Degree Requirements for Transfer Students

University Requirements

Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR)

The University of California requires all undergraduate students (including international students) to demonstrate a minimum proficiency in English composition within three quarters of entering the University.

Transfer students meet this requirement prior to enrollment at UC San Diego.

American History and Institutions (AHI)

A knowledge of American history and of the principles of American institutions under federal and state constitutions is required of all candidates for the bachelor’s degree. Exception for all international students on F-1 or J-1 visas: the college will waive AHI at the end of the final quarter.

Most transfer students have already met the AHI requirement with prior coursework. Refer to the UC San Diego General Catalog for how to meet AHI if applicable.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

A knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion is required of all candidates for a bachelor's degree. This requirement is satisfied by passing one four-unit course.

All transfer students must satisfy this requirement. Refer to Undergraduate Education for the approved list.

Unit Requirements

A minimum of 180 units; at least 60 units must be upper-division
No more than 25% of UC San Diego course units graded on a Pass/Not Pass basis
At least 35 of the final 45 units completed at UC San Diego

GPA Requirement

A 2.0 or higher GPA in all courses taken at University of California including: UC Summer Sessions, UC Education Abroad Program, UC Sacramento Center, and the UC San Diego Washington Program (UCDC).

Transfer Agreements

All transfer students must complete SYN 100 and High-Impact. Depending on transfer credit, additional coursework may be required.

Refer to the relevant transfer agreement below for details, and contact Seventh College Academic Advising with any questions or concerns.

Note: all agreements apply exclusively to students admitted as transfers; they do not apply to students admitted as freshmen.

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) Certification

Agreement Details

Completion of all IGETC requirements at a California Community College prior to transferring to UC San Diego
Certification must be sent from the community college to UC San Diego Office of Admissions and posted to your Academic History

GE Requirements

Synthesis 100 (4 units), letter grade only
High-Impact Course (2-4 units), P/NP or letter grade

Partial IGETC Certification

Agreement Details

Missing no more than two IGETC requirements at a California Community College prior to transferring to UC San Diego
Certification must be sent from the community college to the UC San Diego Office of Admissions and posted to your Academic History

GE Requirements

Synthesis 100 (4 units), letter grade only
High-Impact Course (2-4 units), P/NP or letter grade
One to two missing IGETC requirements (can be P/NP or letter grade of C- or better)

Reciprocity

Agreement Details

Completion of all lower-division general education/breadth requirements at another UC or four-year institution prior to transferring to UC San Diego
Students with an official letter of reciprocity will be waived from all lower-division GE requirements

GE Requirements

Synthesis 100 (4 units), letter grade only
High-Impact Course (2-4 units), P/NP or letter grade

Official reciprocity letter certifying completion of lower-division requirements must be sent to Seventh College Academic Advising via email at seventhadvising@ucsd.edu or by mail to:

University of California, San Diego
Seventh College
ATTN: Academic Advising
9500 Gilman Drive #0541
La Jolla CA 92093-0541

No Transfer Agreement

Course-by-Course Evaluation

Academic Advisors review transfer coursework and determine on a course-by-course basis which lower-division GE requirements have been fulfilled and which lower-division GE courses are still needed
Students may petition transfer courses for GE credit

GE Requirements

Complete all remaining General Education requirements not already fulfilled by transfer courses or test scores. Review your Degree Audit in TritonLink and if needed, refer to Degree Requirements for First Year Students to see lists of approved Alternatives courses.

General Education for Transfer Students

Synthesis

The Synthesis Program utilizes a robust and distinctive approach to students' learning and emphasizes the importance of confronting large-scale, global issues from an interdisciplinary perspective.

All transfer students have already met the prerequisites for SYN 100 and will be pre-authorized to enroll starting Winter Quarter of their first year at UC San Diego.

SYN 100 must be taken at UC San Diego for a letter grade.

SYN 100 - Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer

SYN 100 is a project-based course that builds upon foundational skills by taking a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to complex global problems. Each section focuses on a different theme, challenge, or question related to the climate crisis. Despite the different class topics, all students will learn by designing and executing a team project that addresses their section’s theme. Browse SYN 100 offerings here.

All transfer students have already met the prerequisites for SYN 100 and will be pre-authorized to enroll starting Winter Quarter of their first year at UC San Diego.

High-Impact

The High-Impact requirement is satisfied by completing one course (2-4 units) selected from a variety of engaging experiential learning options. This course may overlap with major, minor, and university requirements.

The High-Impact course can be taken for letter grade or P/NP, except for SYN 150, which must be taken for letter grade in order to fulfill the High-Impact requirement.

High-Impact Webinar

Learn about the various ways that you can meet this requirement by watching the High-Impact Webinar presented by Seventh College Advising and representatives from the Academic Internship Program and the Study Abroad Office.

SYN 150/SYN 150R - Offered Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer

SYN 150 is recommended for Seventh College transfer students in preparation for SYN 100. Students critically examine, through an interdisciplinary and antiracist lens, key issues impacting our changing planet.

