Admitted Student Resources

Program Start Date: Thursday, August 8, 2024

Please plan to attend the program starting on Thursday, August 8, 2024 for the Master of Translational Medicine Orientation August 8, 2024 and August 9, 2024 (in person and limited online events), followed by 8 days of instruction for the required Engineering Leadership Fall Boot Camp: ENGIN 270A (Organizational Behavior & Negotiations) and ENGIN 270B (R&D Technology Management & Ethics) August 13-22, 2024 (in person and online sections). This is almost two weeks before the official start of the UC Berkeley instruction.

Classes begin at UCSF in early September before the official start of the fall quarter at UC San Francisco.

Each semester begins with two units of Engineering Leadership courses that are offered in a daily intensive format before the start of each semester. Please be prepared to start each semester early; MEng leadership boot camp courses run August 13-22, 2024 (in person and online) and January 6-16, 2025, no Fridays (Online & In-person options available)

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The schedule may seem a little tricky being on the semester and quarter system at the same time, but it is mapped out here.

Classes at UCSF happen on Wednesdays and the rest of the week you will be at UC Berkeley for courses.

After January, UCB spring semester overlaps with the Winter and Spring quarters at UCSF.

UC Berkeley enrollment information, including how to enroll in Fall Boot Camp Courses will be shared with new students over the summer. The earliest enrollment window phases open is mid-July for all new UC Berkeley graduate students. For UCSF, we will be setting up a course schedule for you to accept in the UCSF enrollment system.

All students enrolled in the joint MTM program are students at both the UC Berkeley and UCSF campuses, but each student is assigned to and pays tuition and fees directly to one home campus. Berkeley-based students pay tuition and fees in two installments (fall and spring semesters), while UCSF-based students pay in three installments (fall, winter, and spring quarters). Admitted students will be informed of their home campus assignment after admissions decisions are released.

For the most up-to-date tuition and fees at the two campuses, visit the following Office of the Registrar websites:

• UCB – Translational Medicine (under Graduate: Professional – College of Engineering)
• UCSF – Translational Medicine (Joint UCSF/UCB program) – MTM

Though tuition and fees are slightly higher at UC Berkeley, the program issues an award at the beginning of the year to Berkeley-based students to cover the difference between UCSF and UC Berkeley rates. Please note that tuition and fee estimates do not include cost of living and other associated expenses. Continue to the section below for more information on budgeting for other expenses.

After the April 15th acceptance deadline, MTM will survey all accepted students about their preference for home campus (either UCB or UCSF) and assignments will be made shortly after.

MTM allows students to request to defer admission under extenuating circumstances such as difficulties getting a visa. We also understand that your life circumstances may change, such as a change in financial support. Deferrals are not guaranteed. If you accept your admissions offer, you must request to defer by May 15th.

Check out the Berkeley Graduate Division website and the UCSF Graduate Division website. You will find a vast resource guide for new students as well as the graduate student handbook.

Please work with the Berkeley International Office (BIO)  or San Francisco International Student and Scholars Office for visa, arrival, and orientation assistance. Student visas will allow students to enter the country up to 30 days in advance of the date on your NIF/I-20.

Stay up to date on immigration policies.

The Berkeley Graduate Division has provided tips on finding housing in the Bay Area for those who want to live in East Bay.

UCSF Housing has apartments that you are eligible to apply for. Your classes at UCSF are held at the Mission Bay campus if you wanted to live closer to them.

Finding an option that works for you to get to/from your house and the two campuses will take some time, practice, and trial and error. Here we offer some recommendations and resources for commuting. We encourage you to try out different options before classes start to make sure you’re comfortable with the commuting alternatives.

