Transfer Major Preparation

Students planning to transfer must complete the minimum major preparation coursework to be considered for admission into the majors listed below. Any major not listed below does not require screening for minimum major preparation; however, applicants are encouraged to complete major preparation. Applicants for the following departments will be screened for the number of preparatory courses completed, the grades earned in that coursework and the cumulative GPA. All major preparation screening courses must be completed with a C (2.0) or better grade unless otherwise noted.

Visit assist.org to find the complete listing of major preparation and transferable courses at your California community college. Please note that the courses listed on assist.org are for preparation for your major. The courses for the majors listed below are the minimum screening requirements for admission into that major.

To find a listing of UC San Diego course descriptions, please visit the General Catalog.

Required minimum transfer major preparation must be completed by the end of the spring term prior to fall admission.

Major Requirements

Select your department from the dropdown list below to more easily find your major.

Anthropology

Two courses of general biology:
  • BILD 1, 2
Three courses of general chemistry:
  • Chem 6A, B, C
Three courses of mathematics/statistics:
  • Choose two of these courses: Math 10A, B, C or Math 20A, B, C
  • Choose one of these courses: Math 11 or Psych 60
One course in Anthropology:
  • ANTH 2 (Human Origins)
One course in Anthropology or Psychology or Sociology from the list below:
  • ANTH 43 (Introduction to the Biology and Culture of Race)
  • ANTH 42 (Primates in a Human-Dominated World)
  • ANTH 5 (The Human Machine: Skeleton Within)
  • SOCI 70 (Sociology for Pre-medical Students)
  • PSYC 1 (Psychology)

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Recommended:
  • MATH 20E
  • PHYS 2D

Bioengineering

Required:
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2BL, PHYS 2CL
Required:
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
Required:
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
Required:
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2CL

Biology

Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation

Chemical and NanoEngineering

Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C, PHYS 2CL
EFFECTIVE FALL 2026:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C, PHYS 2CL
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
EFFECTIVE FALL 2026:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 41A (Formerly CHEM 40A), CHEM 41B (Formerly CHEM 40B), CHEM 41C (Formerly CHEM 40C), and CHEM 43A
  • PHYS 1A & PHYS 1B or PHYS 2A & PHYS 2B
  • MATH 10A & MATH 10B or MATH 20A & MATH 20B
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 41A (Formerly CHEM 40A), CHEM 41B (Formerly CHEM 40B), CHEM 41C (Formerly CHEM 40C), and CHEM 43A
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 41A (Formerly CHEM 40A), CHEM 41B (Formerly CHEM 40B), CHEM 41C (Formerly CHEM 40C), and CHEM 43A
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 41A (Formerly CHEM 40A), CHEM 41B (Formerly CHEM 40B), CHEM 41C (Formerly CHEM 40C), and CHEM 43A
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 41A (Formerly CHEM 40A), CHEM 41B (Formerly CHEM 40B), CHEM 41C (Formerly CHEM 40C), and CHEM 43A
  • PHYS 1A & PHYS 1B or PHYS 2A & PHYS 2B
  • MATH 10A & MATH 10B or MATH 20A & MATH 20B

Computer Science and Engineering

Required:

  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C

  • One course chosen from PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 4A, PHYS 4B, CHEM 6A or CHEM 6AH, CHEM 6B or CHEM 6BH, BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, BICD 100, BIMM 101, BIMM 121, COGS 107A, COGS 107B, COGS 115, ESYS 101, HDS 110, SIO 126, or SIO 128

  • CSE 8B or 11 and, CSE 12 and, CSE 20

Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • CSE 8B or 11 and, CSE 12 and, CSE 20
Required:

  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C

  • One course chosen from PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 4A, PHYS 4B, CHEM 6A or CHEM 6AH, CHEM 6B or CHEM 6BH, BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, BICD 100, BIMM 101, BIMM 121, COGS 107A, COGS 107B, COGS 115, ESYS 101, HDS 110, SIO 126, or SIO 128

  • CSE 8B or 11 and, CSE 12 and, CSE 20
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • BILD 1 or BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A
  • CSE 8B or 11 and, CSE 12

Data Science

Required:
  • MATH 18 – Linear Algebra
  • MATH 20A – Calculus I – for Science and Engineering
  • MATH 20B – Calculus II – for Science and Engineering
  • MATH 20C – Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering
  • Minimum of one programming course in Java, C, C++, or Python. For colleges with ASSIST articulation agreements, we recommend that students take programming courses which articulate to CSE 8A, CSE 8B, or CSE 11.

