The COMP BIO major consists of a methodology core (6 courses: 28 units) and a concentration/track (min. 5 courses: ~20 units). Effective 25F, all students admitted to the major will be held to the track curriculum and COMP BIO major revisions.
COMP BIO Major Sheet
Please reference the COMP BIO Major Sheet for major course requirements, track information, and department policies, including information on how to graduate with honors.
NOTE: The COMP BIO Major Sheet – Track Curriculum is reflective of requirements effective FALL 2025 and forward. For all students admitted to the major before FALL 2025, please consult the CaSB Major Sheet – Track Curriculum, your Degree Audit Report, and the CaSB Departmental Counselor for your major requirements.
Computational Biology (COMP BIO) Major Methodology Core Upper Division Requirements (Effective Fall 2025)
| Core I:
C&S BIO/COM SCI/BIOENGR M184 (2 Units, Graded Pass/No Pass) OR C&S BIO 183(2 Units, Letter Graded) |
| Core II:
C&S BIO 185 (4 Units, Letter Graded) |
| Core III:
C&S BIO 100(4 Units) Letter Graded) |
| Biological Modeling:
C&S BIO M150[Same as EE BIOL M159] (5 Units, Letter Graded) |
| Biological Modeling: C&S BIO M150 (5 Units) |
| Capstone Series (2 courses, pick one option)**:
Option 1: C&S BIO 199 (4 Units, Letter Graded) and C&S BIO M187 (4 Units, Letter Graded) Option 2: C&S BIO 198A (4 Units, Letter Graded) and C&S BIO 198B (4 Units, Letter Graded) Option 3: C&S BIO 195 (4 Units, Graded Pass/No Pass) and C&S BIO M187 (4 Units, Letter Graded) |
Bioinformatics Track
1 Upper Division(UD) COM SCI Course from COM SCI CM121; COM SCI CM122; COM SCI CM124
2 Additional UD Courses from C&S BIO M130; COM SCI CM121; COM SCI CM122; COM SCI CM124; EE BIOL C135; MCD BIO CM156; MCD BIO 187AL; PHYSCI 125; STATS M254
2 UD LIFE SCI Courses from the list of Life Science courses
More info on the Bioinformatics track can be found here.
Biological Data Sciences Track
3 Upper Division(UD) Courses from C&S BIO M130; COM SCI CM124 OR COM SCI M226; COM SCI M146 OR STATS C161 OR MATH 156; COM SCI 161; COM SCI 168; COM SCI 180 OR MATH 182; EC ENGR C143A; EC ENGR C147; MATH 155; MATH 164; STATS 101A; STATS 101C
At most two courses may be from Mathematics
2 UD LIFE SCI Courses from the list of Life Science courses
More info on the Biological Data Sciences track can be found here.
Dynamical Modeling Track
3 Upper Division(UD) Courses from C&S BIO M130, C&S BIO M186 OR COM SCI M182; EC ENGR 102; EC ENGR 113; EE BIOL C119A; EE BIOL C119B; MATH 134 OR MATH 135; MATH 136; MATH 142; MATH 146; MATH 168; MATH 171
At most two courses may be from Mathematics
2 UD LIFE SCI Courses from the list of Life Science courses
More info on the Dynamical Modeling track can be found here.
Students also have the option to pursue a Customized track.
Capstone Research
As part of the Capstone requirement, students are expected to complete, at a minimum, 2 quarters of research or similar internship project experience supervised by a UCLA faculty member while taking their Capstone courses. However, students are advised to start as early as possible. Students should start discussing the capstone with the CaSB Academic Advisor as early as the Spring quarter of their Freshman year. It is recommended that students complete at least a year (or more) of research/project experience by the time they complete their second Capstone course. This helps ensure that students have sufficient material for their senior thesis. Please see the following pages for additional information:
Major Methodology Core Course Planning
The Core and Capstone courses that are part of the Major Methodology Core are only offered in certain quarters and are designed to be taken in a certain sequence. Students are advised to take C&S BIO M184 (Fall), 185 (Winter), and M150 (Spring) in their 2nd or 3rd year. Students are advised to discuss the capstone pathways as early as the Spring quarter of their freshman year. C&S BIO M187 is typically offered in the Spring quarter.
The timeline below illustrates the advised order of courses and research expectations.
When planning major coursework, students must be mindful of prerequisites. Some courses required for the COMP BIO major and its concentrations/tracks have additional prerequisites that are not part of the COMP BIO major or pre-major curriculum.
The flowcharts below are meant to help students plan out major coursework by depicting the requisites for each methodology core requirement. These flowcharts were last updated in September 2021. Always check the Registrar’s Course Descriptions for the most up-to-date requisites.
Additionally, students must be mindful of when classes are offered (i.e., which quarters). CaSB compiles a tentative list of upper-division course offerings before each academic year. This list is tentative and subject to change by the departments offering each course. Students should check the Schedule of Classes or with respective departments for the most up-to-date course offerings.
Tentative Schedule of Upper-Division Course Offering AY 21-21 (last updated June 2021)
It is recommended that students meet with their Departmental Counselor regularly to plan out major coursework.
Other Important Information
All major courses must be taken for a letter grade, C or better, with the exception of C&S BIO/COM SCI/BIOENGR M184, which is only offered on a Pass/No Pass basis.^
Students must have a minimum 2.0 GPA in upper-division major coursework to graduate.
Students who receive a C- or below in a major course must either repeat the course or petition to have the lower grade count for the major. More information on petitioning can be found here.
Students are subject to any requirement changes in the major until they are officially admitted to the major.
