Undergraduate Majors

Plant Biology emphasizes the study of plants from the genetic to the organism. From oxygen to food to shelter to energy to shade, plants provide us with virtually everything we need to survive and thrive. There is important work for those who want to unravel the mystery of genes, teach the next generation of biologists or to devise ways to feed the world.

The new curriculum organizes the upper division electives into five tracks:

• Biotechnology & Bioenergy
• Plant Diversity and Evolution
• Plant Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics
• Plant-Microbe Interactions
• Experimental Plant Biology (design your own)

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 multi-cellular organisms and they engage in numerous beneficial symbioses with higher organisms.

The new curriculum organizes the upper division electives into five tracks:

• Host-Pathogen Interactions
• Evolution/Computational Microbiology
• Ecology & Environmental Microbiology
• Microbial Biotechnology
• General Microbiology (design your own)

When you apply to UC Berkeley you will be required to select a college in which to enroll, and you may also indicate a major. (Junior transfer students are required to select a major at the time of application.)

You are encouraged to apply directly to a major, but if you need time to decide which of our majors is best for you, you may also select the College of Natural Resources' undeclared option.

The benefit of applying directly to one of our majors is that if you are admitted and accept the offer of admission, you will start your first semester under the department you wish to graduate in. Declaring your major will not, however, give you any special advantage. All students who apply will be evaluated based on their application and not the particular major selected.

If desired, you may be able to change to a different major within the College of Natural Resources. Changing to a different major outside of the College takes a bit more work as each of the colleges and majors have different requirements that you need to fulfill. Thus, it is important that you apply to the college in which you believe you will eventually declare a major.

The lower-division requirements for a Microbial or Plant Biology major include general biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and statistics. The upper-division requirements include the core requirements and science electives. Both Microbial Biology and Plant Biology have four tracks each, or students can design their own track (Experimental Plant Biology or General Microbiology).

Campus-wide requirements remain the same for microbiology and plant biology. For detailed information, please refer to the Plant Biology Major Requirements or the Microbial Biology Major Requirements.

Detailed information about Undergraduate Admissions Procedures at UC Berkeley.

The Department of Plant & Microbial Biology conducts groundbreaking research in the field of microbial and plant biology. We offer many opportunities for students to get involved in research:

• Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP)
• Sponsored Projects for Undergraduate Research Program (SPUR)
• Video about Undergraduate Research Opportunities

These are just some of the ways undergraduates can get involved in research. Students can contact their advisors for advice on obtaining a research position.

Advising of undergraduate students for both Plant and Microbial Biology is handled by Trey Patridge, Undergraduate Major Advisor.

For more information please contact Trey at  510.642.1986 or trey@berkeley.edu

For detailed information about Admissions Procedures at UC Berkeley please visit the UC Berkeley Undergraduate Admission website.

UC Berkeley and the College of Natural Resources are especially dedicated to providing resources and information to parents of continuing and prospective students. For more information, please visit the College of Natural Resources Parent Page.

For detailed answers to a variety of questions about applying to the College of Natural Resources, please visit the CNR FAQs.

To learn more about the majors, please refer to the Plant Biology Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative or the Microbial Biology Undergraduate Student Learning Initiative.