Human Biology Program

The Human Biology major will provide students with a rich education in the scientific and humanist disciplines that underlie modern health sciences. This major is an excellent preparation for entrance into health related professional careers including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, genetic counseling, health education, public health, clinical psychology, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, and health administration among others. The Human Biology major will also provide a strong foundation for careers in science and biomedical research.

The undergraduate Human Biology major is a highly interdisciplinary and broad-based program that integrates biology, social sciences and humanities. This major builds upon the powerful convergence linking genomics and molecular biology to our understanding and treatment of human health and disease. The breadth of the program gives students interested in health professions a well-rounded appreciation of the cultural and psychological influences on patient health, as well as a strong foundation in the physical and life sciences.

Students considering a Human Biology major will meet with an advisor and choose a curriculum based upon his/her interests and requirements for graduate or professional school goals. The undergraduate major in Human Biology currently offers two emphasis tracks: Natural SciencesEconomics and Psychology/Cognitive Sciences. Social Sciences Both These emphasis areas buildThe Human Biology major has a strong foundation in biology biology, including and require the courses needed required for medical schools and other biomedical professional schools. The natural science emphasis includes more upper division courses in biology, whereas the social science emphasies includes more courses in social science, particularly economics and psychologyemphasis tracks add both lower and upper division economics or psychology/cognitive science courses. Both programstracks allow a significant flexibility in choosing courses.

Undergraduate Major in Human Biology Research Requirement. As a capstone to the Human Biology Program and to integrate the background students will have obtained in their first five semesters of separate courses in natural science and social science, all Human Biology majors will participate in a research project that links biology and the social sciences. This will involve having their independent laboratory research courses jointly mentored by biology and social science faculty members. In the Spring Semester of their Junior Year, students will attend presentations of faculty research. The students will then meet in groups with a biologist and social scientist to plan their Senior Year research project. The final student research seminar will also be a joint course from the Schools of Natural Sciences and /Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts. course. Examples of research areas would be in epidemiology (sociology and biology) or neurobiology (psychology/cognitive science and biology) or health care policy (economics or public policy and biology).

Transfer Students. Transfer students who wish to major in Human Biology should complete one year of calculus, one year of physics, one year of general chemistry, at least one to two semesters of organic chemistry, and two to three semesters of general biology, and introductory psychology. Students should check with the UC Merced admissions staff for more information on how courses will transfer to UC Merced.

Human Biology Faculty
	Keith Alley
	Miriam Barlow
	Jinah Choi
	Michael Colvin
	Henry Forman
	Jennifer Manilay
	Monica Medina
	Aleksandr Noy
	David Ojcius
	Rudy Ortiz
	Maria Pallavicini