Molecular and Cellular Biology Merit Program for Emerging Scholars

The MCB Merit program is designed for academically high achieving students that are either from small schools or are from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. We use ACT score and class rank as some of the determining factors for academic achievement. The purpose of the program is to foster the development of peer communities while engaging students in collaborative learning.

Collaborative learning is a nontraditional style of teaching and learning. Instead of having an instructor lead the class, students work in groups to solve problems while the instructor assumes the role of facilitator. As such, students are expected to come to class prepared and must participate wholly in class activities.

MCB merit workshops are separate from the regular class activities. The workshops require an additional two hours a week in class. For these two hours, a student earns one hour of either MCB 199 or 299 credit. They are also assigned a letter grade for the workshop.