Los Angeles Pierce College to UCSB
Psychological and Brain Sciences Transfer Plan
LA Pierce College covers 9 of UCSB's 11 Psychological and Brain Sciences requirements, including PSYC C1000, the CHEM 101/102 pair and BIOLOGY 007/006. Only PSY 10A and PSY 10B are missing, and UCSB reserves those two for after transfer.
From
Los Angeles Pierce College
To
UC Santa Barbara
Psychological and Brain SciencesUC TAG to Santa Barbara
UCSB participates in TAG. A 3.4 GPA and the rest of the TAG conditions guarantee entry into the Pre-PBS pre-major, with full major admission decided separately by department GPA rules.
Major Requirements
Psychological and Brain Sciences Major Preparation
Courses at Los Angeles Pierce College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Psychological and Brain Sciences major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Los Angeles Pierce College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 — Introduction to Psychology | PSY 1 — Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| MATH 238 — Calculus for Business and Social Science I | MATH 34A — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 5 |
| MATH 261 — Calculus I | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications, First Course (choose 1) | 5 |
| MATH 228B or MATH 229 or SOC 125 or STAT 101 or STAT C1000 — Statistics Pathway Part II | PSTAT 5A — Understanding Data | 5 |
| No Pierce match | PSY 10A — Research Methods in Psychological & Brain Sciences | — |
| No Pierce match | PSY 10B — Statistical Methods in Psychological & Brain Sciences | — |
| CHEM 101 + CHEM 102 — General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B | 10 |
| BIOLOGY 007 + BIOLOGY 006 — General Biology II + General Biology I | MCDB 1A, EEMB 2 (choose 1) | 10 |
| ANTHRO 102 — Human Ways of Life: Cultural Anthropology | ANTH 2 — Introductory Cultural Anthropology (choose 4) | 3 |
| ANTHRO 101 — Human Biological Evolution | ANTH 5 — Introductory Biological Anthropology (choose 4) | 3 |
| CHEM 102 + CHEM 101 — General Chemistry II + General Chemistry I | CHEM 1C — General Chemistry (choose 4) | 10 |
| CS 111 or CS 119 — Programming in Visual Basic | CMPSC 8 — Introduction to Computer Science (choose 4) | 3 |
| CS 114 or CS 116 — Programming in C | CMPSC 16 — Problem Solving with Computers I (choose 4) | 3 |
| GEOLOGY 001 + GEOLOGY 006 — Physical Geology + Physical Geology Laboratory | EARTH 2 — Principles of Physical Geology (choose 4) | 4 |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Santa Barbara after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at Los Angeles Pierce College
Complete these five courses at Los Angeles Pierce College to start your UCSB 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.
ANATOMY 001
Introduction to Human Anatomy
CHEM 051
Fundamentals of Chemistry I
A S L 003
American Sign Language III
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Los Angeles Pierce College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | ANATOMY 001 — Introduction to Human Anatomy | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 051 — Fundamentals of Chemistry I | 5 |
Humanities | A S L 003 — American Sign Language III | 4 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
Three semesters of chemistry, back to back
CHEM 060 has to precede CHEM 101, which has to precede CHEM 102. That's three semesters minimum, so it can't be pushed to your last year at Pierce.
Pierce runs semesters, UCSB runs quarters
Pierce operates on a semester calendar, while UCSB splits its academic year into quarters. Everything you take after transfer, PSY 10A and 10B included, follows that shorter cycle.
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
Five departments cover the statistics slot
MATH 228B, MATH 229, SOC 125, STAT 101 or STAT C1000 all satisfy PSTAT 5A at Pierce. Pick whichever fits without waiting on a specific section.
Chemistry needs CHEM 060 first
CHEM 101 won't open without CHEM 060 done, and CHEM 102 needs CHEM 101 after that. Register for CHEM 060 as soon as you start at Pierce.
UCSB tolerates exactly one C-
Across Area I and Area II combined, the psych department allows a single grade of C- and nothing weaker in either group of courses.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pierce PSYC C1000 transfer to UCSB psychology?
Yes, PSYC C1000 at Pierce satisfies UCSB's PSY 1 requirement, no separate honors section required.
What does Pierce not cover for UCSB psychology?
PSY 10A and PSY 10B. UCSB requires both to be taken at UCSB after transfer, so they don't count against Pierce. No specific course is required for admission, but UCSB highly recommends intro psych, calculus, statistics and general chemistry first.
How competitive is UCSB's psychology major?
In 2025, 72% of all transfer applicants to UCSB's Psychological and Brain Sciences major were admitted. The rate covers the full applicant pool, not Pierce alone.
What's the fastest path through Pierce's chemistry sequence?
Start CHEM 060 immediately, since it feeds CHEM 101 and then CHEM 102, three semesters at minimum. UCSB wants CHEM 1A-1B done before PSY 10A, so finishing chemistry at Pierce keeps you on pace.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Los Angeles Pierce College students transferring into UC Santa Barbara's Psychological and Brain Sciences, B.S. can complete most of the department's prep list at Pierce, including PSYC C1000 and the CHEM 101/CHEM 102 sequence. PSY 10A and PSY 10B are the exception, since UCSB requires both to be taken there after you arrive. Pierce's biology requirement runs through BIOLOGY 007 and BIOLOGY 006, and students sometimes use Transfermatic to sequence those alongside the chemistry chain so nothing gets delayed.
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