What courses should I take as a freshman to best enable me to complete the MB&B major?

Freshmen should take the highest level Chemistry courses for which they are eligible. Depending on their previous preparation in Chemistry, freshmen should complete: 1) Chem 114 and 116L;  or 2) Chem 118a,119La, 225b and 222Lb; or 3) Chem 125 and 126L. The sooner students can complete at least one term of organic chemistry, the sooner they can take the biochemistry core course (MB&B 300a/301b) at the heart of the MB&B major. This course, in turn, is required for many upper-level MB&B electives. Other courses that are helpful to complete early are introductory biology (MCDB 120a) and calculus (Math 112a or b and Math 115a or b).

I've taken some Advanced Placement classes in math and science during high school. How does that affect the courses I will need to take to fulfill requirements for the major?

Students who have scored 710 or higher on the SAT II subject test or scored 5 on the Advanced Placement test in biology may place out of MCDB 120a and E&EB 122b and the respective labs. Acceleration credit in math and physics is accepted for fulfillment of the introductory courses in their respective departments. Advanced Placement in chemistry is arranged by the Chemistry Department and includes Advanced Placement test scores as well as a departmental placement exam given at the beginning of the freshman year. Note: most medical schools have requirements in each of the basic sciences and mathematics. Advanced placement credit does not satisfy these since most schools require the applicant to take a course (either introductory or advanced) in each of these areas while enrolled in college. Please see the Career Service Office (Premedical Advisory Program 432-0818) for further information.

I have received full acceleration credit for Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. Does this include the laboratory course requirements in these sciences?

The AP credit applies to both the lecture course and the laboratory. However, pre-medical students are advised that the medical school regulations call for two chemistry, one biology, and one physics laboratory taken at in college. The MB&B 360 lab usually is counted as a chemistry laboratory. Therefore, it is recommended that the student take an advanced biology elective that has a laboratory associated with it.

I am interested in doing research for credit. How do I find a research adviser and select a research project?

Any faculty member in MB&B or in any of the other tracks of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS) program is may serve as a research adviser for MB&B undergraduate research projects. For faculty outside of MB&B, your MB&B academic adviser must approve the proposed project as being within the fields of biochemistry, biophysics, or molecular biology. Most faculty would be happy to consider taking an undergraduate to participate in an ongoing research project. Positions are most readily available for those students willing to commit more than a single semester to the research project, though this is not a requirement. See the BBS web site http://www.med.yale.edu/bbs/ for a listing of all the MB&B and non-MB&B faculty and short summaries of their research interests. A good strategy is to contact several faculty by email. Explain to each faculty member who you are, a little bit about yourself, why you are interested in their research, and ask if they will meet with you to discuss the possibility of your working in their lab. MB&B provides two resources to help you best decide what faculty to contact. First, the undergraduate web page (http://www.mbb.yale.edu/ugrad/index.html) has a listing of MB&B faculty who have recently expressed an explicit interest in taking an undergraduate researcher. Second, you can explain your specific interests to your MB&B academic adviser, and they should be able to tell you which faculty members at Yale are a good match to your interests and would likely be good research advisers. You should obtain from the MB&B registrar or the MB&B undergraduate Web site an enrollment form for the MB&B research courses, as well as documents providing information for both the students and research advisers on the specific requirements of these courses.

I have research experience as a result of independent research for credit or a summer research program. Do I still have to take MB&B 360Lb or 250La?

It is possible to obtain a waiver for MB&B 250La/360Lb if your research experience is substantially equivalent to what would be obtained in the lab course. A waiver form listing the specific requirements is available from the MB&B registrar's office or online at the MB&B undergraduate Web site. The research experience used to waive this requirement may include MB&B research courses (e.g. MB&B 470a or 471b), laboratory courses from other departments, and non-credit research at Yale or other research institutions. However, at least part of the research work used must be from a formal research or laboratory course that involved written reports of the research done. The waiver form lists the laboratory techniques covered in the MB&B 250La/360Lb courses. To obtain a waiver you must have experience with a substantial number of the techniques on the list, including some techniques for analysis of proteins and some for analysis of nucleic acids. The form requires the signature(s) of the faculty adviser(s) under whom you carried out your research. To obtain a waiver you must also meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (not your academic adviser) to demonstrate your conceptual understanding of the methods and obtain his signature.

Can I use credits for courses taken at other universities towards the science or math requirements of the MB&B major?

Courses in Math, Biology, Chemistry, or Physics at other universities may be substituted for the prerequisite courses in these subject required of MB&B majors at Yale, provided the courses taken are equivalent to the Yale courses for which they will be substituted. We are unlikely to allow courses at other universities to substitute for MB&B 300a, 301b, 302b, or the required MB&B electives. Official course credits should be transferred to Yale, but in rare cases students will be exempted from a course required for the MB&B major even if Yale College does not grant transfer credit for the course. In these cases, students may be asked to complete a higher level course at Yale College as a substitute. To obtain a waiver, students should obtain a waiver form from the MB&B DUS office or the MB&B undergraduate Web site. This form must be signed by the MB&B faculty adviser and the MB&B DUS. To allow the adviser and DUS to evaluate the courses taken, the student should provide a copy of the course syllabus and contact information for the course instructor.

What is the Senior Project requirement for the major?

B.A. and B.S. requirement: Participation in MB&B 490b, which includes written paper and oral presentation

B.S./M.S. requirement: BS/MS Thesis

My Research Report/Literature Report/Senior Requirement Report are due the last day of the reading period. What can I do if I need an extension of time to complete my report?

You need permission from your College Dean and have him/her call the DUS Registrar's office to indicate his/her permission. However, remember that your grade will be reported incomplete and you cannot graduate until the report has been completed. (Does not apply to senior requirement).

REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATING WITH DISTINCTION IN THE MAJOR

As described in the Yale College Programs of Study, graduation with distinction in the major requires that students earn an A or A- in 3/4 of the credits taken for the major. This includes all courses required for the major (including Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology), not just courses from the MB&B department. Grades of F are included as non-A grades. Courses for which advanced placement credits are received are not included in the calculation. No courses used towards MB&B degrees may be taken using the Credit/D/Fail option. Students must also receive an A or A- in the senior project course, MB&B 490b. In addition to the preceding rules established by Yale College, the MB&B department requires students receive A or A- in at least 2/3 of the MB&B core courses: MB&B 300a, 301b, and 302b.