Economics

Required:
  • MATH 20A (or 10A)*, MATH 20B (or 10B)*
  • ECON 1 or ECON 3
  • MGT 45
    or
    ECON/MGT 4 and MGT 5
  • Students must earn a C- or better in each class
  • Students must have a minimum 2.3 overall GPA across the major preparation classes.
Recommended:

*We recommend students take the math sequence required for the STEM majors if two math sequences are available at the community college (equivalent to UC San Diego's Math 20 series).

We recommend students also take MATH 20C (or 10C) as this class is a requirement for UC San Diego Business Economics majors.

Required:
  • ECON 1, ECON 3
  • MATH 20A (or 10A)*
  • MATH 20B (or 10B)*
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.3 in these courses
Recommended:

*We recommend students take the math sequence required for the STEM majors if two math sequences are available at the community college (equivalent to UC San Diego’s Math 20 series).

We recommend students also take MATH 20C (or 10C) as this class is a requirement for UC San Diego Economics majors.

Required:
  • ECON 1, ECON 3
  • MATH 20A (or 10A)*
  • MATH 20B (or 10B)*
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.3 in these courses
Recommended:

*We recommend students take the math sequence required for the STEM majors if two math sequences are available at the community college (equivalent to UC San Diego’s Math 20 series).

We recommend students also take MATH 20C (or 10C) as this class is a requirement for UC San Diego Economics majors.

Required:
  • ECON 1, ECON 3
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.3 in these courses

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • CSE 8B or 11 and, CSE 12 and, CSE 20
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • CHEM 6A
  • Minimum of one programming course in Java, C, or C++. For colleges with ASSIST articulation agreements, the minimum will be CSE 8A, CSE 8B, or CSE 11.
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • CHEM 6A
  • Minimum of one programming course in Java, C, or C++. For colleges with ASSIST articulation agreements, the minimum will be CSE 8A, CSE 8B, or CSE 11.
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • CHEM 6A
  • Minimum of one programming course in Java, C, or C++. For colleges with ASSIST articulation agreements, the minimum will be CSE 8A, CSE 8B, or CSE 11.

Environmental Systems

(Scripps Institute of Oceanography)
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Recommended:
  • PHYS 1A
  • ECON 1
Required:
  • BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
Recommended:
  • Math 20C
  • PHYS 2C
  • ECON 1
Required:
  • BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
Recommended:
  • Math 20C
  • PHYS 2C, PHYS 2CL
  • ECON 1
Required:
  • ECON 1
  • BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Recommended:
  • ECON 2
  • PHYS 1A

Mathematics

Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 4
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
Required:
  • ECON 1, ECON 3
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.3 in these courses
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C, PHYS 2CL
Recommended:
  • MAE 8
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Recommended:
  • MAE 8
  • MAE 20
  • MAE 40

Public Health

To learn more, please visit the Public Health website.
2 required Biology courses from the approved list must be completed for admission:
  • BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, BILD 10, BILD 12/COGS 17, BILD 18, BILD 20, BILD 22, BILD 26, BILD 28, BILD 30, BILD 32, BILD 36, BILD 38, BILD 44, BILD 60, BILD 61
1 required Statistics course from the approved list:
  • COGS 14B, HDS 60, MATH 11, PSYC 60
  • BILD 1, 2, 3 course equivalents
  • MATH 20A and MATH 20B course equivalents
  • MATH 11 course equivalent
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 10A/20A, MATH 10B/20B
  • BILD 1, 2, 3 course equivalents
  • MATH 11 course equivalent
2 required Biology courses from the approved list must be completed for admission:
  • BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, BILD 10, BILD 12/COGS 17, BILD 18, BILD 20, BILD 22, BILD 26, BILD 28, BILD 30, BILD 32, BILD 36, BILD 38, BILD 44, BILD 60, BILD 61
1 required Statistics course from the approved list:
  • COGS 14B, HDS 60, MATH 11, PSYC 60
  • BILD 1, 2, 3 course equivalents
1 required Statistics course from the approved list:
  • COGS 14B, HDS 60, MATH 11, PSYC 60
2 required Biology courses from the approved list must be completed for admission:
  • BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, BILD 10, BILD 12/COGS 17, BILD 18, BILD 20, BILD 22, BILD 26, BILD 28, BILD 30, BILD 32, BILD 36, BILD 38, BILD 44, BILD 60, BILD 61
1 required Statistics course from the approved list:
  • COGS 14B, HDS 60, MATH 11, PSYC 60
  • BILD 1, 2, 3 course equivalents
  • CHEM 6ABC, 7L course equivalents
  • MATH 10A/20A, MATH 10B/20B
1 required Statistics course from the approved list:
  • COGS 14B, HDS 60, MATH 11, PSYC 60

Physics

EFFECTIVE FALL 2025
REQUIRED:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 in minimum screening courses
Recommended:
  • MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course

UC San Diego also requires completion of the Physics 4 series for transfer students after enrolling at UC San Diego. Additional details regarding the Physics 4 series are available via the UC San Diego General Catalog at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/PHYS.html.

