Exploring the Physiological Science Major at UCLA: A Comprehensive Overview

The Physiological Science major at UCLA is a popular choice for students interested in careers in healthcare, research, or related fields. This article provides a detailed overview of the program, including its curriculum, faculty, career preparation, and admission requirements. Physiological Science is the only major and academic discipline which provides an education that spans levels of biological organization from genes and gene networks, to molecular mechanisms of cell function, to cell and tissue organization and function, and to whole system level physiology. Elective courses in our curriculum provide the opportunity to customize and to tailor your program to meet your aspirations and to follow your educational goals and interests.

Curriculum and Courses

The Physiological Science curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the physiological systems in both humans and animals, focusing specifically on the functions and mechanisms of living organisms. The first two years of PhySci, made up of lower-division coursework, are similar to those of many of the other life science majors. You'll take courses in anatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, neuroscience, and more. The program also offers a variety of elective courses that allow you to focus on specific areas of interest, such as exercise physiology, endocrinology, or cardiovascular physiology.

Lower-Division Coursework

The prerequisites that PhySci majors take include four quarters of life science courses (LS course series), six quarters of general and organic chemistry (CHEM 14 series), and three quarters of physics (PHYS 6 series, now the PHYS 5 series). Of particular note here, the lower-division coursework required for PhySci correlates to the coursework required to apply to medical school: one year of physics, one year of biology, and two years of chemistry.

To enter the Physiological Science major, students must complete:

Chemistry 14A, 14B, and 14C or 20A, 20B, and 30A
Life Sciences 7A, 7B, 7C
Mathematics 3A, 3B, and 3C or 31A, 31B, and 32A or Life Sciences 30A, 30B
Physics 1A or 5A

A minimum grade of C in each course and a grade point average of 2.5 or better in all courses is required before the fall quarter of their third year. Repetition of more than one of these nine preparation courses results in denial of admission to the major.

Upper-Division Core Courses

The core series include four courses: systems anatomy (107), physiology I and II (111A and 111B), and physiology lab (111L), worth a total of 20 quarter units. These four courses are notorious for their difficulty, which is due not necessarily to the complexity of the material, but instead the sheer volume of material to be memorized for the exams. Exams tend to test small details that require knowing the material forwards and backwards-otherwise, you’ll walk out of each exam with the feeling that only those who “happened to study the right thing right before the exam” were the only ones who passed the class. These are the PhySci major core and foundation courses, worth 5-6 units each, and thus they should be viewed with that level of importance.

Upper-Division Elective Courses

Beyond the stipulated required courses, five upper-division PhySci electives are required for graduation. The very nice perk about the elective PhySci classes is that, generally, they-relative to the core curriculum-are much easier classes.

Examples of upper-division elective courses include:

Phy Sci M106 Neurobiology of Bias and Discrimination (4)
Phy Sci 108 Head and Neck Anatomy (4)
Phy Sci 120 Kidney: Development (4)
Phy Sci 121 Disease Mechanisms and Therapies (5)
Phy Sci 122 Biomed Tech and Physiology (4)
Phy Sci CM123 Neurobiology of Sleep (4)
Phy Sci 124 Molecular Biology of Aging (4)
Phy Sci 125 Molecular Systems Biology (5)
Phy Sci C126 Biological Clocks (4)
Phy Sci C127 Neuroendocrin. of Reproduction (4)
Phy Sci 128 Me, Myself & Microbes: The Microbiome in Health & Disease (5)
Phy Sci C130 Sex Differences in Physiology and Disease (4)
Phy Sci 135 Systems Modeling of Physio. Proc (5)
Phy Sci 136 Exercise & Cardiovascular Function (5)
Phy Sci 138 Neuromuscular Phys. & Adaptation (4)
Phy Sci M140 Hormones & Behavior (4)
Phy Sci C144 Neural Control of Phys. Systems (4)
Phy Sci M145 Neural Mech. Control. Movement (5)
Phy Sci 146 Prin. Of Nervous System Dev. (5)
Phy Sci 147 Neurobio of Learning & Memory (5)
Phy Sci 149 Human Metabolic Diseases (4)
Phy Sci C152 Musc. Anat., Phys., Biomech (5)
Phy Sci 153 Dissection Anatomy (5)
Phy Sci 155 Dev., Structure of Musc. Sys. (4)
Phy Sci 156 Mol Mech & Ther Musc Dystrophy (4)
Phy Sci 165 Comparative Animal Physiology (5)
Phy Sci 167 Physiology of Nutrition (4)
Phy Sci 173 Anat., Phys.

Research Opportunities

Eight units of research course 199 or four units each (total eight units) of 198A and 198B, for students in the departmental honors program, may be applied toward the elective requirement. One graduate course at the 200 level may be applied toward the elective requirement with departmental approval.

