El Camino College to UC Berkeley
Molecular and Cell Biology Transfer Plan
El Camino matches all seven of UC Berkeley's Molecular and Cell Biology requirements. Every required course carries a prerequisite here, usually CHEM 4, so there's no zero-prep class to start with in your first semester.
From
El Camino College
To
UC Berkeley
Molecular and Cell BiologyMajor Requirements
Molecular and Cell Biology Major Preparation
Courses at El Camino College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Molecular and Cell Biology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at El Camino College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 130 + BIOL 120 + BIOL 110 — Fundamentals of Molecular Biology + Ecology Evolution, Diversity, and Physiology + Cell and Molecular Biology | BIOLOGY 1A, BIOLOGY 1AL, BIOLOGY 1B | 13 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1AL | 5 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry II | CHEM 1B — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 7A — Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 3A, CHEM 3AL | 5 |
| CHEM 7B — Organic Chemistry II | CHEM 3B, CHEM 3BL | 5 |
| MATH 190 — Single Variable Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | MATH 51 — Calculus I (choose 2) | 5 |
| MATH 191 — Single Variable Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | MATH 52 — Calculus II (choose 2) | 5 |
| MATH 220 — Multi-Variable Calculus | MATH 53 — Multivariable Calculus (choose 2) | 5 |
| MATH 270 — Differential Equations with Linear Algebra | MATH 54 — Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (choose 2) | 5 |
| MATH 210 — Introduction to Discrete Structures | MATH 55 — Discrete Mathematics (choose 2) | 5 |
| PHYS 3A — General Physics with Calculus | PHYSICS 8A — Introductory Physics (recommended) | 5 |
| PHYS 3B — General Physics with Calculus | PHYSICS 8B — Introductory Physics (recommended) | 5 |
| PHYS 1A + PHYS 1B — Mechanics of Solids + Fluids, Heat and Sound | PHYSICS 7A — Physics for Scientists and Engineers (recommended) | 7 |
| PHYS 1C + PHYS 1B — Electricity and Magnetism + Fluids, Heat and Sound | PHYSICS 7B — Physics for Scientists and Engineers (recommended) | 7 |
General Education
Foundation GE at El Camino College
Complete these five courses at El Camino College to start your UC Berkeley GE pattern. Finishing full IGETC/Cal-GETC at the CC is ideal — these five give you the broadest head start, and CCN-tagged courses stay portable if you switch community colleges.
BIOL 10
Fundamentals of Biology
CHEM 1A
General Chemistry I
HIST 101
United States History to 1877
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at El Camino College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 10 — Fundamentals of Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 101 — United States History to 1877 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Everything waits on CHEM 4 first
CHEM 4 leads to CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, CHEM 7A, then CHEM 7B, five semesters minimum. Since biology depends on CHEM 4 too, delaying it pushes both sequences back at once.
Preview
Your First Semester
A preview of what Transfermatic generates — exact courses, in the right order, every semester.
Watch Out
Common Mistakes for This Transfer Path
CHEM 4 opens everything else
BIOL 110, BIOL 120 and CHEM 1A all require CHEM 4 first. Nothing in El Camino's biology or chemistry sequence starts without it, so enroll in CHEM 4 your very first term.
Biology needs three courses together
BIOL 130, BIOL 120 and BIOL 110 combine to satisfy all three Berkeley biology requirements, BIOLOGY 1A, 1AL and 1B. There's no shorter path through El Camino's biology courses.
One physics course covers two slots
PHYS 1B is required for both PHYSICS 7A, paired with PHYS 1A, and PHYSICS 7B, paired with PHYS 1C. Take it once and it counts toward both recommended physics courses.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What El Camino classes do I need for UC Berkeley MCB?
CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B, CHEM 7A and CHEM 7B for chemistry; BIOL 130, BIOL 120 and BIOL 110 for biology; and two matched math courses. Nearly everything starts from CHEM 4.
Is anything missing at El Camino for Berkeley MCB?
No required course is missing, and both recommended physics pairs, PHYSICS 7A/7B and 8A/8B, are matched too. El Camino covers the entire lower-division major on campus.
What is the UC Berkeley MCB transfer admit rate?
23% in 2025 across every transfer applicant to Molecular and Cell Biology, not specific to El Camino. Selecting MCB on your application places admitted transfers directly into the major.
Do I need IGETC to transfer from El Camino to Berkeley MCB?
No. Letters and Science admission doesn't require Cal-GETC or IGETC, only the UC 7-course pattern and the full major prep list, though L&S strongly recommends finishing one of them before you enroll.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
El Camino College students headed into Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley can finish the whole lower-division major without leaving campus. Chemistry runs from CHEM 4 through CHEM 7B, biology combines BIOL 130, BIOL 120 and BIOL 110, and math and both recommended physics pairs are fully matched. Because CHEM 4 gates so much of the sequence, and Berkeley wants everything but physics done by spring before transfer, start it early. Transfermatic builds the El Camino plan around that dependency so the whole route lines up before transfer.
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