Lab Course Information

There are special regulations, procedures and deadlines associated with enrollment in biology lab courses.

The School of Biological Sciences follows university enrollment and electronic wait list processes for all lab courses, with the exception of the below School-specific policies directly related to biology lab courses.

• Students may enroll or wait list in a biology lab course using WebReg until the first scheduled class meeting; after the first scheduled class meeting the automated wait list will no longer run. At that time, the waitlists are frozen.
• Whether a student is enrolled or wait listed, attendance at the first scheduled lab meeting is mandatory.
• All students, whether enrolled or wait listed, must complete the online Lab Safety Training and pass the Lab Safety Assessment prior to the first scheduled lab meeting. See below for labs requiring assessment.
• After the first scheduled lab meeting, adding a lab course requires instructor and Divisional approval through a preauthorization request via the UC San Diego Enrollment Authorization System (EASy). The Division will only consider lab late adds through Friday of Week 2 on a space available basis. Lab late adds are not guaranteed.
• Enrolled students who miss the first scheduled lab meeting, or do not pass the Lab Safety Assessment (if required), are responsible for dropping the lab course via Webreg, or risk receiving a non-passing grade in the lab course.
• Students who drop a biology lab course after the end of the second scheduled lab meeting will be assigned a "W" for the course. If the student already has a "W" in the course, the student will be re-enrolled in the lab. Per Academic Senate policy, a student may receive a maximum of one "W" per course. Students will be responsible for the lab fee associated with the particular lab course.

*Note - During Summer Session, students will not be eligible for a tuition refund if the lab is dropped after the second lab meeting. For more information regarding this policy, please contact Summer Session.

For further information, see the frequently asked questions about undergraduate lab course enrollment.

Students who enroll in Biology lab courses are charged a lab fee which is assessed at the time of registration. Please see Instructional Materials/Laboratory Fees for additional information.

The current fees are as follows, but are subject to change without notice:

Students who drop a lab course before the end of the second lab meeting are eligible for a refund of the charged lab fee. Refunds are automatically processed by Student Business Services.

In most lab courses, students will also be required to purchase lab coats, goggles and other safety equipment not covered by the lab fee.

All students, enrolled or waitlisted, for the laboratory courses below are REQUIRED to demonstrate an understanding of general lab safety and UCSD Biology lab rules and policies. Completing the online Lab Safety Training and passing the Lab Safety Assessment fulfills this requirement.

Enrolled students who miss the first lab meeting, or do not pass the Lab Safety Assessment, will have their lab space revoked. It is the student's responsibility to drop the course or risk receiving a "W" or non-passing grade in the course.

• The Lab Safety Training and Assessment are available at any time, but the assessment will apply to a specific quarter.
• The assessment must be completed and passed BEFORE the first lab meeting. Plan ahead!
• The self-study training and assessment should take approximately 1-hour to complete.
• The assessment portion is timed. Students will have a maximum of 30-minutes to complete the assessment.
• Students may take the assessment as many times as it takes to pass but there may be a mandatory waiting period between attempts.
• Students will be certified once the assessment is passed. Certification information will be available to lab instructors for verification prior to the first class meeting.
• Certification is valid for one quarter.

Accommodation

Students who need accommodation to complete the Lab Safety Requirement (such as alternative test format or extra time) due to a documented disability must email biologysafetytraining@ucsd.edu well before the start of the quarter. For accommodation other than completion of the Lab Safety Requirement, please see Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) Accommodation Information.

Extension (Concurrent Enrollment) Students

Email biologysafetytraining@ucsd.edu as soon as possible to avoid any delay in your studies. Passing the safety assessment does not imply or guarantee enrollment in a lab course.

If you have questions about Undergraduate Lab Safety Training or the Lab Safety Assessment, please carefully review the information above and the frequently asked questions about undergraduate lab course enrollment.

If, after reviewing the information contained on this web page you have additional questions about Lab Safety Training and Assessment, please send a detailed email (including PID, class, and section you are enrolled in) to biologysafetytraining@ucsd.edu.

Sent to students enrolled or waitlisted in WI23 Biology lab courses on December 16, 2022

Due to the ongoing strike, Biological Sciences has had to modify Winter Lab Courses. This is necessary due to both safety and preparation considerations.

While every lab course has come up with a unique solution to address instruction, Biological Sciences has endeavored to keep all of the iterations of a given course as closely aligned as possible. We wanted to make you aware of some of the types of changes you might encounter:

• Contact instruction type will likely be substantially changed as compared to a conventional quarter.
• Some courses may have scaled back or no hands-on activities. Many will have a major focus on data analysis and computational projects.
• Given the long lead time to prepare materials for these courses and the uncertainties surrounding the duration of the strike, students should not expect the class format to change even if the IAs return from the work stoppage during the quarter.
• Given these changes some students might wish to drop the course with a view of enrolling after the strike is completed. However, please be aware that capacity in these courses is limited and it may not be possible to enroll in later quarters.

Please refer to relevant campus and School deadlines in making individual decisions, especially noting that students who drop a biology lab course after the end of the second scheduled lab meeting will be assigned a "W" for the course.

• Enrollment and Registration Calendar 2022-23
• Lab Course Information

Winter 2023 Lab Fee FAQs

Lab fees for all lab courses in Winter 2023 will be charged upon enrollment. During the quarter, the campus will begin to reverse the charges for lab courses that were determined to not have an associated lab fee (see below).

Q: Which lab courses have associated fees for Winter 2023?

A: The following lab courses will be taught in-person and have fees for Winter 2023:

• BILD 4 ($40 fee)
• BIBC 103 ($75 fee)
• BIMM 101 ($80 fee)
• BIMM 121 ($90 fee)
• BIPN 105 ($120 fee)
• BIPN 145 ($50 fee)

Q: Which lab course(s) do not have associated fees for Winter 2023?

A: The following lab courses do not have fees for Winter 2023:

• BIEB 121:The lab fees for this course will be charged upon enrollment. After the beginning of the quarter, the fees will be reversed by the Registrar's office.
• BIEB 123: The lab fees for this course will be charged upon enrollment. After the beginning of the quarter, the fees will be reversed by the Registrar's office.

Q: What do the lab fees cover?

A: Lab fees will cover materials that the students will utilize for the experiments performed in class.

Q: Will students in lab classes be sent kits to perform experiments remotely?

A: No, experiments will be performed in the biology instructional labs in York and Tata Halls.

Q: Who should I contact with additional questions about lab fees?

A:  Students may submit a VAC message (vac.ucsd.edu) for additional questions related to lab fees.