Each required and elective course must be taken for a letter grade, and a C average must be maintained in all upper division courses taken for the major.

Read also: Navigating Tech Breadth at UCLA

Sample Curriculum

Please note that your schedule doesn’t have to exactly match the sample schedules. These samples are merely suggestions to be used as guides with focus on a four-year graduation timeline. Students arrive at UCLA with different credit for Chemistry, Math etc., and different placement in each Life Science Core curriculum sequence that might influence their schedule. The sample curriculum options do not take into account upper division major requirements, minor, or double major program requirements. Requirements for the B.S.

Faculty

UCLA boasts a diverse faculty with expertise in various areas of physiological science. The professors are highly distinguished and knowledgeable in their respective fields, and many are involved in cutting-edge research. Students often find the faculty to be approachable and supportive throughout their academic journey. Keep in mind that, as with any large research university, the quality of instruction may vary, so it's essential to be proactive and utilize resources like office hours and study groups, to ensure you're grasping the material properly.

Career Preparation

The Physiological Science major offers a solid foundation for careers in healthcare, research, and related fields. Many graduates go on to pursue professional degrees in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or other health-related programs. Others choose to work in research laboratories or pursue graduate degrees in areas like physiology, neuroscience, or biomedical sciences. The curriculum's strong focus on research methods and analytic skills also prepares students well for careers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and other industry settings. Overall, with this major you have a wide range of options for both careers and further education.

Specifically, the major prepares students for careers in:

Medicine
Physical Therapy
Optometry
Pharmacology
Dentistry
Industrial Biotechnology
Biomedical Research
Public Health
Health Science Teaching

Additionally, UCLA provides resources such as career advising, internship opportunities, and pre-health organizations, which can help you explore your interests and prepare for your future career. Make sure you take advantage of these resources and engage with the broader UCLA community.

Read also: Understanding UCLA Counselors

Course Descriptions

Below are descriptions of various courses offered within the Physiological Science department at UCLA. These descriptions provide further insight into the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

Introductory Courses

3. Introduction to Human Physiology. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Not open to Physiological Science majors. Courses 3 and 5 may be taken independently, concurrently, or in either sequence. Understanding of human body, its organization from molecular to cellular to tissues and organs, and how component parts function in integrated manner to permit life as we know it.
5. Issues in Human Physiology: Diet and Exercise. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, 30 minutes; laboratory, 90 minutes. Not open to Physiological Science majors. Basic introduction to principles of human biology, with special emphasis on roles that exercise and nutrition play in health, and prevention and management of such illnesses as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease.
6. The Human Machine: Physiological Processes. (4) Not open to Physiological Science majors. General introduction to human musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems and their function, with special emphasis on mechanical and physiological aspects of homeostasis and environmental interaction. Application of physical principles in selected areas of biomechanics, hemodynamics, ergonomics, orthopedics, and robotics.
7. Science and Food: Physical and Molecular Origins of What We Eat. (5) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two and one half hours. Preparation: high school chemistry, mathematics, physics. What makes lettuce crispy and some cuts of meat chewier than others? Exploration of origins of food texture and flavor, using concepts in physical sciences to explain macroscopic properties such as elasticity and phase behavior, as well as physiological role of food molecules in plants and animals we eat.
13. Introduction to Human Anatomy. (5) Lecture, four hours; laboratory, five hours. Not open to Physiological Science majors. Structural survey of human body, including skeletomuscular, nervous, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and genitourinary systems. Laboratory includes examination of human cadaver specimens.
19. Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars. (1) Seminar, one hour. Discussion of and critical thinking about topics of current intellectual importance, taught by faculty members in their areas of expertise and illuminating many paths of discovery at UCLA.
89. Honors Seminars. (1) Seminar, three hours. Limited to 20 students. Designed as adjunct to lower-division lecture course. Exploration of topics in greater depth through supplemental readings, papers, or other activities and led by lecture course instructor. May be applied toward honors credit for eligible students. Honors content noted on transcript.
89HC. Honors Contracts. (1) Tutorial, three hours. Limited to students in College Honors Program. Designed as adjunct to lower-division lecture course. Individual study with lecture course instructor to explore topics in greater depth through supplemental readings, papers, or other activities. May be repeated for maximum of 4 units. Individual honors contract required. Honors content noted on transcript.
90. Introduction to Physiological Science. (2) Lecture, one hour; discussion, one hour. Limited to freshmen/sophomores. Introduction to current topics in physiological science by a team of departmental faculty members.
99. Student Research Program. (1 to 2) Tutorial (supervised research or other scholarly work), three hours per week per unit. Entry-level research for lower-division students under guidance of faculty mentor. Students must be in good academic standing and enrolled in minimum of 12 units (excluding this course). Individual contract required; consult Undergraduate Research Center. May be repeated.
100. Experimental Statistics. (4) Lecture, four hours. Introduction to statistics with focus on computer simulation instead of formulas. Bootstrap and Monte Carlo methods used to analyze physiological data.

