Program Overview

Global Disease Biology Program

The Global Disease Biology program at the University of California, Davis, is an interdisciplinary major that allows students to study disease and its relationship to the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment in a global context. This program uses an interdisciplinary approach to advance understanding of diseases, societal and personal impacts, and the science behind discoveries, causes, evolution, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases.

Major Requirements

• Students will engage in a broad range of preparatory scientific coursework and global disease biology classes, such as epidemiology and disease ecology.
• Core classes are interdisciplinary and focus on concepts that span the breadth of human, animal, and plant diseases, providing a unifying ecological and quantitative perspective of disease.
• Flexibility in upper division electives allows students to explore specific areas of interest in depth.
• A strong research component includes a senior project designed to bridge disciplines within the major.

Careers

• Epidemiologist
• Food Safety Specialist
• Genetic Counselor
• Health Policy Analyst
• Physician
• Plant Pathologist
• Public Health Official
• Science Writer
• Veterinarian

Graduate Study

• Public health
• Education
• Medicine
• Veterinary medicine
• Law
• Plant pathology

Alumni Employers

• Genentech
• Kaiser Permanente
• ScribeAmerica
• California Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Toxic Substances Control
• California Department of Public Health

Related Degrees

• Animal Biology
• Molecular and Medical Microbiology (formerly Microbiology)
• Biological Sciences

Program Features

• Internship opportunities: Explore internships and jobs on campus and beyond.
• Course roadmap: Find the detailed course requirements for your program and map out your path to graduation.
• Faculty collaboration: Our undergraduates work directly with our faculty through research projects and labs.
• Global learning programs: Expand your horizons by studying abroad or pursuing global learning on campus.
• Undergraduate research: Get hands-on with your interests. Participate in one of our hundreds of research opportunities.
• Career connections: Learn how to connect your GDB major to a career.