General
The Biology+Business Program is an integrated, jointly-administered partnership between the Haas School of Business and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology in the College of Letters and Science. Students take rigorous courses designed to help bridge scientific inquiry and research with entrepreneurship and commercial application. In the program students earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Molecular and Cell Biology. You’ll be part of a small cohort with specialized mentoring, career development, and internship opportunities.
The Biology+Business Program is staffed with a designated Program Manager guiding students through the program. The program integrates the Molecular and Cell Biology and Business curriculum plans and provides students with professional development opportunities and other experiences that allow for practical, real-world application of concepts learned in the classroom.
Yes, several Biology+Business students are pre-med, and the program’s coursework meets all prerequisites to apply to medical school without taking additional classes.
To learn more, email biologybusiness@berkeley.edu to schedule an appointment with the Biology+Business Program advisor.
Admissions
Biology+Business students must meet the requirements for both Haas and MCB. Students apply for admission to the Biology+Business Program in fall of sophomore year. Unlike Haas, MCB is not a capped major, so students should declare as soon as they meet the declaration requirements by the end of sophomore year.
No, you apply to the Biology+Business Program, which includes application to Haas and declaration of MCB. In other words, when you apply to the program, you are also applying to Haas and declaring the MCB major.
Unfortunately the Biology+Business Program is very competitive and we cannot accommodate every student who wants to join the program. You should meet with the Biology+Business advisor during your freshman and sophomore years to form an alternate plan. Students cannot reapply to the program.
No, the program is only open to UC Berkeley freshmen who apply to the program in the fall of sophomore year.
Unfortunately not. The program is only open to students admitted to UC Berkeley as freshmen. Students cannot transfer into the Biology+Business Program from community colleges or other universities.
Academic
The coursework is designed for you to complete two full bachelor’s degrees in four years, and and students must meet all degree requirements for both MCB and Business. In addition, students must take the introductory Biology+Business seminar (MCELLBI/UGBA C95B) freshman year and a program-specific capstone course in their senior year. You can complete degree requirements without taking double the course load, but this is a very rigorous program, to be sure. See the sample Program Plans.
No, the 7-course breadth requirements are the same for Haas and L&S with a few exceptions.
No. The admissions committee will always review the first attempt at a course, especially if it’s a prerequisite for MCB or Haas. Per university policy, you may repeat a course only if you receive a D+ or lower, or a NP.
For information about AP/IB credits, review the Exam Credit page.
MCB will accept your scores to waive prerequisite coursework, but we do not recommend doing so. Most high school AP programs do not include the in-depth labs that our courses at Cal do and they do not delve into the details of the material in the way our courses do. So, while AP and IB courses provide a good foundation and allow you some review at the beginning of the semester as you acclimate to college life, they do not prepare you for upper-division coursework to the same degree that Cal courses do.
To speak with an advisor, email biologybusiness@berkeley.edu.
No, the program is designed to be completed in 4 years without requiring summer classes, although taking summer classes to alleviate the course load during the semester is an option for students.
Maybe. The Biology+Business Program is very rigorous, but where minor courses overlap with major requirements, it might be possible.
Given the fast-paced and challenging curriculum with many courses unique to UC Berkeley, studying abroad during the semester will be difficult. There are many summer programs, however, that might be possible for Biology+Business students to pursue.