Students of pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology learn about life on the smallest of scales, including understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that provide the basis for biological structure, growth and evolution. This knowledge allows biologists to develop new vaccines, more effective treatments for disease and new medicines, and a better understanding of how living things survive.
Requirements
Prerequisites
It is MCDB policy to enforce the course prerequisites listed in the course catalog. If you have not either taken and passed (C- or better) the prerequisites for a course, or obtained permission from the instructor or a departmental advisor to take the course based on equivalent preparatory coursework or experience here or elsewhere, you may be administratively dropped from the course.
Course Requirements
Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below. All required major courses and all required ancillary courses must be passed with a C- or better and cannot be taken pass/fail. Students must have a grade point average of at least 2.000 in the major in order to graduate.
It is strongly recommended that MCDB majors consult with a departmental advisor before applying AP, IB or CLEP credit. Students majoring in MCDB who transfer biology credit from other institutions also must consult a departmental advisor.
Students who plan to double major with biochemistry or chemistry are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to understand how their chemistry courses will apply to the MCDB major.
Students who plan to also pursue a degree in engineering are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to understand how their chemistry and calculus courses will apply to the MCDB major.
Required Courses and Credits
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Major Courses | ||
| Lower-Division Lecture | 3 | |
| Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology (recommended coseminar: MCDB 1152) 1 | ||
or EBIO 1210 | General Biology 1 | |
| Genetics | 3 | |
| Principles of Genetics (recommended coseminar: MCDB 2152) 2 | ||
| Lower-Division Labs | ||
| Select one: | 2 | |
| From Dirt to DNA: Phage Genomics Laboratory I | ||
| Antibiotics Discovery Through Hands-on Screens I | ||
| Chemotherapeutic Discovery Through Hands-On Screens | ||
| Upper-Division Lecture | 9 | |
| Molecular Biology | ||
| Cell Biology | ||
| Developmental Biology | ||
| Upper-Division Laboratory | 2 | |
| Cell Biology Laboratory | ||
| Organic Chemistry | 5 | |
| Organic Chemistry 1 and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry 1 | ||
| Biochemistry | 3 | |
| Principles of Biochemistry | ||
| Advanced Courses | ||
| Select one: | 3 | |
| Biology of Aging and Longevity | ||
| Immunology | ||
| The Tools, Applications, and Ethics of Synthetic Biology | ||
| Bioinformatics and Genomics | ||
| Molecular Neurobiology | ||
| Scientific Reasoning | ||
| Select two: | 6 | |
| Applied Phage Genomics and Bioinformatics | ||
| Microbial Genetics and Physiology | ||
| Human Molecular Genetics | ||
| Genetics of Brain and Behavior | ||
| Topics in Membrane Biology: Cell Biology, Physiology and Disease | ||
| Cell Signaling and Developmental Regulation | ||
| Cellular Basis of Disease | ||
| Mechanisms of Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes | ||
| Structure, Function and Interactions of Biological Macromolecules in Cells and Organelles | ||
| Cells, Molecules and Tissues: A Biophysical Approach | ||
| Biology of Stem Cells | ||
| MCDB Upper-Division Electives | ||
| An additional 6 credit hours of upper-division electives (any MCDB 3000- or 4000-level course) 3 | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 42 | |
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Math and Chemistry Courses: | ||
| Complete one of the following calculus or statistics courses: 4 | 3-5 | |
Calculus: | ||
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Calculus for Life Sciences | ||
| Calculus 1 for Engineers | ||
Statistics: | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Statistics and Quantitative Thinking for Biologists | ||
| Biological Statistics | ||
| Intro to Data Science and Biostatistics | ||
| Psychological Science I: Statistics | ||
| Complete a general chemistry sequence: 5 | 10 | |
| General Chemistry 1 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 1 | ||
| General Chemistry 2 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 2 | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 13-15 | |
| 1 | EBIO 1210 is an acceptable alternative to MCDB 1150. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Up to 6 hours of MCDB 4840 Upper-Division Independent Study, MCDB 4980 Honors Research, MCDB 4990 Honors Thesis, or select courses from outside MCDB may be used. A minimum of 3 credit hours of MCDB upper-division electives must be taken on the Boulder campus. See department for details. |
| 4 | Not all the courses in this category will also meet the QRMS component of the Gen Ed Skills Requirement. |
| 5 | The major's general chemistry sequence is also acceptable: CHEM 1400, CHEM 1401, CHEM 2100 and CHEM 2101. |
Graduating in Four Years
Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of "adequate progress" as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, students should meet the following requirements:
- In the first semester, declare the MCDB major. (If the major is not started in the first year, the student must meet with an MCDB academic advisor to ensure that it is still possible to complete the major in four years.)
