About MCDB 199
Special Studies Directed Research in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology


General Information


  • 199 work must be experimental laboratory research and not a literature search, literature evaluation, or survey work. Familiarity with the scientific literature is essential and must be part of any independent research, but it should not be the only part. We expect direct, hands-on laboratory exposure.

  • Students may enroll in a maximum of four units of 199 per quarter. One unit of credit strictly corresponds to three hours of work per week. For four units of credit, you should therefore anticipate putting in at least 12 hours of work per week toward your project.

  • A maximum of 12 units of any permissible combination of MCDB 199, 199A-B/C/D or 198 A-B/C/D credit may be applied toward the MCDB major.

  • A research paper must be presented to both the MCDB faculty undergraduate adviser and the research sponsor in each quarter an MCDB 199 course is taken.

  • Enrollment is limited! Any individual faculty member can take on no more than seven students in any one MCDB research course per quarter. If more than seven students apply for 199 with a particular faculty member, enrollment will be limited to the first seven students whose applications were received in the Student Affairs Office. Please be sure that your sponsor has signed your proposal, and that the time and date of your application are noted when you turn it in.

  • Incompletes must be resolved during the following quarter, or they will lapse to an F. (Spring Quarter incompletes must be resolved during the following Fall Quarter.) Before the end of the quarter in which you are to receive an incomplete, you should reach a clear agreement with your sponsor on what you will need to do to resolve it (wisest to get this in writing). Then, when you have finished the required work during the following quarter, your sponsor will file a petition with the Registrar's Office in Murphy Hall for the Removal of an Incomplete and the grade will be recorded on your transcript.