Admission Requirements
Biological Systems Engineering is one of only two programs on the UC Davis campus that accepts new undergraduate applicants seeking second bachelor’s degrees. Second baccalaureate applications to the College of Engineering will only be considered if the applicant’s first degree is not in engineering and if the lower division engineering selective major criteria has been completed.
Admission requires the approval of the dean of the College of Engineering and the executive director of Undergraduate Admissions. Admission under this status requires a superior academic record and clear evidence of a change in objective.
General Requirements
Competitive candidates should have a combined GPA for the preparatory courses listed below of 3.20 or higher. Overall UC-transferable coursework must meet a minimum 3.10 GPA. California Community College transfer students are given the highest priority, but we encourage all who are interested in the program to fill out the form for more information if needed.
Preparatory courses required for admission:
In order to ensure that students are well prepared for the program, UC Davis has established the following classes as required prerequisites to entry into the program. Required courses that are offered at your current campus will need to be completed by the end of the spring term prior to fall enrollment at UC Davis. If required courses are not offered at your college, you must completed them after enrolling at UC Davis.
The following preparatory courses must be completed with a C or better:
- Chemistry 2A
- Mathematics 21A/B/C/D
- Mathematics 22A/B
- Physics 9A/B
- Physics 9C (except Environmental Engineering)
- Biological Sciences 2A
- Chemistry 2B
- Engineering 3 or Communications 1 or Communications 3
- Engineering 6, 17, 35
- University Writing Program (UWRITING) 1
ASSIST and Transferable Coursework
Identify which California college courses will transfer or fulfill requirements for admission, general education or your major with the ASSIST website, the official articulation database for California's public colleges and universities.
If you are attending a college other than a California community college, you can determine which courses may be UC-transferable by comparing your college's course descriptions with similar courses at UC Davis or at another UC campus. If the descriptions match, the coursework is most likely UC-transferable. After you apply to UC Davis, our admission advisors will evaluate your transcripts to arrive at a final determination of which courses are transferable.
Second baccalaureate students in the College of Engineering whose first bachelor’s degree is from any UC campus will not be held to completing the UC Davis General Education requirement. NOTE: It is possible that UC reciprocity may not satisfy your upper-division composition requirement at UC Davis. Please consult with your UC Davis program advisor for details.
How to Apply
Once you've completed the necessary coursework above, preferably at a California Community College or University, you must submit the online UC undergraduate application for admission and scholarships during the appropriate filing periods, which are the same as those for transfer undergraduate applicants.
Applications are open from October 1 through 11:59pm on November 30, though students may begin working on their application as early as August 1st.
After your application receives a full evaluation for meeting college, UC and UC Davis selection and admission criteria, it will be reviewed by the dean of the college and the executive director for Undergraduate Admissions for admission consideration based on superior academic record, clear evidence of a change in objective, and enrollment space available in the applied major.
Visit the Special Admissions Website for More Information on Second Bachelor's
Visit the Transfer Admissions Website for Tips and Information on Applying
Webpage updated: 09/2023