Current Students

Human Biology and Society Major Requirements

Students who are admitted to the HBS major have to complete the following major coursework. Each course in the major (see below) must be passed with a letter grade of C- or better, and a cumulative major GPA of 2.00 is needed to graduate. Please note that concentrations no longer exist beginning Fall 2021.

Aside from the major coursework, HBS major admits must also complete remaining pre-major coursework with either a minimum cumulative pre-major GPA of 2.500 (for BS admits) or a minimum cumulative pre-major GPA of 2.900 (for BA admits).

Lastly, please be advised that the HBS major coursework alone does not cover the full 60 minimum upper division units required of all UCLA students. The HBS BA major coursework is about 41-45 upper division units, whereas the HBS BS major coursework is about 46-50 upper division units. HBS students need to take additional upper division classes, which can be fulfilled by the following: (1) completing upper division coursework for a minor; AND/OR (2) completing upper division coursework for another major; AND/OR (3) simply taking UCLA courses numbered 100-199 if not minoring or double majoring.

 

Human Biology and Society Major Coursework (for major catalog term of Fall 2021 and onwards)

Each course below must be taken for a letter grade and must be completed with a C- or better. A cumulative major GPA of 2.00 is required to graduate.

Soc Gen 105A (Prerequisite: Soc Gen 5 or Cluster M71A or Cluster M72A)

Soc Gen 105B (Prerequisite/Corequisite: Anthro 1 or LS 7C)

Soc Gen 102 (Prerequisite: N/A)

Life Sciences 107 (for HBS B.S. students only)

(Pre-req: Chem 14A or Chem 20A; and Chem 14C or Chem 30A; and LS 7C; and LS 23L)

6 Upper Division Electives  (at least two being Soc Gen)

List of Approved Upper Division Electives (updated: Winter 2024)

  • Please note that courses in red can count as an elective, but they are not automatically noted on DARS. Once completed for a letter grade and with at least a C-, please fill out the upper division elective request form found here.

4.0 units of: Soc Gen 195CE or Soc Gen 196 or Soc Gen 199

  • Please visit our Internship Course page or Research Opportunities page to learn more about this requirement.
  • Students enrolled in a 195CE/196/199 from another department can petition to have their non-Soc Gen 195CE/196/199 count towards this requirement. Students can also petition for one of the following courses: Public Health/ Medicine M160B (T.E.A.C.H. Program), MCDB 192B (CITYLAB), or Community Health Sciences 187B (Mobile Clinic Project). The petition form can be found here. Please note that submitting a petition does not guarantee approval.

 

Sample Plans:

Below are sample plans that you can use as a general roadmap. Please note that each student’s plan may look differently from what is outlined below depending on summer coursework, academic plans, etc. For individualized plans, please feel free to connect and set up an appointment with ISG Advisor Frenz via calendly.com/isg_frenz.

Checklist and Sample Plans for (pre-)HBS BA students

Checklist and Sample Plans for (pre-)HBS BS students

Blank template (for personal use)

 

HBS Students with Major Catalog Term Before Fall 2021

The major requirements for those with a major catalog term before Fall 2021 (i.e., those who were admitted before the Spring 2021 application cycle) are outlined below:

  • Soc Gen 105A
  • Soc Gen 105B
  • Soc Gen 102
  • Soc Gen 108
  • 4.0 units of Soc Gen 195CE/196/199
  • LifeSci 107 (for HBS BS students only)
  • 5 elective courses within your choice of concentration (at least 1 being Soc Gen). Please email isgacademics@g.ucla.edu for a list of electives for your concentration.
FAQ:

Can I switch from the Bachelor of Arts to Bachelor of Science, or vice versa? Once admitted into the degree objective that they applied for, students cannot switch from BA to BS or vice versa. 

Does HBS still have concentrations? Beginning Fall 2021, concentrations no longer exist.

Can I petition for courses that are not on the list of upper division electives? Effective Summer 2022, the department will be issuing a moratorium on upper division petitions. What this means is that if a course has not been successfully petitioned before, that course cannot be petitioned to count as an elective while the moratorium is in place. The electives have to come from this list.

I want to study abroad. What major requirements can it potentially fulfill? Because of the moratorium on upper division electives, study abroad can be petitioned to count towards pre-HBS requirements or the 195CE/196/199 requirement (if research- or internship-based). The petition form can be found here. Please note that petitions are not guaranteed approval. 

I am an HBS BS admit. The minimum requirement to apply to the major is to complete at least 13 of the pre-major requirements (including Soc Gen 5/ Cluster M71A/ Cluster M72A) with a cumulative pre-major GPA of 2.500 by the end of sophomore year. Does that mean my remaining pre-major requirements are waived once I get into the major? No. Once admitted to the major, HBS BS students still have to complete all pre-major requirements by graduation with an overall pre-major GPA of 2.500. HBS BA students are expected to complete all pre-major requirements with a pre-major GPA of 2.900 by the end of Spring quarter of sophomore year.

Does the HBS major fully cover the 60 minimum upper division units required by the College? No. Of the required 60 minimum upper division units, the HBS BS major coursework will cover about 46-50 upper division units. The HBS BA major coursework will cover about 41-45 upper division units.

At one point, I was doing research and/or internship that I believe aligns with HBS. However, I was not enrolled in a contract course. Can the Soc Gen 195CE/196/199 requirement be waived? No. We do not waive requirements, and students must be enrolled in a 195CE/196/199 course at the same time as the internship or research. To learn more about this requirement and get access to resources, please check out our Internship Courses page (for 195CE) and Research Opportunities page (for 196/199).

How can I set up an appointment with ISG Advisor Frenz? Students who wish to schedule an appointment with Frenz can use the following link: calendly.com/isg_frenz. If none of the times work or if you have any questions, please feel free to email him via isgacademics@g.ucla.edu. 

Are there any mailing lists that I can subscribe to? Yes. We highly encourage subscribing to our listserv so that you receive any ISG-related updates and newsletters. If you are an HBS major or Soc Gen minor, please subscribe to this listserv. For pre-HBS students or those interested in applying to the HBS major, please subscribe to this listserv.

 

Academic Advising 

For any HBS-related questions: 

 

For any University and College requirements, please contact your College advising unit (which can be found on your DAR). 

 

For any non-ISG department related questions:

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