Microbial Biology

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

Bachelor of Science (BS)

The Department of Plant and Microbial Biology (PMB) offers an undergraduate major program in Microbial Biology, leading to a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. Microbial biology focuses on small life forms such as microbes, viruses, and fungi that make up the majority of planetary biomass. Microbes play fundamental roles in maintaining biosphere health. They degrade environmental pollutants, supply essential nutrients and chemicals directly to multicellular organisms, and engage in numerous beneficial symbioses with higher organisms.

Admission to the Major

Advice on admission for freshmen and transfer students can be found on the Rausser College of Natural Resources Admissions Guide page or the college's 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 may 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 a change of major or change of college, please see chapter 6 of the Rausser College of Natural Resources Undergraduate Student Handbook.

Research Opportunities

In addition to the Berkeley campus Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (URAP), Rausser College students can also apply for the college's Sponsored Projects for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) program. For more information, please see the college's website.

Honors Program

Students with a GPA of 3.6 or higher may enroll in the Rausser College of Natural Resources Honors Program (H196) once they have reached upper division standing. To fulfill the program requirements, students work with a faculty sponsor to design, conduct, and report on an individual research project. For further information about registration for the honors symposium and the honors requirements, please see the college's website.

Other Major Program offered by the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

Genetics and Plant Biology (Major only)

Visit Department Website

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.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.

  2. A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required.

  3. A minimum GPA of 2.0 in upper division major requirements is required.

  4. At least 15 of the 36 required upper division units must be taken in the Rausser College of Natural Resources.

  5. A maximum of 16 units of independent study (courses numbered 97, 98, 99, 197, 198, and 199) may count toward graduation, with a maximum of 4 units of independent study per semester.

  6. No more than 1/3 of the total units attempted at UC Berkeley may be taken Pass/Not Pass. This includes units in the Education Abroad Program and UC Intercampus Visitor or Exchange Programs.

  7. A maximum of 4 units of physical education courses will count toward graduation.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Lower Division Requirements

Reading and Composition Requirement

Students are required to complete the reading and composition requirement by the end of their sophomore year. 

Humanities & Social Sciences Requirement

Fifteen (15) units of coursework need to be taken from L&S breadth list, excluding biological and physical science courses. A maximum of 6 foreign language units can be used to fulfill the requirement.

Select one sequence from the following:
MATH 16A
MATH 16B
STAT 2
Analytic Geometry and Calculus
and Analytic Geometry and Calculus
and Introduction to Statistics
10
MATH 1A
& MATH 1B
STAT 2
Course Not Available
and Course Not Available
and Introduction to Statistics
4
MATH 10A
MATH 10B
Methods of Mathematics: Calculus, Statistics, and Combinatorics
and Methods of Mathematics: Calculus, Statistics, and Combinatorics 1
8
Complete all of the following:
CHEM 1A
1AL
General Chemistry
and General Chemistry Laboratory
5
CHEM 3A
3AL
Chemical Structure and Reactivity
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory
5
CHEM 3B
3BL
Chemical Structure and Reactivity
and Organic Chemistry Laboratory
5
BIOLOGY 1BGeneral Biology Lecture and Laboratory4
BIOLOGY 1A
1AL
General Biology Lecture
and General Biology Laboratory
5
PHYSICS 8AIntroductory Physics4
Recommended, not required: PLANTBI 22
1

The Stats requirement can be fulfilled with STAT 2 / STAT 20 / DATA C8 / PBHLTH 142

 
 

Upper Division Requirements 

Upper Division Core Requirements
MCELLBI 102Survey of the Principles of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology4
PLANTBI C112General Microbiology4
PLANTBI C112LGeneral Microbiology Laboratory2
PLANTBI C148Microbial Genomics and Genetics4
Upper Division Core Electives
Select two of the following:
PLANTBI C103Bacterial Pathogenesis3-4
or INTEGBI 118 Organismal Microbiomes and Host-Pathogen Interactions
or PB HLTH 162A Public Health Microbiology
PLANTBI 104LDiscovery-Based Research in Microbiology2
PLANTBI C110LBiology of Fungi with Laboratory4
PLANTBI 113California Mushrooms3
PLANTBI C114Introduction to Comparative Virology4
PLANTBI C116Microbial Diversity3
PLANTBI 120
120L
Biology of Algae
and Laboratory for Biology of Algae
2, 2
PLANTBI 165Plant-Microbe Interactions3
ESPM 112Microbial Ecology3
or ESPM 131 Soil Microbiology and Biogeochemistry
MCELLBI N184
N184L
Intro to CRISPR: From Basic Biology to Genome Editing Technology
and Intro to CRISPR Lab: From Basic Biology to Genome Editing Technology
2

Microbial Biology Concentrations

Option 1: Choose four courses from one of the concentrations below. One of the four courses may be selected from the upper division core electives list above, but may not be counted for both the upper division core elective requirement and your concentration.

