Course Information

It is important to register for classes as soon as possible to ensure timely payment of academic fees as well as your first stipend payment. Berkeley registration for fall courses typically opens in mid July; UCSF registration typically opens in August. Check your CalCentral and UCSF student portal pages for enrollment dates. Check for emails from the administration at your home campus about how many units you must enroll in at each campus. 

Feel free to reach out to peer advisors with questions about what courses to sign up for, but the most important thing is to register for the required amount of units ASAP; you can easily add and drop courses throughout the beginning of the term. Additionally, don't worry if your desired Berkeley classes are full. Just register on the waitlist and make sure to show up for the first class sessions, as students are usually able to secure a spot in these classes even if they were full at registration.

Students are required to complete a breadth requirement (Area Requirements) and a depth requirement (Major and Minor Area). Students are to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0. Some of the courses used to satisfy Area Requirements may also be counted toward the Major or Minor Areas, but they must be taken while enrolled as a student in the program.

1. Area Requirements
2. Major and Minor Requirements
3. Exceptions
4. Coursework Recommendations
5. Sample Courses for Majors and Minors
6. Examples of Major and Minor Titles

Area Requirements

Students must complete the Area Requirements listed below some time during their academic career in the program. Students may apply courses taken prior to entering the program (pending approval by their Graduate Adviser) or may be selected from appropriate offerings at Berkeley or UCSF. The Area Requirements Form must be updated annually with approving signatures to the Program Administrator on the Home Campus during the Spring Semester of the first two years.

Major and Minor Requirements

Students must identify a Major and a Minor field in which the student will complete 16 Semester Units/24 Quarter Units and 8 Semester Units/12 Quarter Units respectively on a graded basis. This requirement is designed for students explore an area of interest in depth.

For help in designing your Major and Minor Areas, here are a few resources:

• UCSF Course Catalog
• MTM (UCSF and UC Berkeley) BioE Courses
• UC Berkeley Classes Guide
• UC Berkeley BioE Courses

Exceptions

• Area Requirements does NOT refer to the major and minor; if you come in with a B.S. in bioengineering, you have probably already satisfied all of the Area Requirements.
• Students may apply courses taken prior to entering the program (pending approval by their Graduate Adviser) or may be selected from appropriate offerings at Berkeley or UCSF.
• Some of the courses used to satisfy Area Requirements may also be counted toward the Major or Minor areas (see next section), but they must be taken while enrolled as a student in the Program
• Students who already hold a Master’s Degree or professional degree may use courses from their prior degree program toward their Minor field with approval from the Head Graduate Adviser. In this case, the Major field must be in an area complementary to the student’s prior training.
• Up to six (6) units of undergraduate upper division courses may be applied towards the major area of study with approval from the Head Graduate Adviser.
• One course with the S/U option (rather than letter-graded) is acceptable for meeting the requirements of the Major Area if the student is able to present sufficient justification for the inclusion of the course and following approval from both the student’s Graduate Adviser and the Head Graduate Adviser.

Coursework Recommendations

See the Peer Advising’s compiled list of coursework recommendations. Please note that course availability changes every quarter and semester and some courses are only offered every two years. Furthermore, course numbers and term availability may vary.

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Sample Courses for Majors and Minors

Here are some example courses taken by BioE students to satisfy the major and minor requirements set forth by the program. It is meant to be used as a starting point for students who would like suggestions on courses that fit their research interests. Please note that course availability changes every quarter and semester and some courses are only offered every two years. Furthermore, course numbers and term availability may vary.

Note that there are no set major or minor focus areas that you must follow, and no set courses that you must take to satisfy a particular major or minor, which allows for maximum flexibility in taking courses that help you with your research area. The rules are detailed as follows under “Major and Minor Areas” in the Grad Student Handbook.

See the Peer Advising’s compiled list of sample courses.

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Examples of Major and Minor Titles

We would also like to emphasize that this list of sample titles is just for inspiration; it is not an exhaustive list, and students are able to design their own major and minor. The rules for doing so are detailed as follows under “Major and Minor Areas” in the Grad Student Handbook.

See the Peer Advising’s compiled list of example titles for major and minor areas.

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