Prerequisites: restricted to Seventh College transfer students only, must be taken for a letter grade to count toward Seventh College High-Impact requirement, cannot be taken after SYN 100. Students will not receive credit for both SYN 150 and SYN 150R (the remote version of SYN 150).

Courses Numbered 195 to 199

Any 2-4 unit course numbered 195 to 199 will satisfy the High-Impact requirement.

Courses numbered 195 or 196 - consult the relevant academic department or program for how to enroll
Courses numbered 197, 198, or 199 - refer to How to Request Enrollment in Special Studies Classes

Department/Program Courses

AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES

AAS 179 - Capstone for Black and African American Studies

ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

ASTR 150 - Observational Astrophysics Laboratory

ANTHROPOLOGY

ANAR 155S - Study Abroad: Ancient Mesoamerica
ANSC 138 - The Cultural Design Practicum: Using Anthropology to Solve Human Problems (no prerequisites)
ANSC 169 - Culture and Environment: Research Seminar and Practicum (no prerequisites)
ANTH 128A - Climate Action Scholars: Community Engagement and Research

BIOENGINEERING

BENG 191 - Senior Seminar I: Professional Issues in Bioengineering
BENG 193 - Clinical Experience in Bioengineering

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

BIMM 170 - Genomics Research Initiative Laboratory II
BISP 193 - Biology Education Research

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

CENG 124A - Chemical Plant and Process Design I

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

CHEM 143C - Organic Chemistry Laboratory

COGNITIVE SCIENCE

COGS 102C - Cognitive Design Studio
COGS 108 - Data Science in Practice
COGS 121 - Human Computer Interaction Portfolio Design Studio
COGS 122 - Start-up Studio
COGS 123 - Social Computing
COGS 127 - Data-Driven UX/Product Design
COGS 187B - Practicum in Professional Web Design
COGS 190C - Honors Thesis in Cognitive Science
COGS 194 - Research Seminar in Washington, D.C.

COMMUNICATION

COMM 102C - Methods of Media Production Practicum: Practicum in New Media and Community Life (no prerequisites)
COMM 102D - Methods of Media Production Practicum: Practicum in Child Development (no prerequisites)
COMM 102M - Methods of Media Production Practicum: Studio Television
COMM 102P - Media Production Laboratory: Television and Analysis and Production
COMM 120N - Advanced Media Production: News Media Workshop
COMM 124A - Critical Design Practice/Advanced Studio
COMM 194 - Research Seminar in Washington, D.C.

COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

CSE 112 - Advanced Software Engineering
CSE 118 - Ubiquitous Computing
CSE 125 - Software System Design and Implementation
CSE 132B - Database Systems Applications
CSE 145 - Embedded System Design Project
CSE 148 - Advanced Processor Architecture Design Project
CSE 176A - Healthcare Robotics
CSE 176E - Robot Systems Design and Implementation
CSE 193 - Introduction to Computer Science Research

CULTURE, ART, AND TECHNOLOGY

CAT 124 - Sixth College Practicum

DATA SCIENCE

DSC 160 - Data Science and the Arts
DSC 180A - Data Science Project I

DESIGN

DSGN 100 - Prototyping

ECONOMICS

ECON 190 - Introduction to Research in Economics
ECON 191A+191B - Senior Essay Seminar A/Senior Essay Seminar B

EDUCATION STUDIES

EDS 135 - Working with Newcomer Communities in San Diego
EDS 139 - Practicum in Teaching and Learning
EDS 155 - Climate Education for Climate Justice
EDS 190 - Research Practicum

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING

ECE 115 - Fast Prototyping
ECE 140A - The Art of Product Engineering I
ECE 148 - Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles
ECE 190 - Engineering Design
ECE 191 - Engineering Group Design Project
ECE 193H - Honors Project

ENGINEERING

ENG 100D - Design for Development

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

ENVR 105 - Conservation Solutions
ENVR 144 - Wilderness Training

ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS

ESYS 187A - Senior Internship Project I

ETHNIC STUDIES

ETHN 100C - Social Justice Praxis
ETHN 100H - Honors Research Design
ETHN 120D - Race and Oral History in San Diego (no prerequisites)

GLOBAL HEALTH

GLBH 111 - Health Frontiers in Tijuana
GLBH 150B - Horizons Honors Thesis Seminar II

HISTORY

HITO 193 - Research Seminar in Washington, D.C.
HIUS 120D - Race and Oral History in San Diego (no prerequisites)

HUMAN DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCES

HDS 191 - Field Research in Human Development
HDS 193 - Advanced Research in Human Developmental Sciences
HDS 194A - Honors Thesis in Human Developmental Sciences

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

INTL 190 - Seminar in International Studies
INTL 190H - Honors Seminar in International Studies

JAPANESE STUDIES

JAPN 190 - Japanese Studies Research Seminar

LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES

LATI 122B - Field Research Methods for Migration Studies: Practicum
LATI 150 - Digital Oral History in Latin America
LATI 190 - Senior Seminar