Option 2: General Microbiology Concentration. Select any four courses from the concentrations below and/or the upper division core elective list above. Courses selected for Option 2 may not overlap with the courses used to fulfill the upper division elective requirement.

Host-Pathogen Interactions

BIO ENG 100Ethics in Science and Engineering 13-4
or ESPM 162 Bioethics and Society
BIO ENG 135Frontiers in Microbial Systems Biology4
BIO ENG 168LPractical Light Microscopy3
INTEGBI 116LMedical Parasitology4
MCELLBI 104Genetics, Genomics, and Cell Biology4
MCELLBI 137LPhysical Biology of the Cell4
MCELLBI 150Molecular Immunology4
MCELLBI 153Molecular Medicine4
PB HLTH 150AIntroduction to Epidemiology and Human Disease4
PB HLTH 150BHuman Health and the Environment in a Changing World3
PLANTBI C134Genome Organization and Nuclear Dynamics3
PLANTBI 135Physiology and Biochemistry of Plants3
PLANTBI C136Advanced Plant Biochemistry4
PLANTBI C146Data Science for Biology3
PLANTBI 150Plant Cell Biology3
PLANTBI 160Plant Molecular Genetics 13-4
or MCELLBI 140 General Genetics
PLANTBI 185Techniques in Light Microscopy3
1

 No more than one course may be taken from this group to satisfy the concentration requirement.

Evolution/Computational Genomics 

BIO ENG C131Introduction to Computational Molecular and Cell Biology4
BIO ENG 135Frontiers in Microbial Systems Biology4
COMPSCI 61AThe Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs 24
COMPSCI 61BData Structures 24
COMPSCI 176Algorithms for Computational Biology4
ESPM C125Biogeography4
INTEGBI 134LPractical Genomics4
INTEGBI C160Evolution4
or INTEGBI 161 Population and Evolutionary Genetics
PLANTBI C146Data Science for Biology3
MCELLBI 140General Genetics4
1

 No more than one course may be taken from this group to satisfy the concentration requirement.

2

CS 61A and CS 61B can be used as concentration electives even though they are lower division courses.  However, they do not count as upper division units towards graduation. 

Ecology & Environmental Microbiology 

BIO ENG 100Ethics in Science and Engineering 13-4
or ESPM 162 Bioethics and Society
BIO ENG 135Frontiers in Microbial Systems Biology4
BIO ENG 140LSynthetic Biology Laboratory4
BIO ENG 147Principles of Synthetic Biology4
BIO ENG 168LPractical Light Microscopy3
ESPM C125Biogeography4
ESPM 134Fire, Insects, and Diseases in Forest Ecosystems3
ESPM C153Ecology3
ESPM 157Data Science in Global Change Ecology4
INTEGBI 134LPractical Genomics4
INTEGBI 161Population and Evolutionary Genetics4
INTEGBI 162Ecological Genetics4
INTEGBI 172Coevolution: From Genes to Ecosystems4
PLANTBI C146Data Science for Biology3
PLANTBI C192Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving2
1

 No more than one course may be taken from this group to satisfy the concentration requirement.

Microbial Biotechnology 

BIO ENG 100Ethics in Science and Engineering 13-4
or ESPM 162 Bioethics and Society
BIO ENG 135Frontiers in Microbial Systems Biology4
BIO ENG 140LSynthetic Biology Laboratory4
BIO ENG 147Principles of Synthetic Biology4
BIO ENG 168LPractical Light Microscopy3
ESPM 157Data Science in Global Change Ecology4
MCELLBI 104Genetics, Genomics, and Cell Biology4
MCELLBI 137LPhysical Biology of the Cell4
MCELLBI 140General Genetics4
MCELLBI 153Molecular Medicine4
PLANTBI 122Bioenergy2
PLANTBI C134Genome Organization and Nuclear Dynamics3
PLANTBI C136Advanced Plant Biochemistry4
PLANTBI C146Data Science for Biology3
PLANTBI 150Plant Cell Biology3
PLANTBI C192Molecular Approaches to Environmental Problem Solving2
1

 No more than one course may be taken from this group to satisfy the concentration requirement.

