Graduate Program

Molecular & Cell Biology Doctoral Program

MCB students in lab posingThe Department of Molecular and Cell Biology offers a program of graduate study leading to the PhD in molecular and cell biology. This program provides advanced training in the research methods and concepts of the study of the molecular structures and processes of cellular life. The training is intellectually focused, but at the same time offers an unusually wide range of opportunities for varied disciplinary specialization.

The teaching and research activities of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) concern the molecular structures and processes of cellular life and their roles in the function, reproduction, and development of living organisms.

This agenda covers a broad range of specialized disciplines, including biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, structural biology, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, cell biology, developmental biology, tumor biology, microbiology, immunology, molecular medicine, and neurobiology.

The types of living organisms from which the departmental faculty draws its working materials are as diverse as its disciplinary specializations, ranging from viruses and microbes through plants, roundworms, annelids, arthropods, and mollusks to fish, amphibia, and mammals.

Molecular and Cell Biology Master Program

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  • Our Master of Biotechnology program is a 30-unit, one-year accelerated program with a full-time course load.
  • Courses begin in early July, are fully in-person, and prepare you for your Spring semester internships with our industrial and academic partners.
  • Integrated core lab courses leverage our faculty's expertise to train you on CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, stem cell culture, and bioinformatics.
  • Our internship program connects you with local biotechnology companies and campus labs, where you will gain highly desired, hands-on research experience.
  • We prioritize your professional development and offer courses to prepare you to succeed in a wide range of career paths.

Integrative Biology Graduate Program

Biological phenomena occur at various levels of structural organization, ranging from molecules to organisms, and from populations to the global ecosystem. Integrative Biology takes a whole-organism approach, extending from the genome and proteome through organismal traits (phenotypes), to communities and ecosystems. Through the coordinated study of multiple levels of biological organization over a broad range of spatial and temporal scales, Integrative Biology offers a unique approach to understanding fundamental questions concerning the evolution and maintenance of biological diversity, including organismal form and function, and ecological and ecosystem processes. This multidimensional approach underpins our graduate program, where students combine observational, experimental, and comparative approaches with the development of theory; and apply concepts and techniques from the biological sciences and other disciplines.

Integrative Biology admits students to the PhD program only.

The Department of Integrative Biology at Berkeley explores life at all levels and our scientific community pursues research across three main areas:

  • Tree of Life: Biodiversity and Global Change
  • The Tangled Bank: Species Interactions & Biological Communities
  • Human Connections: Origins, Health and Quality of Life

Exploring Life at All Levels: Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley

Neuroscience Graduate Program

The Neuroscience PhD Program at UC Berkeley is a unique, diverse PhD training program that offers intensive, integrated training in multiple areas of neuroscience research.

The program includes approximately 65 training faculty from different campus departments, with expertise ranging from molecular and cellular neuroscience to systems and computational neuroscience to human cognitive neuroscience.

We provide a highly interdisciplinary, intellectually dynamic training environment of coursework, research training, professional development, and mentoring, within a strong research program that produces fundamental advances in knowledge and novel techniques.

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