Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students beginning their studies at UCSC in 2017-18 or later must satisfy their Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement by successfully completing TWO of the following courses with letter grades of C or better in each. 

For the Biology BA, Ecology & Evolution BS, Marine Biology BS, and Plant Sciences BS majors:  

Completion of TWO of the following Ecology & Evolutionary Biology courses:

BIOE 108 Marine Ecology

BIOE 114/L Herpetology*

BIOE 117 Systematic Botany Lecture (concurrent enrollment in BIOE 117L required)

BIOE 120/L Marine Botany*

BIOE 122/L Invertebrate Zoology*

BIOE 125 Ecosystems of California (if completed Spring 2023 and following)

BIOE 126 Biology of Large Marine Vertebrates (if completed Fall 2024 and following)

BIOE 127/L Ichthyology*

BIOE 128L Large Marine Vertebrate Field Course

BIOE 129/L Marine Mammals*

BIOE 137 Molecular Ecology Lecture (concurrent enrollment in BIOE 137L required)

BIOE 141L Behavioral Ecology Field Course

BIOE 145 Plant Ecology

BIOE 145L Plant Ecology Field Course (when offered, concurrent enrollment in BIOE 145 required)

BIOE 150L Ecological Field Methods Lab (concurrent enrollment in BIOE 150 required)

BIOE 151B Ecology & Conservation in Practice Field Quarter (concurrent enrollment in complete field quarter required)

BIOE 153C Arctic Ecology & Environmental Change Field Quarter (concurrent enrollment in complete field quarter required)

BIOE 157B Ichthyology Field Class in Southern Africa (concurrent enrollment in BIOE 157A required)

BIOE 158L Marine Ecology Lab

BIOE 159A Marine Ecology Field Quarter (concurrent enrollment in complete field quarter required)

BIOE 161 Kelp Forest Ecology (concurrent enrollment in BIOE 161L required)

BIOE 171 Disciplinary Communication for Biologists

BIOE 172 Population Genetics

BIOE 174 Evolutionary Medicine 

*For two unit lab courses taken concurrently with 5 unit lectures, both lecture and lab must be passed with letter grades of C or better to receive one half of the DC requirement. BIOE 117 and BIOE 137 require concurrent enrollment in 2 unit labs, BIOE 117L and BIOE 137L respectively, but these are not part of the DC requirement. 

Courses taken to fulfill your major's Disciplinary Communication Requirement must be taken at UCSC 

2016-17 (and years prior) Disciplinary Communication Requirement

Updated 9/1/2020: After Fall 2020 all students must complete the current DC Requirement (see above) regardless of catalog rights. Effective Winter 2021, BIOE 107 and BIOE 109 were no longer approved DC Requirement courses. 

Students who began their studies at UCSC in the 2016 - 2017 academic year or earlier can choose to follow the new options for the DC listed above or retain Catalog Rights for the previous options listed below, as long as BIOE 107 and 109 were completed prior to Winter 2021.  Students who have not been enrolled for 2 or more years must follow the current academic year's requirements. 

The following students are not eligible to follow the 2016 - 2017 Disciplinary Communication Requirement Options:

• Students who entered UCSC in the 2017 - 2018 academic year or later.

"Catalog Rights" provides you with the option of following the requirements in effect the year you entered UCSC, or the option to select the requirements established in a subsequent year.  Keep in mind that you must follow one catalog year in its entirety.  Your major requirements and campus general education requirements catalog year can be different.  For clarification see the Registrar's information on Catalog Rights.