Academic Programs

The Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering at UC Santa Cruz supports interdisciplinary endeavors in engineering and science, offering unique opportunities for research and learning in bioinformatics and related fields. The blend of academic programs at UCSC allows students to pursue challenging avenues of study in biomedical research, bioinformatics, environmental toxicology, and related areas at the forefront of discovery. Community studies and philosophy programs address the ethical, social, and legal implications of today’s scientific research. Our students go on to exciting careers in research, industry, and teaching. Many of our undergraduates and most of our graduate students participate in research projects in faculty laboratories.

UCSC degree programs

Undergraduate degrees
Chemistry B.A. & B.S.
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology B.S.
Bioengineering B.S.
Bioinformatics B.S.
Biology B.A.
Biology B.S.
Community Studies B.A.
Computer Engineering B.S.
Computer Science B.S.
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology B.S.
Health Sciences B.S.
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology B.S.
Neuroscience & Behavior B.A.
Neuroscience & Behavior B.S.
Philosophy B.A.

Graduate degrees
Bioinformatics M.S. & Ph.D.
Chemistry M.S. & Ph.D.
Computer Engineering M.S. & Ph.D.
Computer Science M.S. & Ph.D.
Ecology & Evolutionary Biology M.S. & Ph.D.
Environmental Toxicology M.S. & Ph.D.
Molecular, Cell, & Developmental Biology M.S. & Ph.D.
Philosophy M.A. & Ph.D.
Social Documentation M.A.
Statistics & Stochastic Modeling M.S & Ph.

UCSC Center for Teaching Excellence honors CBSE faculty affiliates

Read their statements on teaching:
Manny Ares
David Draper
Kevin Karplus
Marc Mangel
Glenn Millhauser
Robert Kuhn (CBSE staff member)

UCSC offers stem cell training program

UCSC began a new training program in the systems biology of stem cells in spring 2006, made possible by a $1.2 million training grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM).

The CIRM Training Program in Stem Cell Research awarded $12.5 million over its first three years to 16 institutions across the state to train predoctoral, postdoctoral, and clinical fellows. The UCSC grant funds the training of three predoctoral students and three postdoctoral fellows, who will each receive at least two years of support. The CIRM scholars engage in research projects with faculty mentors from UCSC and also participate in a variety of learning opportunities.

The new program draws on UCSC's strengths in basic biological research, such as RNA biology, chromatin biology, early development, and computational genomics. Program scholars will gain a solid understanding of the biology of stem cells, the skills to use stem cells in their own research, and the ability to devise and integrate results from computational analyses. The program will underscore the value of stem cell research in developing therapies and cures for human disease.

Program director David Haussler said, "This program reflects our commitment to interdisciplinary research and education at the interface of science and engineering, and it takes advantage of the fact that many of our faculty regularly work across the divisional boundaries."

• Read about the program and how to apply
• Video of bioethicist Laurie Zoloth's stem cell talk

Bioinformatics degree programs spring from cutting-edge research

UCSC has developed one of the top bioinformatics research programs in the country under the leadership of David Haussler, professor of biomolecular engineering and director of CBSE, computer science professor Kevin Karplus, and computer engineering professor Richard Hughey.

The Baskin School of Engineering at UCSC offers programs leading to B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in bioinformatics.

Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary field that uses information technology and computer science to solve complex problems in biology. This rigorous course of study integrates a broad range of computational and experimental biology. The bioinformatics degree programs focus on tool building—creating new software programs and methods for analyzing and organizing data generated by research in molecular biology and biochemistry. From the time they arrive on campus, bioinformatics M.S. and Ph.D. candidates participate in cutting-edge research.

We thank the Sloan Foundation Professional Science Masters Program for sponsoring the UCSC bioinformatics M.S. program

UCSC recognized for awarding engineering degrees to women

A survey of master's degrees awarded by U.S. engineering schools shows that the University of California, Santa Cruz, ranks third in the percentage of degrees awarded to women. Of the master's degrees awarded by UCSC's Baskin School of Engineering in 2004-05, 44.2 percent went to women.

• Full story

NIH training grants support graduate studies

The departments of biomolecular engineering and of molecular, cell, and developmental (MCD) biology at UCSC both benefit from NIH training grants designed to support graduate students involved in specified areas of biomedical research. In addition to directly supporting graduate students, the grants also provide flexible funding departments can use to support graduate training programs.

The five-year grants amount to $850,000 for MCD biology and $800,000 for biomolecular engineering.

Under these grants, student training includes a rotation program in which they spend time working in different laboratories with faculty in both biomolecular engineering and MCD biology.

"By coordinating with the MCD biology program, we're trying to eliminate the boundaries between the disciplines. It's especially important for students in bioinformatics to have relationships with people in related programs," said Richard Hughey, professor and acting co-chair of biomolecular engineering and principal investigator on the bioinformatics training grant.

• NIH training grants at UCSC