EFFECTIVE FALL 2025
REQUIRED:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 in minimum screening courses
Recommended:
  • MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course

UC San Diego also requires completion of the Physics 4 series for transfer students after enrolling at UC San Diego. Additional details regarding the Physics 4 series are available via the UC San Diego General Catalog at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/PHYS.html.

EFFECTIVE FALL 2025
REQUIRED:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 in minimum screening courses
Recommended:
  • MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course

UC San Diego also requires completion of the Physics 4 series for transfer students after enrolling at UC San Diego. Additional details regarding the Physics 4 series are available via the UC San Diego General Catalog at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/PHYS.html.

EFFECTIVE FALL 2025
REQUIRED:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 in minimum screening courses
Recommended:
  • MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
  • Also CHEM 6A-B-C, 7L, 40A, and BILD 1-2 (Biophysics only)

UC San Diego also requires completion of the Physics 4 series for transfer students after enrolling at UC San Diego. Additional details regarding the Physics 4 series are available via the UC San Diego General Catalog at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/PHYS.html.

EFFECTIVE FALL 2025
REQUIRED:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 in minimum screening courses
Recommended:
  • MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course

UC San Diego also requires completion of the Physics 4 series for transfer students after enrolling at UC San Diego. Additional details regarding the Physics 4 series are available via the UC San Diego General Catalog at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/PHYS.html.

EFFECTIVE FALL 2025
REQUIRED:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 in minimum screening courses
Recommended:
  • MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
  • Also SIO 50 (Earth Sciences only)

UC San Diego also requires completion of the Physics 4 series for transfer students after enrolling at UC San Diego. Additional details regarding the Physics 4 series are available via the UC San Diego General Catalog at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/PHYS.html.

EFFECTIVE FALL 2025
REQUIRED:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.0 in minimum screening courses
Recommended:
  • MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
  • Also CHEM 6A-B (Materials only)

UC San Diego also requires completion of the Physics 4 series for transfer students after enrolling at UC San Diego. Additional details regarding the Physics 4 series are available via the UC San Diego General Catalog at https://catalog.ucsd.edu/courses/PHYS.html.

Rady School of Management

Required:
  • MATH 20A (or 10A)*, MATH 20B (or 10B)*
  • ECON 1 or ECON 3
  • MGT 45
    or
    ECON/MGT 4 and MGT 5
  • Students must earn a C- or better in each class
  • Students must have a minimum 2.3 overall GPA across the major preparation classes.
Recommended:

*We recommend students take the math sequence required for the STEM majors if two math sequences are available at the community college (equivalent to UC San Diego's Math 20 series).

We recommend students also take MATH 20C (or 10C) as this class is a requirement for UC San Diego Business Economics majors.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Required:
  • Math 20A, Math 20B, Math 20C
Recommended:
  • Phys 2A, Phys 2B, Phys 2C
  • Chem 6A, Chem 6B, Chem 6C
Required:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in these courses
  • AP/IB credit will count toward course requirements but will not be factored into GPA calculation
Required:
  • Math 20A, 20B, 20C
  • Physics 2A, 2B, 2C
  • Chem 6A
Recommended:
  • Math 20D, Math 18
  • Phys 2BL, Phys 2CL
  • Chem 6B, Chem 6C, Chem 7L

Structural Engineering

Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C, PHYS 2BL
Recommended:
  • SE 9, SE 101A

Urban Studies and Planning

Required:
  • ECON/MGT 4
  • ECON 1
  • MATH 10A or 20A
RECOMMENDED:
  • MGT 5
    We recommend students also take MGT 5 as this class is a requirement for UC San Diego Real Estate and Development majors.

Admissions Information

We're looking for your insatiable curiosity and drive to build a better world. Many of our transfer students come from community colleges across California. Others arrive from colleges and universities across the country and around the world, ready to join a student body that thrives on challenging assumptions and overturning the status quo.

Requirements

Timeline

Review

Major Preparation

Transfer Planning

UniversityLink