Upper-Division Courses

M106. Neurobiology of Bias and Discrimination. (4) (Same as Neuroscience M187 and Psychology M166.) Lecture, four hours. Limited to junior/senior neuroscience, physiological science, and psychology students. Exploration of aspects of mammalian brain function that generate preference, bias, and discrimination. Consideration of research at multiple levels of analysis from genetics to neural circuits to behavior. Discussion of societal implications of these research findings, including their relevance to public policies and criminal justice system.
107. Systems Anatomy. (5) Lecture, four hours; laboratory, three hours; tutorial, two hours. Requisites: Life Sciences 2 or 7C, and Physics 1A, 5A, or 6A. Students must receive a grade of C or better to proceed to next course in series. Systems anatomy focused primarily on human anatomy. Topics include cardiorespiratory, reproductive, nervous, and skeletomuscular systems, with introduction to biomechanical principles.
108. Head and Neck Anatomy: Evolutionary, Biomechanical, Developmental, and Clinical Approach. (4) Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Requisite: course 107. Strongly recommended: course 153. Prior to first meeting, students must complete Bloodborne Pathogens training course through UCLA Environment, Health and Safety. Introduction to head and neck anatomy. Dissection of head and neck, with focus on vasculature, innervation, and musculature to put them in three-dimensional context. Coverage of evolutionary, developmental, physiological, and biomechanical aspects of skull, including comparative anatomy of other vertebrate skulls, dental evolution and mechanics, respiratory anatomy, and developmental origins of head structures.
111A-111B. Foundations in Physiological Science. (6-6) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours. Letter grading. 111A. Requisites: course 107, Chemistry 14C or 30A, Life Sciences 1, 2, 3, 4, 23L, Physics 1B or 5C or 6B. Students must receive grade of C or better to proceed to next course in series. Introduction to principles of muscular and neural physiology, including factors controlling membrane excitability, neuronal circuits, sensorimotor regulation, special senses, cortical functions, and neuronal plasticity. 111B. Requisites: course 111A, Chemistry 14D or 30B. Students must receive grade of C or better to proceed to next course in series.
111L. Physiological Science Laboratory. (3) Laboratory, four hours. Requisites: courses 111A and 111B, with grades of C− or better. Required of Physiological Science majors. Designed to illustrate physiological principles studied in courses 111A, 111B.
120. Kidney: Understanding It from Development to Disease to Therapy. (4) Lecture, three hours. Enforced requisites: courses 111A, 111B. Review of knowledge of basic renal function, with emphasis on broad range of renal diseases and their molecular mechanisms. Introduction to research methods typically employed in studies of kidney and exploration of state-of-art research on kidney repair and regeneration.
121. Disease Mechanisms and Therapies. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Chemistry 153A, and Life Sciences 2, 3, and 4 or 7A, 7B, and 7C. Designed for junior/senior Biochemistry and life sciences majors. Use of disease mechanisms as pedagogical tools to develop higher-order knowledge of basic scientific concepts. Integration of concepts from genetics, molecular and cell biology, physiology, and biochemistry to create molecular solutions to problem of inherited neuromuscular disease.
122. Biomedical Technology and Physiology. (4) Lecture, four hours. Requisites: courses 111A, 111B, Life Sciences 2 or 7C, Physics 1A, 1B, and 1C, or 5A, 5B, and 5C, or 6A, 6B, and 6C. Developments in biotechnology and their impact on diagnosis and treatment of disease, basic engineering principles, and designs that lend themselves to deciphering physiological states, and application of new technologies in clinical practice and biomedical research.
CM123. Neurobiology of Sleep. (4) (Same as Neuroscience CM123.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses M101A and M101B or 111A and 111B or consent of instructor. Detailed look into science of sleep. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of falling asleep, many discrete brain structures involved in control of sleep wakefulness, and homeostatic regulation of sleep. How our sleep needs shaped by our evolutionary history, age, and gender. Latest insights into question of function of sleep, critical role sleep plays in memory formation and, close association between sleep and metabolism. Sleep disorders are considered as they provide insights into mechanisms underlying sleep. For background on science of sleep and circadian rhythms, completion of course C126 is highly recommended. Concurrently scheduled with course CM223.
124. Molecular Biology of Aging. (4) Lecture, three hours. Requisites: Chemistry 153A, Life Sciences 1, 2, 3, 4, and 23L, or 7A, 7B, 7C, and 23L. Discoveries of new science of aging biology, with examination of aging as plastic trait modulated by genes and physiological processes. Discussion of how these findings integrate with both nutritional modulation of lifespan and complex and profound relationship between underlying aging process and diseases of aging. Topics include dietary restriction, mitochondria, insulin/IGF signaling, and link between tumor suppression and organismal aging.
