Education

Students and faculty at graduation ceremony 2023

Teaching is a primary mission of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG). Our department is uniquely positioned in both the College of Letters and Science and the David Geffen School of Medicine. We provide opportunities for students to work in research labs that span from basic to translational research. We also provide classroom-based education to medical, graduate, and undergraduate students.  

Undergraduate Students 

Our department offers a BS degree in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, in which we provide an opportunity for all students to carry out primary research.  Our faculty also participate in the Graduate Program in Bioscience in which we are primarily associated with the Immunity, Microbes, and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMMP), Cell and Developmental Biology (CDB), and Gene Regulation (GR) home areas of this graduate program.

Undergraduate Overview

Students at the Fall Symposium

Graduate Students & Postdoctoral Scholars

Our faculty also participate in the Graduate Program in Bioscience in which we are primarily associated with the Immunity, Microbes, and Molecular Pathogenesis (IMMP), Cell and Developmental Biology (CDB), and Gene Regulation (GR) home areas of this graduate program. Offerings in the graduate curriculum include a common training program in fundamental molecular and cellular biology combined with elective courses for specializing within a home area (e.g. IMMP students generally take Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology electives). The large number of postdoctoral fellows in individual laboratories both benefit from and contribute to the educational programs in the Department.

Graduate Overview

MIMG lab meeting

Seminars

The Department offers a range of seminars given by distinguished visitors, departmental faculty and postdoctoral fellows, and students.

Academic Calendars:

List of Courses Offered by the MIMG Department

For non-majors:

  • Medical Microbiology for Nursing Students – Lecture (10)
  • Microbial Laboratory for Professional Schools – Lab (100L)

Lecture courses:

  • Introductory Microbiology – Lecture (101)
  • Introductory Virology – Lecture (102)
  • Biological Microscopy – Lecture (105)
  • Mouse Molecular Genetics – Lecture (C122)
  • Cell Biology of the Nucleus – Lecture (132)
  • Human Genetics and Genomics – Lecture (CM156)
  • Microbial Genomics – Lecture (158)
  • Molecular Parasitology – Lecture (168)
  • Immunology – Lecture (185A)

Laboratory and Research Courses:

  • Research Immersion Laboratory & Advanced Research Analysis in Virology – Lab (103AL & BL)
  • Research Immersion Laboratory & Advanced Research Analysis in Microbiology – Lab (109AL & BL)
  • Scientific Analysis and Communication – Seminar (180A & 180B)
  • Honors Research Seminars – Seminar (191H)
  • Research Apprenticeship, Honors Research, and Directed Research – Tutorial (196, 198, & 199)
  • Mouse Molecular Genetics – Seminar (C222)
  • Ethics and Accountability in Biomedical Research – Seminar (C234)
  • Mechanisms of Microbial Pathogenesis – Lecture (Mol Bio 254D)
  • Human Genetics and Genomics – Lecture (CM256)
  • Molecular and Cellular Immunology – Lecture (261)
  • Current Topics in the Immunobiology of Cancer – Seminar (262A)
  • Preparation for Teaching Microbiology – Seminar (495A and 495B)

Student Spotlights

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