM 108A | Trees: Taxonomy, Growth, and Structures (lab included) | 3 |
| ESPM C125 | Biogeography | 4 |
| ESPM 132 | Spider Biology (lab included) | 4 |
| ESPM 140 | General Entomology (lab included) | 4 |
| ESPM 147 | Field Entomology (“Ants,” “Beetles,” and “Spiders” (1 unit each) SP. All three courses must be completed to equal one “lab course”) | 1 |
| ESPM 157 | Data Science in Global Change Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM C192 | Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving | 2 |
| INTEGBI 102LF | Introduction to California Plant Life with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 103LF | Invertebrate Zoology with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 104LF | Natural History of the Vertebrates with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 160 | Evolution | 4 |
| INTEGBI 168 & 168L | Course Not Available and Systematics of Vascular Plants with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 173LF | Mammalogy with Laboratory | 5 |
| INTEGBI 174LF | Ornithology with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 175LF | Herpetology with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 183L | Evolution of the Vertebrates with Laboratory | 4 |
| PLANTBI C110L | Biology of Fungi with Laboratory | 4 |
| PLANTBI 113 | California Mushrooms | 3 |
| PLANTBI/MCELLBI C116 | Microbial Diversity | 3 |
| PLANTBI 120 & 120L | Biology of Algae and Laboratory for Biology of Algae | 4 |
Ecology
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ESPM C103/INTEGBI C156 | Principles of Conservation Biology | 4 |
| ESPM C104/ENVECON C115 | Modeling and Management of Biological Resources | 4 |
| ESPM 105A | Sierra Nevada Ecology (Summer Forestry Camp) | 4 |
| ESPM 111 | Ecosystem Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 112 | Microbial Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 112L | Microbial Metagenomic Data Analysis Lab | 1 |
| ESPM 113 | Insect Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 114 | Wildlife Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM C115A | Freshwater Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 115C | Fish Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 116B | Grassland and Woodland Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 117 | Urban Garden Ecosystems | 4 |
| ESPM 118 | Agricultural Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM C130/GEOG C136 | Terrestrial Hydrology | 4 |
| ESPM 131 | Soil Microbiology and Biogeochemistry | 3 |
| ESPM 134 | Fire, Insects, and Diseases in Forest Ecosystems | 3 |
| ESPM 137 | Landscape Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 147 | Field Entomology | 1 |
| ESPM 152 | Global Change Biology | 3 |
| ESPM 157 | Data Science in Global Change Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 158 | Biodiversity Conservation in Working Landscapes | 4 |
| ESPM 173 | Introduction to Ecological Data Analysis | 3 |
| ESPM 174 | Design and Analysis of Ecological Research | 4 |
| ESPM 181A | Fire Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM C192 | Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving | 2 |
| INTEGBI 102LF | Introduction to California Plant Life with Laboratory | 4 |
| INTEGBI 151 | Plant Physiological Ecology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 153 | Ecology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 154 & 154L | Plant Ecology and Plant Ecology Laboratory | 5 |
| PLANTBI 180 | Environmental Plant Biology | 2 |
Environment & Human Health
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTHRO 135 | Paleoethnobotany: Archaeological Methods and Laboratory Techniques (lab included) | 4 |
| ESPM C126/INTEGBI C144 | Animal Behavior | 4 |
| ESPM C138/PLANTBI C114/MCELLBI C114 | Introduction to Comparative Virology | 4 |
| ESPM C148/NUSCTX C114 | Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology | 3 |
| ESPM 152 | Global Change Biology | 3 |
| ESPM 157 | Data Science in Global Change Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 158 | Biodiversity Conservation in Working Landscapes | 4 |
| ESPM/NUSCTX C159 | Human Diet | 4 |
| ESPM 162 | Bioethics and Society | 4 |
| ESPM 162A | Health, Medicine, Society and Environment | 4 |
| ESPM C167 | Environmental Health and Development | 4 |
| ESPM C192 | Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving | 2 |
| INTEGBI 116L | Medical Parasitology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 117 | Medical Ethnobotany | 2 |
| INTEGBI 117LF | Medical Ethnobotany Laboratory | 2 |
| INTEGBI 131 | General Human Anatomy | 3 |
| INTEGBI 131L | General Human Anatomy Laboratory | 2 |
| INTEGBI 137 | Human Endocrinology | 4 |
| INTEGBI 140 | Biology of Human Reproduction | 4 |