College Requirements

Reading and Composition

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 LanguageEEP 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 ReasoningEEP 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 the Rausser College major requirements and each major requires a different number of breath courses and categories. The EEP major is the only college major that requires the entire 7 course breadth. Refer to the major snapshots on each Rausser College major page for additional information. 

High School Exam Credit

Rausser College 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 Rausser College 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 Rausser College. 
  • 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.  Courses taken for P/NP in the Spring 2020 semester will not count toward this limit.

Semester Unit Minimum

All Rausser College students must enroll in at least 12 units each fall and spring semester.

Semester Unit Maximum

To request permission to take more than 20.5 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. Other UC-affiliated programs, such as the Gump Station in Moorea, may also be considered.  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. Rausser College does not limit the number of total units a student can accrue.

Senior Residence Requirement

Once you achieve and exceed 90 units (senior status), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence at the Rausser 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 Rausser. 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 6 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.  Major and minor coursework taken in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021 may be completed with P/NP grading option.  See more details below.

Changes in Policies and Procedures during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fall 2020, Spring 2021, SUMMER 2021

After much consultation across the colleges of UC Berkeley, and via our college Executive Committee, the following decisions have been made about the selection of the P/NP grade option (CPN) by undergraduate students during the Fall 2020 & Spring 2021 semesters for the Rausser College of Natural Resources.

  • College Course Requirements: Reading and Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language requirements normally satisfied with letter grades may be met with a passed (P) grade during the Fall 2020 semester.  This does not include the system-wide Entry Level Writing requirement. College Writing R1A must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C or better to fulfill the Entry Level Writing requirement.

  • Requirements to Graduate: No changes in policy.

    • Rausser College students must have at least a 2.0 cumulative UC GPA to declare a Rausser College major.

    • Non-Rausser College students must have at least a 3.0 cumulative UC GPA to change to or add a Rausser College major.

    • Students must have at least a 2.0 cumulative UC GPA to graduate, both overall and in the upper-division courses required for the major.

  • Academic Probation: The terms for Academic Probation (AP) have been modified.

    • Rausser CNR students currently in good standing who earn all “P” grades will remain in good standing.  

    • Students currently in good standing who earn NP grades, Incompletes, or failing letter grades for more than 50% of units will be placed on academic probation and will be required to meet with their college advisor and complete an Academic Success Plan for the subsequent semester.

    • Students on AP must take all coursework for letter grades.  Students on AP may be removed from probationary status with sufficient letter graded course work to raise their cumulative GPA above 2.0. 

    • Students on Academic Probation who do not attain sufficient letter-graded coursework to be removed from AP (ie. enough grade points to raise cumulative GPA above 2.0 cumulative GPA) will remain on AP for the subsequent semesterand must complete an Academic Success Plan with their college advisor.

    • Students on Academic Probation who earn NP grades, Incompletes, or failing letter grades for more than 50% of units will be Subject to Dismissal and will be required to meet with their college advisor and complete an Academic Success Plan for the subsequent semester.

  • Term Probation: Students in this category are placed on academic probation if their GPA falls below 1.5 in any fall or spring semester ("Term"). To get back into good standing, you must earn a UC Berkeley term GPA of 2.0 the following regular semester (fall/spring) and maintain an overall GPA of 2.0. If you fail to meet these conditions, you will be subject to dismissal from the University.  For Fall 2020 & Spring 2021, the terms for Term Probation have been modified.

    • Rausser CNR students currently in good standing who earn all “P” grades will remain in good standing and will not be placed on Term Probation.

  • Transferring Credit: If you are taking coursework through another institution in Fall 2020 & Spring 2021, P grades earned will be accepted for all degree requirements.  Note: This does not include the systemwide Entry Level Writing requirement. College Writing R1A must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C or better to fulfill the Entry Level Writing requirement.

For additional information, please see Changes to Policies and Procedures for Fall 2020, Spring 2021, & Summer 2021.