Getting between Berkeley and UCSF

• • The AC Transit Transbay lines run from the East Bay to downtown SF, and drop off at the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown SF.
    • The F line connects Berkeley campus and the Salesforce Transit Center in downtown SF, so may be a good option. There are several other lines that connect Richmond, El Cerrito, Albany, Oakland, and other East Bay cities that may be more convenient depending on where you live.
    • The Salesforce Transit Center is about 2 miles from the Mission Bay Campus, so if you’re taking AC Transit, you’ll need to figure out that leg to/from UCSF. Some people bring their bikes on the bus and ride to Mission Bay.  Some folks walk, though that takes about 45 minutes to get from the transit center to campus. Others take Muni to get from the transit center to Mission Bay. You can enter “Salesforce Transit Center to UCSF Mission Bay” in Google Maps and select the public transit option to see what Muni routes are preferable and available at certain times.
    • Note: the EasyPass Clipper Card, which you can pick up at the Cal1 office, gives you access to unlimited free rides on AC Transit (the Transbay lines and any other routes).
  • Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is a train system that connects much of the Bay Area. It’s one option for getting back and forth from Berkeley to UCSF.
    • Downtown Berkeley is the closest stop to the Berkeley campus.
    • 16th & Mission is the closest stop to UCSF Mission Bay campus.
    • UCSF operates a shuttle line (Red) that connect the 16th & Mission BART stop with the Mission Bay Campus. You can check out the other shuttle lines and timetables here.
  • Some MTM students have set up carpools and split the cost of gas/tolls/parking as a group.

Getting Around UC Berkeley

• • Bear Transit is the university-run shuttle system at Berkeley. They have many different lines around campus and even out to Richmond, many stop at the Downtown Berkeley BART station. You can access maps and schedules at the link above.
  • Night Safety at UC Berkeley provides some nighttime options for shuttles and walking escorts
    • UC Berkeley’s Night Safety Shuttle runs until 3am to residential halls and locations across campus
    • BEARWALK Escort & Door to Door Service – call (510) 642–9255
  • AC Transit operates many lines in addition to the Transbay routes. You can learn more about the different routes and timelines on their website, or by downloading their app. They have a trip planner on their website too.

Getting Around SF

• • Muni is a network of buses, trains, and trolleys that covers much of SF.
  • UCSF operates several shuttle lines, which are all free to ride as a student with your UCSF WeID. You can find maps and timetables here.
  • BART is another good way to travel to different places in SF.

There are multiple spaces that MTM students have access to across both campuses that can be used for independent and group study space, meetings etc.

UC Berkeley MTM ONLY Student Space – Donner Hall 208

UC Berkeley 4th Floor Sudartja Dai Hall – Shared Space
Meeting Space, Couches, bookable conference rooms, small kitchen, study space

UCSF MTM Student Space – Genentech Hall N443

UCSF Bioengineering Student Lounge. Byers Hall 217 (BH 217)

Ready to launch your career? Both campuses have a plethora of resources to assist you.

• Berkeley Career Center – provides career development support for all UC Berkeley students. They host some general career search/strategy workshops. You can also schedule appointments to meet with their staff.
  • Handshake – this is the recruiting platform that the Berkeley Career Center hosts. They post lots of job openings here, and the platform also allows you to schedule interviews and register for campus recruiting and career fair events. It’s a great way to connect with UC Berkeley alumni and hiring managers.
• UCSF Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) – this office provides professional development support to all UCSF students. They host some workshops, and you can meet with career counselors 1:1
  • UCSF Connect – this is a platform hosted by the UCSF OCPD for you to connect and network with UCSF alumni. They also post information on open jobs, internships, and campus events.
  • The UCSF OCPD also hosts this job board
• Fung Institute Career Development – all MTM students have access to the career services and programming provided by the Fung Institute.
  • You can schedule a 1:1 career advising appointment with the Fung Institute career services team
  • FI Connect is the Fung Institute’s networking platform. You can connect with Berkeley alumni and register for the Fung’s upcoming career events
• Business Cards: You can order MTM branded business cards here through UC Print at your expense.

Student Wellbeing is important to us. There are resources of both campuses ready to help.

• UCSF Student Health and Counseling Services
• University Health Services at UC Berkeley
• Basic Needs and Food Security for students at UCSF
• Basic Needs Center at UC Berkeley
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at UC Berkeley
• Graduate Student Wellness Specialist, Dr. Amy Honingman (ahonigman@berkeley.edu), welcomes emails from students and is happy to share resources
• LQBTQIA+ Health Care at UCSF
• recalibrate at UC Berkeley
• Resources for addressing sexual violence & sexual harassment

Looking at being an entrepreneur? The dual campus ecosystem will be of immense value to you running workshops, lectures, networking events etc to help you succeed.

• UCSF Innovation Ventures
• UCSF Health Hub
• UCSF Surgical Innovations
• UCSF-Stanford Pediatric Device Consortium
• UC Berkeley Gateway to Innovation