| INTEGBI C143A/PSYCH C113 | Biological Clocks: Physiology and Behavior | 3 |
| INTEGBI C143B/PSYCH C116 | Hormones and Behavior | 3 |
| MCELLBI 135A | Topics in Cell and Developmental Biology: Molecular Endocrinology | 3 |
| MCELLBI 150 | Molecular Immunology | 4 |
| MCELLBI 165 | Neurobiology of Disease | 3 |
| NUSCTX 103 | Nutrient Function and Metabolism | 3 |
| NUSCTX 108A | Introduction and Application of Food Science | 3 |
| NUSCTX 110 | Toxicology | 4 |
| NUSCTX 160 | Metabolic Bases of Human Health and Diseases | 4 |
| NUSCTX 166 | Nutrition in the Community | 3 |
| PLANTBI/MCELLBI C103 | Bacterial Pathogenesis | 3 |
| PB HLTH 101 | A Sustainable World: Challenges and Opportunities | 3 |
| PB HLTH 116 | Seminar on Social, Political, and Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine | 3 |
| PB HLTH 150B | Human Health and the Environment in a Changing World | 3 |
| PB HLTH 196 | Special Topics in Public Health | 1-4 |
| PSYCH 110 | Introduction to Biological Psychology | 3 |
Insect Biology/Arthropod Science
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ESPM 140 | General Entomology (ESPM 140 required for Insect Biology concentration.) | 4 |
| ESPM C105 | Natural History Museums and Biodiversity Science | 3 |
| ESPM 113 | Insect Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 132 | Spider Biology | 4 |
| ESPM 134 | Fire, Insects, and Diseases in Forest Ecosystems | 3 |
| ESPM 142 | Insect Behavior | 3 |
| ESPM 144 | Insect Physiology | 3 |
| ESPM 147 | Field Entomology | 1 |
| ESPM C148 | Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology | 3 |
| ESPM 157 | Data Science in Global Change Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM 172 | Remote Sensing of the Environment | 3 |
| ESPM C192 | Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving | 2 |
Global Change Biology
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CIV ENG 107 | Climate Change Mitigation | 3 |
| ECON C102 | Natural Resource Economics | 4 |
| ENVECON C175 | The Economics of Climate Change | 4 |
| ENE,RES 101 | Ecology and Society | 3 |
| ENE,RES 102 | Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems | 4 |
| EPS 102 | History and Evolution of Planet Earth | 4 |
| EPS 115 | Stratigraphy and Earth History | 4 |
| EPS C181 | Atmospheric Physics and Dynamics | 3 |
| ESPM 108B | Environmental Change Genetics | 3 |
| ESPM 137 | Landscape Ecology | 3 |
| ESPM 152 | Global Change Biology | 3 |
| ESPM 157 | Data Science in Global Change Ecology | 4 |
| ESPM C167 | Environmental Health and Development | 4 |
| ESPM C170 | Carbon Cycle Dynamics | 3 |
| ESPM C192 | Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving | 2 |
| GEOG 142 | Climate Dynamics | 4 |
| GEOG C188 | Geographic Information Systems | 4 |
| INTEGBI 154 | Plant Ecology | 3 |
| INTEGBI 154L | Plant Ecology Laboratory | 2 |
| INTEGBI 159 | The Living Planet: Impact of the Biosphere on the Earth System | 3 |
| LD ARCH 110 | Ecological Analysis | 3 |
| LD ARCH 110L | Ecological Analysis Laboratory | 2 |
| PLANTBI 122 | Bioenergy | 2 |
| PLANTBI 180 | Environmental Plant Biology | 2 |
College Requirements
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking all majors in the College require two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.
Foreign Language: EEP Majors only
The Foreign Language requirement is only required by Environmental Economics and Policy (EEP) majors. It may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.
Quantitative Reasoning: EEP Majors only
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is only required by Environmental Economics and Policy (EEP) majors. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.
Undergraduate Breadth
Undergraduate breadth provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program and many students complete their breadth courses in their first two years. Breadth courses are built into CNR major requirements and each major requires a different number of breath courses and categories. The EEP major is the only CNR major that requires the entire 7 course breadth. Refer to the major snapshots on each CNR major page for for additional information.
High School Exam Credit
CNR students may apply high school exam credit (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, A-Level Exam) towards many College and Major Requirements. See AP Exam Equivalency Chart and Higher Level IB Exam Equivalency Chart in the CNR Student Handbook for more information.
Unit Requirements
Students must complete at least 120 semester units of courses subject to certain guidelines:
- At least 36 units must be upper division courses, including a minimum of 15 units of upper division courses in the College of Natural Resources.