Spring 2020

In light of the substantial disruptions to instruction caused by the novel coronavirus emergency, the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate made changes to grading options for the Spring 2020 semester.  Rausser College adjusted college requirements as follows:

  • College Course Requirements: All passing course work taken in Spring 2020 may be used for college requirements regardless of the grading option selected.

  • Requirements to Graduate: To graduate, Rausser College students usually must have at least a 2.0 cumulative UC GPA to graduate, both overall and in the upper-division courses required for their major.  For Spring 2020, students with at least a 1.9 cumulative GPA overall and in the upper-division courses required for their major to graduate will be considered as having met the requirement.

  •  Academic Probation: Recognizing the challenges to teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rausser College of Natural Resources will not be penalizing any students’ academic progress for Spring 2020.  

    • Students in good academic standing who earn all “P” grades will remain in good standing.

    • Students, who are in good standing, who earn NP grades, Incompletes, or failing grades for more than 50% of units will be required to meet with their college advisor and complete an Academic Success Plan for Fall 2020 by September 11, 2020, but will not be placed on Academic Probation.

    • Students on Academic Probation may be removed from probationary status with sufficient letter graded course work to raise their cumulative GPA above 2.0. 

    • Students on Academic Probation who do not attain sufficient letter-graded coursework to be removed from AP (ie. enough grade points to raise cumulative GPA above 2.0 cumulative GPA) will remain on AP for Fall 2020 and must complete an Academic Success Plan with their college advisor by September 11, 2020.

  • Term Probation: Recognizing the challenges to teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rausser College of Natural Resources will not be penalizing any students’ academic progress for Spring 2020. 

    • Students in good academic standing who earn all “P” grades will remain in good standing.

    • Students on Term Probation, but not AP, may be removed from probationary status with passing grades in at least 50% of units for Spring 2020.

    • Students on Term Probation at the start of Spring 2020 who earn NP, Incomplete, or failing grades for more than 50% of units must complete an Academic Success Plan with their college advisor by September 11, 2020 and will remain on Term Probation.

  • Transferring Credit: If you are taking coursework through another institution in Spring 2020 (i.e. through Concurrent Enrollment or instead of being enrolled in Spring 2020 at UC Berkeley) and that institution has moved to a P/NP-default or P/NP-only grading model, P grades earned will be accepted for all degree requirements.

For additional information, please see Changes to Policies and Procedures for Spring 2020.

 

Student Learning Goals

Learning Goals for the Major

Students should be able to do the following:

  1. Demonstrate a solid grasp of the fundamentals of biology, chemistry, and math that are necessary for understanding the more advanced concepts that are presented in upper division major coursework.
  2. Have the skills to evaluate scientific information as a result of receiving adequate training in statistics, computational biology and genomics.
  3. Have an understanding and appreciation of microbial diversity in various ecosystems.
  4. Have an understanding of the importance of microbes as related to biotechnology and human health.
  5. Have an understanding of the scientific method and the microbial research process.
  6. Demonstrate proficiency in scientific writing and presentation.
  7. Have exposure to an undergraduate research experience. The goal is to give every microbial biology undergraduate the opportunity to do research in either a laboratory or field research setting. This experience would include reading and evaluating primary literature, critical thinking and the development of a hypothesis to test and other aspects of the scientific method including data analysis, as well as oral and written presentation of their research.
  8. Appreciate the relationship between a microbial biology major and the community at large.

Major Map

Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.

Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:

View the Microbial Biology Major Map.

Advising

In the Rausser 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 or minor. Visit our website to explore all of our advising services.

Undergraduate Adviser, Microbial Biology
TBD
pmb.ugrad@berkeley.edu
260 Mulford Hall
510-642-0542

Courses

Microbial Biology

Contact Information

Department of Plant and Microbial Biology

111 Koshland Hall

Phone: 510-642-9999

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Sheng Luan, PhD

451 Koshland Hall

Phone: 510-642-6306

sluan@berkeley.edu

Associate Chair

Britt Glaunsinger, PhD

585B Li Ka Shing Center

Phone: 510-642-5427

glaunsinger@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Advisor

TBD

260 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-642-0542

pmb.ugrad@berkeley.edu

Graduate Advisor

Lyn Rivera

111C Koshland Hall

Phone: 510-642-5167

lyn.rivera@berkeley.edu

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