Mt. San Antonio College to UCI
Political Science Transfer Plan
Mt. SAC covers 7 of UCI's 8 Political Science prep requirements, with matches like POLS 5, POLS 9 and POLS 2. The programming requirement has no Mt. SAC match, and the calculus chain toward MATH 180 takes three semesters, so both are worth planning around.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC Irvine
Political ScienceTAG: UC Irvine Transfer Admission Guarantee
Mt. SAC students hitting a 3.4 GPA qualify for TAG, UCI's guaranteed-admission track. File between Sept 1 and Sept 30, 2026 for fall 2027, and know your chosen major is locked once submitted.
Major Requirements
Political Science Major Preparation
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Irvine's Political Science major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| POLS 5 — Political Theory I - Ancient to Contemporary | POL SCI 11A — Introduction to Political Science: Political Analysis (choose 4) | 3 |
| POLS C1000 or POLS C1000H — American Government and Politics | POL SCI 21A — Introduction to American Government (choose 4) | 3 |
| POLS 5 or POLS 7 — Political Theory I - Ancient to Contemporary | POL SCI 31A — Introduction to Political Theory (choose 4) | 3 |
| POLS 9 — International Relations | POL SCI 41A — Introduction to International Relations (choose 4) | 3 |
| POLS 2 — Comparative Politics | POL SCI 51A — Introduction to Politics Around the World (choose 4) | 3 |
| POLS C1000 (or another listed option) — American Government and Politics | Political Science not already used (choose 1) | 3 |
| ANTH 1 (or another listed option) — Biological Anthropology | Political Science or other Social Science discipline (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 180 + STAT C1000 + PSYC 10 + STAT C1000H — Calculus and Analytic Geometry I + Introduction to Statistics + Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences + Introduction to Statistics - Honors | School of Social Sciences Math Requirement (choose 1) | 14 |
| No Mt. SAC match for any of 2 options | I&C SCI 31 — Introduction to Programming and others (choose 1) | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Irvine after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete these five courses at Mt. San Antonio College to start your UCI 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 1
General Biology
CHEM 10
Chemistry for Allied Health Majors
HIST 1
History of the United States
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 1 — General Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Chemistry for Allied Health Majors | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 1 — History of the United States | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Calculus chain runs three semesters
Mt. SAC's calculus match for the math requirement is MATH 180, and it sits after MATH 150 and MATH 160. That's three semesters minimum, so start MATH 150 in your first term.
Semesters at Mt. SAC, quarters at UCI
Mt. SAC students work in semesters, and UCI works in quarters. The courses above transfer regardless, though your term length shrinks from 16 weeks to roughly ten once you're on campus.
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
Programming requirement has no Mt. SAC match
Neither I&C SCI 31 nor SOC SCI 3A has a Mt. SAC equivalent, so plan to take that one after you're at UCI. It doesn't affect admission, just the eventual degree.
Calculus chain runs three semesters
MATH 150, then MATH 160, then MATH 180: three semesters minimum. MATH 180 is Mt. SAC's only calculus match for UCI's math requirement, so begin MATH 150 as soon as you enroll.
Honors government section also counts
POLS C1000H, the honors version of American Government, counts the same as the regular POLS C1000 for this requirement, so either section works.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Mt. SAC classes count for UCI Political Science?
POLS 5 can fill the political analysis slot or the political theory slot, but it counts only once; POLS 7 also covers theory. POLS 9 covers international relations, POLS 2 covers comparative politics, and POLS C1000 or POLS C1000H covers American Government.
What doesn't Mt. SAC cover for UCI Political Science?
Mt. SAC has no match for UCI's I&C SCI 31 or SOC SCI 3A programming requirement. Every other requirement, including math and the poli sci electives, is covered.
How long is Mt. SAC's calculus sequence?
MATH 150 leads to MATH 160, then MATH 180, a three-semester minimum chain. The math requirement at Mt. SAC runs through MATH 180, with the statistics courses ASSIST lists beside it, so enroll in MATH 150 your first term.
Is Mt. SAC's honors program connected to UCI?
Mt. SAC's Honors Program is a UCLA Transfer Alliance Program partner, not a UCI one, so it doesn't change anything about this Political Science, B.A. pathway at UCI.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Mt. San Antonio College students transferring to UC Irvine for a Political Science, B.A. cover seven of UCI's eight lower-division prep requirements, including POLS 5, POLS 9 and the MATH 150 to MATH 180 calculus chain. The one gap is UCI's programming requirement, which has no Mt. SAC match and gets completed after transfer instead. Transfermatic flags that gap and the three-semester math sequence together, so Mt. SAC students see the full timeline before they apply, not partway through it.
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