UC Santa Barbara Physical Geography
Transfer Requirements and Classes
The major preparation UC Santa Barbara lists for Physical Geography transfers starts with GEOG 3, GEOG 4 and GEOG 5; the full list is below.
115 California community colleges have a current transfer agreement with UCSB for this major. Pick yours below to see which of its classes count.
Your community college
Which classes count at your community college?
Pick your college to see its class for each UCSB requirement.
Major Requirements
UC Santa Barbara Physical Geography Major Preparation
The courses UC Santa Barbara lists as Physical Geography major preparation for transfer applicants, for the 2025-26 academic year. Course numbers are UCSB's own; pick your community college above to see the matching class there.
Preparation for the major
Complete all of these
- GEOG 3 Oceans and Atmosphere
- GEOG 4 Land, Water and Life
- GEOG 5 People, Place and Environment
Complete all of these
- MATH 3A Calculus with Applications, First Course
- MATH 3B Calculus with Applications, Second Course
- MATH 4A Linear Algebra with Applications
Complete 1 of these options
- PHYS 6A Introductory Physics and PHYS 6B Introductory Physics and PHYS 6C Introductory Physics
- PHYS 7A Basic Physics and PHYS 7B Basic Physics and PHYS 7C Basic Physics and PHYS 7L Physics Laboratory
- PHYS 1 Basic Physics · PHYS 2 Basic Physics · PHYS 3 Basic Physics · PHYS 3L Physics Laboratory · PHYS 4 Basic Physics · PHYS 4L Physics Laboratory
Complete 1 of these
- PSTAT 5A Understanding Data
- PSTAT 5LS Statistics for Life Sciences
Complete all of these
- CHEM 1A General Chemistry
- CHEM 1B General Chemistry
- CHEM 2AL General Chemistry Lab (Part A)
Complete 5 units from these
- CHEM 1C General Chemistry
- CHEM 2BL General Chemistry Laboratory (Part B)
- MCDB 1A Introductory Biology I and MCDB 1B Introductory Biology II - Physiology and MCDB 1LL Introductory Biology Laboratory I and EEMB 2 Introductory Biology II - Ecology and Evolution and EEMB 2LL Introductory Biology Laboratory II and EEMB 3 Introductory Biology III
- EARTH 2 Principles of Physical Geology
- EARTH 3 Principles of Historical Geology
- EARTH 4 Introduction to Oceanography
- ASTRO 1 Basic Astronomy
- ASTRO 2 History of the Universe
- MATH 4B Differential Equations
- MATH 6A Vector Calculus with Applications, First Course
- MATH 6B Vector Calculus with Applications, Second Course
- MATH 8 Transition to Higher Mathematics
Also listed by UCSB
UCSB lists these under the headings shown, apart from the list above.
Strongly recommended
- CMPSC 8 Introduction to Computer Science
- GEOG 12 Maps and Spatial Reasoning
- Any additional elective courses
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC Santa Barbara have a Physical Geography major for transfer students?
Yes. UC Santa Barbara offers Physical Geography (B.S.) and lists the major preparation it expects transfer applicants to complete.
What classes do I need to transfer to UC Santa Barbara for Physical Geography?
UC Santa Barbara's Physical Geography major preparation includes GEOG 3, GEOG 4, GEOG 5, MATH 3A, MATH 3B and MATH 4A, with more courses in the list on this page. Pick your community college on this page to see which of its classes match.
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Related Transfer Requirements
Build your UCSB Physical Geography plan
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