- A maximum of 16 units of Special Studies coursework (courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, or 199) is allowed towards the 120 units; a maximum of four is allowed in a given semester.
- A maximum of 4 units of Physical Education from any school attended will count towards the 120 units.
- Students may receive unit credit for courses graded P (including P/NP units taken through EAP) up to a limit of one-third of the total units taken and passed on the Berkeley campus at the time of graduation.
Semester Unit Minimum
All CNR students must enroll in at least 12 units each fall and spring semester.
Semester Unit Maximum
To request permission to take more than 19.5 units in a semester, please see the major adviser.
Semester Limit
Students admitted as freshmen must graduate within 8 fall/spring semesters at UC Berkeley. Students admitted as transfer students must graduate within 4 fall/spring semesters at UC Berkeley. Students who go on EAP and UCDC can petition for additional semesters. Summer session, UC Extension and non-UC study abroad programs do not count towards this semester limit. Students approved for double majors or simultaneous degrees in two colleges may be granted an additional semester. CNR does not limit the number of total units a student can accrue.
Senior Residence Requirement
After the term in which you achieve and exceed 90 units (senior status), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence at the College of Natural Resources over at least 2 semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units taken while the student is a member of CNR. At least one of the two terms must be a fall or spring semester. Senior residence terms do not need to be completed consecutively. All courses offered on campus for the fall, spring, and summer terms by Berkeley departments and programs and all Berkeley online ('W') courses count. Inter-campus Visitor, Education Abroad Program, UC Berkeley Washington Program, and UC Berkeley Extension units do not count toward this requirement.
Students may use Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that four units of coursework are completed.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in a fall, spring or summer UC Education Abroad Program (UCEAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program may meet a modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 of their final 60 semester units in residence (excluding UCEAP). At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after senior status is reached. International travel study programs sponsored by Summer Sessions and education abroad programs offered outside of the UC system do not qualify for modified senior residence.
Most students automatically satisfy the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless students go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during their senior year. In these cases, students should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how they can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Grade Requirements
- A 2.0 UC GPA is required for graduation.
- A 2.0 average in all upper division courses required of the major program is required for graduation.
- A grade of at least C- is required in all courses for the major
Student Learning Goals
Mission
Molecular Environmental Biology (MEB) focuses on biological organisms and the hierarchy of life, from molecules and genes through cells, organisms, communities and ecosystems. The breadth of this biological science program provides an important perspective for students who have a passion for biology and are interested in the application of biological principles to understand how organisms function in their environment. Also a pre-medical or pre-health science major, the discipline offers an array of six areas of concentration within biology: animal health and behavior, biodiversity, ecology, environmental and human health, insect biology, and global change biology.
Learning Goals for the Major
-
Holistic multidisciplinary thinking - understanding the “big picture"
-
Interdisciplinarity & Crossdisciplinarity: The ability to understand and work across different disciplines (crossdisciplinarity) and to integrate the knowledge and methods from them (interdisciplinarity)
-
Multiple processes: Recognition that biology and the environment involve multiple processes, as do solutions to modern problems
-
Interconnectedness: Understanding that biology and the environment are interconnected at many spatial, temporal, and hierarchical levels
-
Global and international approaches: Appreciating that the environment is necessarily global in nature and solutions to problems require international approaches
-
-
Training in the hierarchy of biology
-
Fundamentals of Science: Training in the cores areas of physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics
-
Quantitative skills: Necessary tools for addressing biological problems
-
Biochemistry: An understanding of the fundamentals of biological chemistry, including the properties of intermediary metabolites, the structure and function of biological macromolecules, and the logical basis of genetics and gene expression
-
Molecular biology/Genetics: The molecular biology of bacterial, archaeal and eukaryotic cells and their viruses, mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription, translation, nuclear and organellar genome structure and function, regulation of gene expression, heritability, measures of selection, etc.
-
Cell and developmental biology: Cell structure and function, cellular metabolic processes, embryonic and post-embryonic development and growth
-
Organismal physiology: Understanding of physiological function, whether microbial, animal or plant, or comparison between different systems
-
Organismal diversity: Emphasis on the nature of diversity whether plant, animal, fungus, protist, bacteria, or virus, the history of the lineages and life itself, global threats, how diversity is distributed, and the ecological and evolutionary processes that generate and maintain diversity.