- During the first and second semesters, complete either general chemistry or the introductory MCDB sequence.
- By the end of the fourth semester, complete general chemistry and the introductory MCDB sequence with a C- or better.
- By the end of the eighth semester, complete the major.
Recommended Four-Year Plan of Study
Through the required coursework for the major, students will fulfill all 12 credits of the Natural Sciences area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement, including the Lab requirement, and, potentially, the QRMS component of the Gen Ed Skills Requirement.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| MCDB 1020 | Introduction to Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Major | 1 |
| MCDB 1150 | Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| MCDB 2 Credit Hour Lab | 2 | |
| MCDB 1152 | Problem Solving Co-Seminar for Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology (strongly recommended in conjunction with MCDB 1150, not required) | 1 |
| MCDB 1161 | From Dirt to DNA: Phage Genomics Laboratory I (Students may take MCDB 1171 or MCDB 1191 as an alternate option) | 2 |
| CHEM 1113 & CHEM 1114 | General Chemistry 1 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 1 | 5 |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Lower-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MCDB 2150 | Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| MCDB 2152 | Problem Solving Co-Seminars for Genetics (strongly recommended in conjunction with MCDB 2150, not required) | 1 |
| CHEM 1133 & CHEM 1134 | General Chemistry 2 and Laboratory in General Chemistry 2 | 5 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: QRMS) or Elective if QRMS is fulfilled by major requirement. | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| MCDB 3135 | Molecular Biology | 3 |
| MCDB 3140 | Cell Biology Laboratory (MCDB 3140 may be taken at the same time as MCDB 3135 or MCDB 3145) | 2 |
| CHEM 3311 & CHEM 3321 | Organic Chemistry 1 and Laboratory in Organic Chemistry 1 | 5 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Social Sciences/Global Perspective) | 3 | |
| MCDB Elective (course can be upper-division) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MCDB Upper-division Elective, 3000 level (MCDB 3020 is optional) | 3 | |
| MCDB 3020 | Next Steps: Preparing for Life After Graduation | 1 |
| MCDB 3145 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective OR Statistics: Calculus 1 or Statistics OR (students may take Organic Chemistry 2 as an approved out of department, upper division MCDB elective, in that case, taking stats or calc is advised for later semesters) | 3-5 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Arts & Humanities) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16-18 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| MCDB 4650 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BCHM 4611 | Principles of Biochemistry | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Upper-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Arts & Humanities) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Upper-Division MCDB Elective Option to take MCDB 3020 if not offered in the Fall semester | 3 | |
| MCDB Scientific Reasoning | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Elective | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| MCDB Advanced Course or Scientific Reasoning | ||
| MCDB 4150 | Biology of Aging and Longevity | 3 |
| MCDB 4300 | Immunology | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Arts & Humanities/US Perspective) | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| MCDB 4777 | Molecular Neurobiology | 3 |
| MCDB Scientific Reasoning or Advanced Course | 3 | |
| MCDB Upper-division Elective | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Arts & Humanities) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 12 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 121-123 | |
Learning Outcomes
By the completion of the program, students will be able to:
- Connect the principles of evolution to the cellular, molecular and genetic properties of organisms, including how genomes and allele frequencies change over time.
- Describe the assembly and properties of macromolecular complexes and membranes, the movement of molecules and macromolecules, and the chemical properties that underlie these functions.
- Describe the basic thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of biochemical reactions and apply them to the flow of energy and matter in cell processes.
- Describe how the genetic information in a cell is stored, replicated, transcribed, and translated, and compare the different mechanisms and consequences of gene expression regulation.
- Describe the basic features of inter- and intra-cellular signaling systems and interpret the ways that they can influence, directly and indirectly, gene expression, cellular behaviors and organismic phenotypes.
- Describe the mechanisms of inheritance, including deducing information about genes, alleles, mutations, and gene functions from analyses of genetic crosses and patterns of inheritance.
- Distinguish between different experimental techniques, justify their use to test specific hypotheses, and interpret conclusions from experimental data.
- Carry out basic research using standard cell and molecular biology techniques and communicate that research through both written and oral presentations.