Irvine Valley College to UCSD
Psychology Transfer Plan
IVC has an ASSIST match for all 13 of UCSD's Psychology prep courses, from the biology sequence through statistics. The natural science requirement only needs two of those courses, so you have room to pick the fastest path through IVC's options.
From
Irvine Valley College
To
UC San Diego
PsychologyMajor Requirements
Psychology Major Preparation
Courses at Irvine Valley College that satisfy UC San Diego's Psychology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Irvine Valley College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIO 16 (or another listed option) — Cellular Biology | BILD 1 — The Cell | 4 |
| BIO 2 (or another listed option) — Plant Biology | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 4 |
| BIO 2 (or another listed option) — Plant Biology | BILD 3 — Organismic and Evolutionary Biology | 4 |
| BIO 1 or BIO 1H — The Life Sciences | BILD 10 — Fundamental Concepts of Modern Biology | 3 |
| BIO 72 — Human Genetics and Medicine | BILD 20 — Human Genetics in Modern Society | 3 |
| BIO 12 — Human Physiology | BILD 26 — Human Physiology | 4 |
| CHEM 1A — General Chemistry I | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 1A + CHEM 1B — General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 1B — General Chemistry II | CHEM 6C — General Chemistry III | 5 |
| PSYC 2 — Research Methods in Psychology | PSYC 70 — Research Methods in Psychology (choose 1) | 4 |
| PSYC 2 — Research Methods in Psychology | COGS 14A — Introduction to Research Methods (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 3A or MATH 3AH or MATH 11 — Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | MATH 10A — Calculus I (choose 1) | 5 |
| MATH 3A or MATH 3AH — Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering (choose 1) | 5 |
| PHIL 3 — Introduction to Logic | PHIL 10 — Introduction to Logic (choose 1) | 3 |
| CS 10 — Introduction to Programming Using Python | COGS 18 — Introduction to Python (choose 1) | 3 |
| CS 10 — Introduction to Programming Using Python | CSE 6R — Introduction to Computer Science and Object-Oriented Programming: Python (choose 1) | 3 |
| CS 38 — Java Programming | CSE 11 — Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving - Accelerated Pace (choose 1) | 3 |
| CS 41 — Data Structures | CSE 12 — Basic Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design (choose 1) | 3 |
| ENGR 20 or CS 10 or CS 36 — Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving with MATLAB | MAE 8 — MATLAB Programming for Engineering Analysis (choose 1) | 3 |
| ECON 10 (or another listed option) — Statistics for Business and Economics | PSYC 60 — Introduction to Statistics (choose 1) | 3 |
| ECON 10 (or another listed option) — Statistics for Business and Economics | COGS 14B — Introduction to Statistical Analysis (choose 1) | 3 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Irvine Valley College
Complete these five courses at Irvine Valley College to start your UCSD 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.
BIO 1
The Life Sciences
CHEM 12A
Organic Chemistry
HIST 1
The History of World Civilizations to 1500
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Irvine Valley College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIO 1 — The Life Sciences | 3 |
Physical Science | CHEM 12A — Organic Chemistry | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 1 — The History of World Civilizations to 1500 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Three-term chain on the BILD 1 path
MATH 124, then CHEM 1A, then BIO 16: three semesters straight. BIO 16 is one piece of BILD 1, so if you choose that route, start math your first term.
IVC runs semesters, UCSD runs quarters
IVC's CHEM 1A and CHEM 1B, two semesters, cover UCSD's three-quarter CHEM 6A to CHEM 6C series, and BIO 81 with BIO 80 covers BILD 1, BILD 2 and BILD 3 together.
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
Two natural science courses, not six
UCSD only requires two natural science courses, not every BILD option. BIO 72 and BIO 12 each stand alone, so you can skip the three-course BIO 16, BIO 5, BIO 2 sequence entirely if you want the fastest route.
MATH 11 only covers one slot
MATH 3A or the honors MATH 3AH satisfy both UCSD calculus options, but MATH 11 only counts toward MATH 10A. Take MATH 3A if you're headed toward a career that needs advanced calculus, which is when UCSD recommends MATH 20A.
Programming is required, with five matches
The major requires one programming course. IVC matches five of UCSD's ten options, including CS 10, CS 38 and CS 41. For graduate study UCSD recommends COGS 18, CSE 11, ECE 15 or MAE 8; CS 10 covers COGS 18.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does IVC BIO 12 transfer to UCSD for Psychology?
Yes. BIO 12 is IVC's match for UCSD's BILD 26, Human Physiology, one of the natural science options. Since UCSD only requires two natural science courses total, BIO 12 alone can cover one of them without touching the biology sequence.
What does IVC not cover for UCSD Psychology?
Nothing on ASSIST is missing. IVC has a course matched to all 13 of UCSD's listed prep requirements, from chemistry through statistics, though the major itself doesn't gate admission on finishing any of them first.
What's UCSD's admit rate for Psychology transfers?
71% of all transfer applicants to UCSD's Psychology B.A. were admitted in 2025, across every community college, not just IVC. Psychology isn't capped or impacted, and there's no separate application to submit.
How long does IVC's chemistry-to-biology chain take?
Three semesters minimum. IVC's MATH 124 feeds CHEM 1A, which feeds BIO 16, one of three courses (with BIO 5 and BIO 2) for BILD 1. You only need that path if you choose BILD 1; BIO 72 or BIO 12 skip it.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Irvine Valley College students transferring into Psychology, B.A. at the University of California, San Diego can match all 13 of UCSD's lower-division prep courses through IVC's own catalog, including the full biology sequence and courses like BIO 72 and BIO 12 for the natural science requirement. Statistics, research methods and general chemistry are covered too. Transfermatic maps every IVC course against UCSD's exact psychology requirements so you can see what counts before you register.
Build your Irvine Valley College → UCSD plan
Personalized, semester-by-semester. Free to start.
Get My Transfer Plan