125. Molecular Systems Biology. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Life Sciences 2, 3, 4, and 23L, or 7A, 7B, 7C, and 23L. Quantitative description of molecular systems that underlie myriad phenotypes in living cells. Topics include various -omics fields and high-throughput technologies, network biology, and synthetic biology. Introductory lectures on molecular biology, emerging bioinformatic approaches, and systems modeling integrated with discussions of their applications in disease-related research. Review of recent literature to gain overall perspectives about new science of systems biology.
C126. Biological Clocks. (4) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: courses 111A and 111B, or M180A and M180B. Most organisms, including humans, exhibit daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. In many cases these rhythms are generated from within organisms and are called circadian rhythms. Biological basis of these daily rhythms or circadian oscillations. Exploration of molecular, cellular, and system-level organization of these timing systems. Temporal role of these variations in maintaining homeostatic mechanisms of body and impact on nervous system. Concurrently scheduled with course C226.
C127. Neuroendocrinology of Reproduction. (4) Lecture, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 111B. Understanding of reproductive neuroendocrinology throughout mammalian lifespan, with emphasis as appropriate on human condition. Discussion of general concepts of endocrine feedback and feed-forward loops, sexual differentiation, and structure and function for components of hypothalamo-pituitary gonadal axis. Exploration of sex differences in physiology and disease. Concurrently scheduled with course CM227.
128. Me, Myself, and Microbes: The Microbiome in Health and Disease. (5) Lecture, four hours; discussion, 90 minutes. Requisites: course 107 or Chemistry 153A, Life Sciences 2 and 3, or 7A, 7B, and 7C. Exploration of host-microbiome interactions in health and disease, drawing upon basic properties for microbial communities, intersections with immunology, metabolism, and neurobiology.
C130. Sex Differences in Physiology and Disease. (4) Lecture, three hours. Requisites: course 111B, Life Sciences 7A, 7B, 7C. Investigation of biological origins of sex differences in physiology (mostly vertebrate), and susceptibility to disease, including history of development of concepts to define sex, and interface between biological factors and effects of gendered environments. Topics include evolution of sex chromosomes, molecular and environmental determination of gonadal type, dosage compensation, gonadal steroid hormone effects on tissues, physiology of reproduction as it applies to sex differences, interaction of genetic and environmental factors in differentiation of two sexes, defining sex and gender, gendered environments and their influence on physiology, and politics of financial support for research of sex and gender differences in disease. Concurrently scheduled with course C230.
M135. Dynamical Systems Modeling of Physiological Processes. (5) (Formerly numbered 135.) (Same as Neuroscience M135.) Lecture, four hours; laboratory, two hours. Examination of art of making and evaluating dynamical models of physiological systems and of dynamical principles inherent in physiological systems.
136. Exercise and Cardiovascular Function. (5) Lecture, four hours. Requisite: course 111B.
138. Neuromuscular Physiology and Adaptation. (4) Requisites: course 111B, Chemistry 153A.
M140. Hormones and Behavior in Humans and Other Animals. (4) (Same as Anthropology M128R and Society and Genetics M140.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Examination of hormones, and physiology and genetics involved in hormonal processes and function. Interactions among hormonal levels, environmental stimuli, and behavior. Sexual behavior, pregnancy, and lactation, parental behavior, development and emigration, stress, social behavior, dominance relationships, aggression, chemical communication, and reproductive suppression. Critique of primary literature on behavioral endocrinology about humans and other species. Consideration of spectrum of noninvasive to highly invasive endocrine sampling methods, and which types of questions can be answered in laboratory and field, as well as ethics of hormonal studies and their implications for humans and other animals.
C144. Neural Control of Physiological Systems. (4) Lecture, four hours. Requisite: course 111B or M180B. Role of central nervous system in control of respiration, circulation, sexual function, and bladder control. Material for each section to be developed by combination of lecture and open discussion. Concurrently scheduled with course C244.
M145. Neural Mechanisms Controlling Movement. (5) (Same as Neuroscience M145.) Lecture, four hours. Requisite: course 111A or M180A or Neuroscience M101A. Examination of central nervous system organization required for production of complex movements such as locomotion, mastication, and swallowing.
146. Principles of Nervous System Development. (5) Lecture, three hours; discussion, 90 minutes. Requisites: courses 107 (or Neuroscience 102) and 111A (or M180A, Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology M175A, Neuroscience M101A, or Psychology M117A). Examination of construction of vertebrate nervous system as series of integrated steps beginning with several embryonic cells and culminating as complex highly ordered system. Topics include neurulation, regionalization, neurogenesis, migration, axonal outgrowth, and synapse formation.
147. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. (5) Lecture, … (Incomplete description in source material)

tags: #phy #sci #ucla #overview