Molecular Environmental Biology
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Program Type
Overview
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 Rausser College Admissions Guide page or the Rausser College Prospective Student website. Freshman students may apply directly to the major, or they may select the Rausser 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 Rausser 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 Rausser College of Natural Resources from other colleges on campus.
Required pre-requisite courses to declare the Molecular Environmental Biology major are: Reading & Composition Part A and Part B, Chemistry 1A/1AL and 3A/3AL, one semester of Biology (1A/1AL or 1B), Math 1A or 16A or 10A, and a second quantitative course in either Math (1B, 16B, 10B) or Statistics (STAT 2, C8, 20, 131A, PB HLTH 141, 142, W142).
It is recommended that students complete the ESPM lower-division core courses prior to declaring.
Undeclared students in Rausser College 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 on further enrollment.
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 and passed with a C- or better (including breadth). Please see the College Requirements page for any exceptions to this policy.
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 Rausser College of Natural Resources Honors Program (ESPM 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 Rausser College of Natural Resources website.