Major Requirements
MIMG Academic Policies
- Each major course must be taken for a letter grade and must be passed with a C− or better. Students must also have a minimum overall grade-point average of 2.0 or better in the major.
- Students receiving a grade of D+ or below in two major courses, either in separate courses or repetitions of the same course, must contact MIMG Advisors and may be subject to dismissal from the major.
- Any single course can be used in only ONE category of the major. MIMG students must complete a minimum of 10 upper-division courses for the major.
- Courses do not have to be taken in the order outlined on this page. Students must meet course requisite requirements to be able to enroll (see requisite requirements here).
- Students who were admitted to UCLA prior to 2017 should please contact MIMG Advisors to obtain accurate major requirements.
MIMG Research Options: Path 1 & Path 2
The MIMG major offers two options for the research requirement known as "Path 1" and "Path 2". These path represent the different ways to complete the research/lab requirements for the major: either a guided, team-oriented inquiry-based laboratory experience (Path 1) or an advanced, independent research experience in consultation with a faculty mentor (Path 2).
All students entering the MIMG major/declared as MIMG will automatically be Path 1. Students must be eligible and apply to Path 2. Students must already be connected to qualifying, independent MIMG research prior to applying to Path 2. Please see MIMG's Undergraduate Research Guide for details and recommendations for getting connected to labs.
MIMG Major Requirements
Courses do not have to be taken in the order outlined on this page. Students must meet course requisite requirements to be able to enroll. Course availability and course restrictions are subject to change. Always consult the Schedule of Classes for the most accurate information.
Five Foundation Courses:
| Quarters Offered | Course | Units |
|---|---|---|
| F, W | MIMG 101 - Introductory Microbiology | 4 |
| All | LS 107 - Genetics | 5 |
| All | Chem 153A - Biochemistry | 4 |
| All/Sp | Chem 153B - Biochemistry OR MIMG 132 - Cell Biology of the Nucleus | 4 |
| W, Sp | MIMG 185A - Immunology | 5 |
Path 1 Lab Research Courses:
All MIMG majors are automatically Path 1. Students will choose one series (either a Virology focus - 103AL/BL or a Microbiology focus- 109AL/BL).
Students will complete two courses in consecutive quarters (wet lab AL course followed by dry lab BL course).
| Quarters Offered | Series Options (Choose 1) | Units |
|---|---|---|
| F+W; Sp+F | MIMG 103AL - Virology Research Immersion Lab & 103BL - Advanced Research Analysis in Virology | 5+4 |
| F+W; W+Sp | MIMG 109AL - Microbiology Research Immersion Lab & MIMG 109BL - Advanced Research Analysis in Microbiology | 5+4 |
Path 2 Research Series:
Students must already be connected to qualifying, independent MIMG research and meet eligibility requirements to apply to Path 2. Please see MIMG's Undergraduate Research Guide for steps and resources to connect to a lab/faculty mentor.
Students will complete two courses per quarter for two consecutive quarters (196 research course and 180 seminar course) for a total of four classes.
| Quarters Offered | Required Courses | Units |
|---|---|---|
| W+Sp | MIMG 196A - Research Apprenticeship I + MIMG 180A - Scientific Analysis & Communication | 4+2 |
| Sp+F | MIMG 196B - Research Apprenticeship II + MIMG 180B - Scientific Analysis & Communication II | 4+2 |
Two Focus Electives:
| Quarters Offered | Course | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Sp | MIMG 102 - Virology | 4 |
| F | MIMG 105 - Biological Microscopy | 4 |
| Sp | MIMG 132 - Cell Biology of the Nucleus | 4 |
| W | MIMG CM156 - Human Genetics | 4 |
| W + Su | MIMG 158 - Microbial Genomics | 4 |
| W | MIMG 168 - Parasitology | 4 |
| All | MCDB 138 - Developmental Biology | 5 |
| All | MCDB 165A - Biology of Cells | 5 |
| All | Chem 153L - Biochemistry Lab | 4 |
| All | Chem 153B - Biochemistry: DNA,RNA | 4 |
| Sp | MIMG 170 - Cell and Gene Therapy | 4 |
| F | MIMG M178- Quantitative Regulatory Biology and Signal Transduction | 4 |
One General Elective:
| Course Code | Name | Enrollment Restrictions | Requisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIOENGR 100 | Bioengineering Fundamentals | N/A | Enforced requisites: Mathematics 32A, Physics 1A. |
| BIOENGR CM145 | Molecular Biotechnology for Engineers | N/A | Requisite: Chemical Engineering 45 or Life Sciences 7C. |
| BIOENGR CM178 | Intro to Biomaterials | N/A | Requisites: CHEM 20A, 20B, and 20L, or Materials Science 104. |
| BIOSTAT 100A | Intro to Biostatistics | N/A | Recommended preparation: one biological or physical sciences course. Suitable for juniors/seniors. |
| CHEM 103 | Environmental Chemistry | N/A | Requisites: CHEM 30B, 30BL, 110A, 153A (or 153AH), 153L. |
| CHEM 110A | Physical Chemistry. Chemical Thermodynamics | N/A | Requisites: CHEM 14A or 14AE or 20A or 20AH; 14B or 14BE or 20B or 20BH; Mathematics 3C (for life sciences majors) or 32A; Physics 1A, 1B, and 1C (may be taken concurrently), or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH (may be taken concurrently), or 5A, 5B, and 5C (may be taken concurrently). |
| CHEM 136 | Organic Structural Methods | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Requisites: CHEM 30C and 30CL, with grades of C- or better. |