MANAGEMENT, RADY SCHOOL OF

MGT 102 - E-Commerce (no prerequisites)
MGT 108R - Applied Market Research (no prerequisites)

MATHEMATICS

MATH 111A - Mathematical Modeling I

MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

MAE 148 - Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles
MAE 154 - Product Design and Entrepreneurship
MAE 155A - Aerospace Engineering Design I
MAE 156A - Fundamental Principles of Mechanical Design I
MAE 190 - Digital Storytelling: Dynamic STEM Communication (by petition, no prerequisites)

MUSIC

MUS 103A - Seminar in Composition I
MUS 132R - Recital Preparation
MUS 137D - Seminar in Jazz Studies I

NANOENGINEERING

NANO 120A - Nanoengineering System Design I

PHILOSOPHY

PHIL 115 - Philosophical Methods Seminar
PHIL 191A+191B - Philosophy Honors/The Honors Essay

PHYSICS

PHYS 124 - Laboratory Projects
PHYS 133 - Condensed Matter/Materials Science Lab

POLITICAL SCIENCE

POLI 100G - How to Win or Lose an Election (no prerequisites)
POLI 117 - Bending the Curve: Solutions to Climate Change (no prerequisites)
POLI 191A - Senior Honors Seminar: Frontiers of Political Science
POLI 194 - Research Seminar in Washington, D.C.
POLI 194SD - Local Internship Research Seminar

PSYCHOLOGY

PSYC 111B - Research Methods II
PSYC 115B - Laboratory in Cognitive Psychology II
PSYC 116A - Laboratory in Clinical Psychology Research
PSYC 117 - Laboratory in Educational Research and Outreach
PSYC 193L - Psychology Laboratory Topics
PSYC 194A - Honors Thesis I

PUBLIC HEALTH

PH 193 - Public Health Capstone I
PH 194 - Public Health Capstone II

SCRIPPS INSTITUTION OF OCEANOGRAPHY

SIO 109 - Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions (no prerequisites)
SIO 147 - Applications of Phylogenetics
SIO 194 - Research Seminar in Washington, D.C.

SOCIOLOGY

SOCI 104Q - Qualitative Interviewing (no prerequisites)
SOCI 110 - Qualitative Research in Educational Settings
SOCI 188 - Field Research in Migrant Communities—Practicum
SOCI 194 - Research Seminar in Washington, D.C.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

SE 140A - Design of Civil Structures I
SE 143A - Aerospace Structural Design I
SE 165 - Structural Health Monitoring
SE 184 - Ground Improvement

THEATRE + DANCE

TDAC 122 - Ensemble: Undergraduate Production
TDAC 123 - Advanced Studies in Performance (no prerequisites)
TDDE 130 - Assistant Designer
TDDE 132 - Undergraduate Main Stage Production: Design
TDDE 190 - Major Project in Design/Theatre Production
TDDR 190 - Major Project in Directing
TDDR 191 - Major Project in Stage Management
TDHT 119 - Production Dramaturgy
TDPF 161 - Studies in Performance—Winter Production
TDPF 162 - Studies in Performance—Spring Production
TDPF 163 - Dance Repertory
TDPR 102 - Advanced Theatre Practicum
TDPR 104 - Advanced Practicum in Stage Management

URBAN STUDIES AND PLANNING

USP 128A - Climate Action Scholars: Community Engagement and Research
USP 140 - Healthy Placemaking (no prerequisites)
USP 141A - Life Course Scholars Research and Core Fundamentals
USP 142A - Urban Challenges: Homelessness in San Diego Core Fundamentals
USP 177A - Urban Design Practicum
USP 179 - Urban Design, Theory, and Practice
USP 185A - Real Estate Finance and Development Studio I
USP 186 - Senior Sequence Research Proposal
USP 187 - Senior Sequence Research Project
USP 188 - Field Research in Migrant Communities—Practicum
USP 190 - Senior Honors Seminar
USP 193 - San Diego Community Research
USP 194 - Research Seminar in Washington, D.C.

VISUAL ARTS

VIS 108 - Advanced Projects in Art (by petition)
VIS 110F - Installation: Cross-Disciplinary Projects
VIS 110M - Studio Honors I
VIS 160A - Senior Project in Computing Arts I
VIS 181 - Sound and Lighting
VIS 182 - Advanced Editing
VIS 183A - Strategies of Self
VIS 190 - Design Master Studio

Academic Internship Program (AIP)

Any upper-division internship completed through AIP will satisfy the High-Impact requirement.

Study Abroad Programs

Any 2-4 unit course completed through Education Abroad Program (EAP), Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP), or Global Seminar will satisfy the High-Impact requirement. Learn how to participate in a Study Abroad program.

Other Experiential Learning Opportunities

Completion of the California Ecology and Conservation program will satisfy the High-Impact requirement.

Other credit-bearing experiential learning opportunities may be approved by petition.

Major Requirements

All UC San Diego majors require the equivalent of at least twelve or more upper-division courses (forty-eight or more units). Consult department and program advisors regarding major requirements and opportunities.