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.

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.

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

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 40A (Formerly CHEM 140A), CHEM 40B (Formerly CHEM 140B), CHEM 40C (Formerly CHEM 140C), CHEM 43A (Formerly CHEM 143A)
  • 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 40A (Formerly CHEM 140A), CHEM 40B (Formerly CHEM 140B), CHEM 40C (Formerly CHEM 140C), CHEM 43A (Formerly CHEM 143A)
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 40A (Formerly CHEM 140A), CHEM 40B (Formerly CHEM 140B), CHEM 40C (Formerly CHEM 140C), CHEM 43A (Formerly CHEM 143A)
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 40A (Formerly CHEM 140A), CHEM 40B (Formerly CHEM 140B), CHEM 40C (Formerly CHEM 140C), CHEM 43A (Formerly CHEM 143A)
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Required:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • CHEM 40A (Formerly CHEM 140A), CHEM 40B (Formerly CHEM 140B), CHEM 40C (Formerly CHEM 140C), CHEM 43A (Formerly CHEM 143A)
  • PHYS 1A & PHYS 1B or PHYS 2A & PHYS 2B
  • MATH 10A & MATH 10B or MATH 20A & MATH 20B

Computer Science and Engineering

Required for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • 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 for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • 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 for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Two courses chosen from PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, CHEM 6A or CHEM 6AH, CHEM 6B or CHEM 6BH, BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, and BICD 100
  • 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 for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • Two courses chosen from PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, CHEM 6A or CHEM 6AH, CHEM 6B or CHEM 6BH, BILD 1, BILD 2, BILD 3, and BICD 100
  • CSE 8B or 11 and, CSE 12 and, CSE 20
Required for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • BILD 1 or BILD 3
  • 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 for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
  • BILD 1 or BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A
  • CSE 8B or 11 and, CSE 12 and, CSE 20

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, the minimum will be CSE 8A, CSE 8B, or CSE 11.

Economics

Required for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • 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.
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • 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 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:
  • ECON 1, ECON 3
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • All courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or higher
  • Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.3 in these courses
Recommended:

We recommend students also take MATH 18, MATH 20C, and ECON 4 as these classes are also requirements for UC San Diego Management Science majors.

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • 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.
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 for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • BILD 1, BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 10A, MATH 10B
    or
    MATH 20A, MATH 20B
Recommended:
  • PHYS 2A
  • ECON 1
Required for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • BILD 3
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
Recommended:
  • Math 20C
  • PHYS 2C
  • ECON 1
Required for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • 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 for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • 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:
  • 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
Required:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • CHEM 6A
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C

NanoEngineering

Required for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C, PHYS 2CL
Required for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C

Public Health

Required for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C
Required for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C
  • MATH 10A/20A, MATH 10B/20B
Required for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • CHEM 6A, CHEM 6B, CHEM 6C, CHEM 7L

Physics

Required for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.2 in minimum screening courses
Recommended for Fall 2022 & 2023 Admission:
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
Required for Fall 2022 Admissions:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.2 in minimum screening courses
Recommended for Fall 2022 & 2023 Admission:
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
Required for Fall 2022 Admissions:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.2 in minimum screening courses
Recommended for Fall 2022 & 2023 Admission:
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
Required for Fall 2022 Admissions:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.2 in minimum screening courses
Recommended for Fall 2022 & 2023 Admission:
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
  • Also CHEM 6A-B-C, 7L, 40A, and BILD 1-2 (Biophysics only)
Required for Fall 2022 Admissions:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.2 in minimum screening courses
Recommended for Fall 2022 & 2023 Admission:
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
Required for Fall 2022 Admissions:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.2 in minimum screening courses
Recommended for Fall 2022 & 2023 Admission:
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
  • Also SIO 50 (Earth Sciences only)
Required for Fall 2022 Admissions:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • MATH 18, MATH 20A, MATH 20B, MATH 20C, MATH 20D
  • PHYS 2A, PHYS 2B, PHYS 2C
  • Minimum GPA of 3.2 in minimum screening courses
Recommended for Fall 2022 & 2023 Admission:
  • PHYS 2CL, PHYS 2D, PHYS 2DL, and one programming course
  • Also CHEM 6A-B (Materials only)

Rady School of Management

Required for Fall 2022 Admission:
  • 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.
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • 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 for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • Math 20A, Math 20B, Math 20C
Recommended for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • 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 for Fall 2023 Admissions:
  • Math 20A, Math 20B, Math 20C, Math 20D and Math 18
  • Phys 2A, Phys 2B, Phys 2C and Phys 2CL
  • Chem 6A
Recommended for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • Phys 2BL, 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, PHYS 2CL
Recommended:
  • SE 9, SE 101A

Urban Studies and Planning

Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • ECON/MGT 4
  • MGT 5
  • ECON 1
  • MATH 10A or 20A
Required for Fall 2023 Admission:
  • POLI 30D or PSYC 60 or SOCI 60