The Certificate in Cell and Developmental Biology allows some undergraduates the option to obtain recognition for completing coursework in a focused area. This certificate provides a foundational understanding of how interactions among molecules, macromolecules, and macromolecular machines give rise to living cells. Students will learn how specialized cells function, how the complex interactions between these cells guide development, and how these mechanisms go awry in various disease states.
To declare the certificate, students must meet with an MCB advisor and complete the online declaration form by the 10th day of their final semester.
Students completing the certificate will be presented with an official certificate and will be free to use this credential on a CV, resume, or application for advanced study. Certificates do not provide transcript recognition. In order to receive the printed certificate and for School of MCB students to be recognized at the school's convocation, students will be expected to complete this checklist by the last day of classes in their final semester.
For completion of the certificate, students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours of coursework from the Approved List of Courses below. Note: All of these courses (except MCB 290) may also count toward the 15 hours of advanced MCB courses required for MCB majors.
Approved List of Courses for CDB Certificate
| Course | Semester offered, credit hours |
| MCB 316 Genetics and Disease | Fall, 4 hrs |
| or | |
| MCB 317: Genetics and Genomics | Spring, 4 hrs |
| MCB 400: Cancer Cell Biology | Fall, 3 hrs |
| MCB 401: Cell and Membrane Physiology | Fall, 3 hrs |
| MCB 408: Immunology | Fall, 3 hrs |
| MCB 410: Developmental Biology | Spring, 3 hrs |
| MCB/NEUR 461: Cell and Molecular Neuroscience | Fall, 3 hrs |
| MCB 471: Advanced Cell Biology | Fall, 3 hrs |
| MCB 480: Eukaryotic Cell Signaling | Spring, 3 hrs |
| MCB 493 sxn EPI: Epigenetics | Spring, 3 hrs |
| MCB 364 (previously MCB 493 sxn ECB): Experimental Cell Biology Laboratory | Fall, Spring, 2 hrs |
| or | |
| MCB 290 undergraduate research in an approved CDB laboratory | 3 hrs |
Notes
Students are not guaranteed a seat in a course required by the certificate, but are welcome to enroll in courses where seats remain available after any restriction, which may have been placed, has been removed.
A course may not be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one MCB certificate.
Contact
Email advising@mcb.illinois.edu or call 217-333-6774 for more information.