You Can Study Abroad!

A recent MCB alumna, Caitlin Sorensen, said the following about studying abroad in Denmark. "Study abroad has been helpful in so many aspects of my life- it helped me get a job!  When I studied abroad in Copenhagen, I was accepted to the Human Biology Program at the Pannum Institute, a leading biology program through The University of Copenhagen.  The 3rd year Cell Biology course that I took gave me my first exposure to world class equipment, techniques, and theories in cell biology and immunology.  In fact, it ended up counting as my MCB 150L requirement due to the large amount of lab work.  When I started applying to research positions, my experience at University of Copenhagen was a large determining factor in my acceptance to a UCSF immunology lab.  My class abroad required a great deal of independent project planning, group work, and PI interaction- all of which are instrumental to my Staff Research Associate position in the Pathology Department at UCSF.  Studying abroad in Denmark offered me a wealth of courses suitable for MCB, and even presented me with additional laboratory knowledge could not have received in a classroom setting at Cal."

Lower division MCB requirements such as physics, chemistry, and biology can be satisfied through the UC Education Abroad Program. With your faculty advisor's approval, the MCB department may also accept up to two appropriate courses from abroad toward your MCB upper division major requirements. With careful early planning, it is possible to go abroad your sophomore, junior, or senior year and still graduate in eight or nine semesters.

Information on programs abroad is available in the MCB UAO, the Education Abroad Office, 160 Stephens Hall and on-line at the UC Education Abroad Program home page at eap.ucop.edu. You can find a suitable study program at eap.ucop.edu/programwizard/ and search course offerings at eap.ucop.edu/coursefinder/.

Here are just two examples of ways in which students might schedule study abroad into their undergraduate program:

Sample GG&D Curriculum - Summer in Sussex, England

Sample CDB Curriculum - Junior Year Abroad

Year 1 at UCB	Math 1A Chemistry 1A	Math 1B Chemistry 3A
Year 2 at UCB	Chemistry 3B Biology 1A	Biology 1B MCB 102
Year 3 - Abroad	Upper-division MCB	Upper-division MCB
Year 4 at UCB	Physics 8A Upper-division MCB	Physics 8B MCB 130
9th semester at UCB	Upper-division MCB MCB Lab	none