Admission Prerequisites

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Program Prerequisites

This is for informational purposes only. Completion of these prerequisites will not determine admission to the program.

Applicants for admission should complete most of the following courses before enrolling at UC Davis. Admitted students will work with a faculty advisor to plan to complete any remaining prerequisites; no more than two remaining is recommended.

Will my courses count for prerequisites?

The courses should be substantively equivalent to courses offered at UCD. The chart below lists required courses generally, followed by their UCD equivalents. To view the course descriptions for the UCD courses to compare to other institutions, please see the UCD General Catalog.

Note: Courses numbered 1-99 are lower division and may be taken at community college while courses 100-199 are upper division and should be taken at a four-year institution.

  • Biology: One year of General Biology or equivalent content (Biological Sciences: BIS 2A, B and C )
  • Biochemistry: Introductory Biochemistry, two quarters, one semester, or equivalent content (Biological Sciences: BIS 102 and 103)
  • Inorganic Chemistry: One year Inorganic Chemistry or equivalent content (Chemistry: CHE 2A, B and C)
  • Organic Chemistry: Two quarters, two semesters, or equivalent content (Chemistry: CHE 8A and 8B)
  • Physics: Introductory Physics, two quarters, two semesters, or equivalent content (Physics: PHY 7A and 7B)
  • Mathematics: Calculus, two quarters, one semester, or equivalent content (Mathematics: MAT 16A and 16B)
  • Statistics: Introduction to Statistics one quarter, one semester, or equivalent content (Statistics: STA 100; or Plant Sciences: PLS 120)
  • Genetics: One quarter, one semester, or equivalent content (Biological Sciences: BIS 101)
  • Intro. Plant Physiology: One quarter, one semester, or equivalent content (Plant Biology: PLB 111 or 112)
  • Cell and Molecular Biology: One quarter, one semester, or equivalent content (Plant Biology: PLB 113; or Biological Sciences: BIS 104)
  • Ecol. Systematics & Evolution: One quarter, one semester, or equivalent content (Evolution and Ecology: EVE 100, 140 or 141; or Plant Biology: PLB 108 or 117)
  • Plant Development and Structure: One quarter, one semester, or equivalent content (Plant Biology: PLB 105)

Why prerequisites?

Applicants for admission to the Plant Biology Graduate Group must present evidence of high intellectual achievement and possess the potential for successful graduate study. A level of scholastic achievement equivalent to that of a Bachelor's degree in biological sciences from a recognized college or university is required. An applicant must have a minimum 3.0 GPA to be considered for admission. The applicant must submit one official transcript for each school attended and three letters of recommendation. The GRE exam is not required.

TOEFL or IELTS scores are also required if the applicant's native language is not English or if prior instruction has not been in English; applicants must meet the minimum scores required by the Office of Graduate Studies, found here: http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/prospective/international.html.

Though students do not need to take all of these courses in order to be admitted to the Plant Biology Graduate Group, the PBI highly recommends that students complete as many of these courses as possible before matriculating at UC Davis. Limited deficiencies can be made up after admission to the graduate program, generally during the student's first year. Admitted students work with their Graduate Advisers to identify any deficiencies and the courses necessary to fulfill these deficiencies. Early completion of these courses allows students to focus on their graduate studies and to expedite the completion of their graduate degrees.