To enroll in an upper-division MCDB research course (MCDB 196A-B, 198A-D, 199A-D), MCDB majors must be conducting research with a faculty member who is included on the MCDB-Approved List of Faculty Research Mentors.
If your faculty mentor’s name is not included on the approved list, but you still wish to enroll in an upper-division MCDB research course, you must petition your research.
Eligibility
To petition to enroll in an upper-division MCDB research course, students must…
- Be conducting research in a UCLA senate faculty member’s lab on the UCLA campus;
- Be working on a culminating research project, designed to broaden and deepen their knowledge of some aspect of molecular, cell, and developmental biology;
- Be eligible for the course in which they wish to enroll.
Petition Process
Students petition their research at the same time as they submit their materials for enrollment in an upper-division MCDB research course. As part of the petition process, students submit the following supplementary materials:
- The faculty research mentor’s CV
- The student’s project timeline, covering the same scope as the project proposal
Please submit all petition materials, as well as those required for enrollment, to the appropriate form.
Applying for MCDB 180A-B? Submit to this form: https://sa.ucla.edu/forms/p/MCDB180AB
Otherwise, submit to this form: https://sa.ucla.edu/forms/p/mcdbresearch
The deadline to submit all materials is indicated on the webpage for the course in which you wish to enroll.
Decision Timeline and Results
A committee of MCDB faculty will review the student’s project proposal and timeline, as well as the faculty mentor’s CV, to determine if the student is permitted to enroll in upper-division MCDB courses. Students will receive notification of a decision via email from the MCDB undergraduate advisor within 2-3 days of the submission deadline.
If your petition is approved, you will be enrolled in the upper-division MCDB research course for which you applied. You will also be permitted to enroll in other upper-division MCDB research courses in the future, without petition.
If your petition is not approved, you will not be enrolled in the upper-division MCDB research course for which you applied, but you will receive feedback. In some cases, students are able to implement the requested changes to their project or revisions to their proposal in time to re-submit their petition for approval and be enrolled in the upper-division MCDB research course for which they applied that quarter.
Research Petition FAQ
My faculty mentor’s name is not included on the MCDB-Approved List of Faculty Research Mentors, but I was placed in my lab by the Biomedical Research Minor. Do I need to petition my research?
Yes. If your faculty mentor’s name is not included on the approved list, but you wish to enroll in an upper-division MCDB research course, you must petition your research.
Another MCDB major previously petitioned their research in my faculty mentor’s lab, and it was approved, but our faculty member’s name still does not appear on the MCDB-Approved List of Faculty Research Mentors. Do I need to petition my research?
Yes. If your faculty mentor’s name is not yet included on the approved list, but you wish to enroll in an upper-division MCDB research course, you must petition your research. The MCDB department sometimes waits to add a faculty member to our approved list until they have mentored a few MCDB majors.
I’m working in a lab at Cedars-Sinai. Can I petition my research?
No. Students must be conducting research in a UCLA senate faculty member’s lab on the UCLA campus in order to petition to enroll in an upper-division MCDB research course.
Students working in a lab at Cedars-Sinai may still earn UCLA academic credit for research, but it will not apply towards MCDB major requirements. Check out more information about RES PRC 99 on the UCLA Undergraduate Research Center – Sciences website.
Can I petition my research in advance of enrolling in an upper-division MCDB research course?
No. Students petition their research at the same time as they submit their materials for enrollment in an upper-division MCDB research course.