| CHEM 153B | Biochem: DNA, RNA, and Protein Synthesis | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Requisite: CHEM 153A or 153AH. Recommended: Life Sciences 2, 3, and 23L, or 7A and 7B. |
| CHEM 153C | Biochem: Biosynthetic & Energy Metabolism & Its Regulation | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Requisite: CHEM 153A or 153AH. |
| CHEM 153L | Biochemical Methods I | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Requisites: CHEM 14BL or 20L and 30AL, and 153A or 153AH (may be taken concurrently), with grades of C- or better. |
| CHEM 154 | Biochemical Methods II | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Enforced requisites: CHEM153A or 153AH, 153B or 153BH, and 153L, with grades of C– or better. Recommended: course 156. |
| CHEM 156 | Physical Biochemistry | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Requisites: CHEM110A, 153A. |
| CHEM 171 | Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry | N/A | Requisite: CHEM 171 with grade of C- or better. |
| CHEM 172 | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | N/A | Requisite: CHEM 171 with grade of C- or better. |
| CHEM C179 | Biological Inorganic Chemistry | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Requisites: CHEM 153A (or 153AH) and CHEM171. |
| CHEM C181 | Polymer Chemistry | Restricted to CHEM majors on priority and first pass. | Requisites: CHEM 30B and CHEM 110A. |
| COM SCI C121 | Probabilistic Models in Computational Genomics | N/A | Requisites: course 32 or Program in Computing 10C with grade of C- or better, and one course from Civil and Environmental Engineering 110, Electrical and Computer Engineering 131A, Mathematics 170A, Mathematics 170E, or Statistics 100A. |
| COM SCI CM122 | Algorithms in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology | N/A | Requisites: crequisite to C122. |
| EE BIOL C135 | Population Genetics | Open to non-majors beginning second pass. | Enforced requisite: Life Sciences 4 or 7A. Strongly recommended: course 100, Mathematics 31A, and 31B or Life Sciences 30B. |
| EE BIOL 162 | Plant Physiology | Open to non-majors beginning first pass. | Requisites: Life Sciences 1, 2, 3, and 23L, or 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7L/23L. |
| EPID 100 | Intro to Epidemiology | N/A | Recommended preparation: one full biological sciences course. |
| MCDB 138 | Developmental Biology | Open to non-majors beginning second pass. | Life Sciences 3, 4, and 23L, or 7A, 7B, 7C, 7L/23L, and 107. |
| MCDB M140 | Cancer Cell Biology | Open to non-majors beginning second pass. | Requisite: MCDB 165A. |
| MCDB C141 | Molecular Basis of Plant Differentiation and Dev. | Open to non-majors beginning second pass. | Requisites: Life Sciences 1, 3, 4, and 23L, or 7A, 7B, 7C, 7L/23L, and 107. |
| MCDB C150 | Plant Communication | Open to non-majors beginning second pass. | Requisites: Life Sciences 3, 4, and 23L, or 7A, 7B, 7C, 7L/23L, and 107. |
| MCDB 165A | Biology of the Cell | Open to non-majors beginning second pass. | Requisites: Chemistry 14D or 30B, Life Sciences 3, or 7A, 7B, and 7C. |
| MCDB 175A | Neuroscience: From Molecules to Mind--Cellular and Systems Neuroscience | Open to non-majors beginning second pass. | Requisites: Chemistry 14C or 30A (14C may be taken concurrently), Life Sciences 7C, Physics 1B or 1BH or 5C or 6B. |
| MIMG 102 | Virology | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisites: LIFESCI7A, 7B, & 7L (formerly 23L). |
| MIMG 105 | Biological Microscopy | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisite or corequisite: Physics 1C or 5B or 6C. |
| MIMG 132 | Cell Biology of the Nucleus | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisite: LIFESCI 107. |
| MIMG CM156 | Human Genetics | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisites: LIFESCI 7A, 7B, & 7C OR LIFESCI 7L (formerly 23L). |
| MIMG 158 | Microbial Genomics | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisites: MIMG 101 & Cherm 153A. |
| MIMG 168 | Parasitology | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisite: MIMG 101. |
| MIMG 170 | Cell and Gene Therapy | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisites: CHEM 153A & LIFESCI 107. |
| MIMG M178 | Quantitative Regulatory Biology and Signal Transduction | N/A (restricted to MIMG majors through second pass). | Requisites: LIFESCI 7A, 7B, 7C, 30A, 30B. If students do not have credit for 30A & 30B but have other experience with Python, students may ask for instructor consent to enroll. |
| MIMG 198C* | Honors Research in MIMG | Requires that students be engaged in independent, MIMG research in approved faculty mentor's lab. Requires application to MIMG Departmental Honors. *The third quarter of Honors (usually 198C) will fulfill the General Elective requirement. | N/A |
| MIMG 199 | Advanced Independent Research in MIMG | Requires that students be engaged in independent, MIMG research in approved faculty mentor's lab. | N/A |
| NEUROSC M101A | Neuroscience: From Molecules to Mind--Cellular and Systems Neuroscience | Open to non-majors after second pass (typically week 0 of the quarter) | Requisites: Chemistry 14C or 30A (14C may be taken concurrently), Life Sciences 7C, Physics 1B or 1BH or 5C or 6B. |
| PHYSCI 121 | Disease Mechanisms and Therapies | N/A | Requisites: Chemistry 153A, and Life Sciences 2, 3, and 4 or 7A, 7B, and 7C. |
| PHYSCI 124 | Molecular Biology of Aging | N/A | Requisites: Chemistry 153A, Life Sciences 7A, 7B, 7C, 7L. |
| STATS 100A | Introduction to Probability | N/A | Requisites: Mathematics 32B, 33A. |