-
Ecology: The nature of interactions, biotic or abiotic, that dictate organismal distributions in space and time, energy flows, or population dynamics
-
Laboratory experiences: Laboratory experiences allow students to gain hands-on experience in scientific approaches and methods
-
-
Analysis and application for students who choose the Animal Health & Behavior area of concentration
-
Interaction of health and environment: Understanding how the environment, whether internal or external, affects organism health and behavior
-
Expertise in health: Examination of the health of organisms from either physiological or environmental perspectives
-
Epizootics: An appreciation of the potential for diseases in animal populations to spill over into humans as is the case in avian influenza or even the origins of HIV
-
-
Analysis and application for students who choose the Biodiversity area of concentration
-
Biodiversity science: Detailed understanding of morphological and ecological diversity of a given organismic lineage
-
Origins and evolution of life: Basic understanding of systematics and phylogenetics
-
Quantifying biology: Knowledge of various sampling and species identification techniques to collect data
-
Informatics: Proficiency in database development and management
-
-
Analysis and application for students who choose the Ecology area of concentration
-
Principles of Ecology: Detailed understanding of ecological principles including energy flow, hydrologic, and mineral cycles, factors limiting species distribution and population size, and characteristics of species, populations, and communities
-
Ecological interactions: Interactions relevant to different organismic groups.
-
Biodiversity: Understanding of the biology of species, communities, and ecosystems.
-
-
Analysis and application for students who choose the Environment & Human Health area of concentration.
-
Interaction of health and environment: Understanding of how the environment affects human health and well-being.
-
Disease: Environmental epidemiology and the impacts of disease.
-
Diet: Effects of nutrition and diet on human health.
-
-
Analysis and application for students who choose the Insect Biology area of concentration.
-
Insects and biodiversity science: Understanding of major insects groups, relationships, and diversity.
-
Insects and environmental science: Knowledge of the impacts of insects (positive and negative) in the environment.
-
Quantifying insects and biology: Skills in collecting and identifying insects.
-
-
Analysis and application for students who choose the Global Change Biology area of concentration.
-
Global change biology expertise: How changes to the global environment impact organisms and ecosystems, including impacts to spatial and temporal distributions of organisms, ecological processes, and ecosystem functions.
-
Global change and the environment: Global change biology in environmental science, including effects of human activities and impacts on human health and well-being.
-
Environmental problem solving: Conservation and mitigation strategies, ecological analysis, and natural resource economics
-
-
Basic skills in research, analysis, communication.
-
Reading carefully: Ability to read for detail and comprehension.
-
Writing accurately: Ability to write succinctly, clearly, and coherently.
-
Thinking critically: Critical thinking through the synthesis of biological knowledge from courses and lab work.
-
Using theoretical and empirical knowledge: Ability to synthesize and apply information obtained through theory and observations.
-
Quantitative skills: Obtaining the quantitative skills necessary for the subdisciplines.
-
Analysis: Ability to perceive, tackle, and solve problems in environmental science.
-
Research experience: Research experience to practice scientific approaches and methods. Work with a faculty mentor while participating in an undergraduate research program or designing an individual research project. Share research results or work in progress in the form of a paper, report, research poster, or public presentation.
-
Communication: Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to prepare for independent research work or team projects.
-
-
Lifetime skills.
-
Continuing appreciation for biological systems: To develop a passion for biology and its interconnections with the environment.
-
Representing science: To become an advocate for the training and knowledge of science, particularly the biological disciplines.
-
Problem solving: To develop and practice scientific thinking and problem-solving skills, through data analysis, hypothesis testing, and critical reasoning, that translate to future careers inside and outside of biology.
-
Advising
In the College of Natural Resources, we provide holistic, individual advising services to prospective and current students who are pursuing major and minors in our college. We assist with a range of topics including course selection, academic decision-making, achieving personal and academic goals, and maximizing the Berkeley experience.
If you are looking to explore your options, or you are ready to declare a major, double major, or minor, contact the undergraduate advisor for your intended major. Visit our website to explore all of our advising services.
Undergraduate Advisors, Molecular Environmental Biology
Leleña Avila (Last names A-C)
meb.ugrad@berkeley.edu
260 Mulford Hall
510-642-6730
Elizabeth Storer (Last names D-Z)
meb.ugrad@berkeley.edu
260 Mulford Hall
510-642-1986
Contact Information
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
130 Mulford Hall
Phone: 510-643-7430
Fax: 510-643-5438
Undergraduate Student Advising
Office of Instruction and Student Affairs, CNR
260 Mulford Hall
Phone: 510-642-0542