Mt. San Antonio College to UCSD
Economics Transfer Plan
Mt. SAC covers every one of UC San Diego's Economics prep requirements. The math chain runs five semesters through MATH 280, and the two economics courses come from Mt. SAC's BUSC department instead of ECON.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC San Diego
EconomicsMajor Requirements
Economics Major Preparation
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC San Diego's Economics major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 180 — Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 4 |
| MATH 181 — Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | MATH 20B — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 4 |
| MATH 280 — Calculus and Analytic Geometry III | MATH 20C — Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| BUSC 1B or BUSC 1BH — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 1 — Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| BUSC 1A or BUSC 1AH — Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 3 — Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete these five courses at Mt. San Antonio 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.
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 |
Five-semester calculus chain
Mt. SAC's math prep runs MATH 150 to 160 to 180 to 181 to 280, five semesters minimum. Register for MATH 150 right away so Economics prep stays on track.
Mt. SAC's semesters, UCSD's quarters
Mt. SAC runs two semesters a year, while UCSD splits the year into three 10-week quarters. Economics and math courses move faster once you're on campus at UCSD.
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
Economics prep runs through BUSC, not ECON
Mt. SAC's BUSC 1B (or BUSC 1BH) satisfies UCSD's ECON 1. BUSC 1A (or BUSC 1AH) satisfies UCSD's ECON 3. Look under Business, not Economics, when you register.
Five-semester calculus chain
Mt. SAC's math prep runs MATH 150, then 160, 180, 181 and 280. That's five semesters minimum, so start MATH 150 in your first term.
MATH 280 gates upper-division econ
UCSD won't open upper-division economics courses until the third calculus class is finished. At Mt. SAC that's MATH 280, the last step in the chain.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What classes transfer from Mt. SAC to UCSD for Economics?
MATH 180 covers UCSD's MATH 20A, MATH 181 covers MATH 20B, and MATH 280 covers MATH 20C. BUSC 1B covers ECON 1 and BUSC 1A covers ECON 3, UCSD's two required economics courses.
What doesn't Mt. SAC cover for UCSD Economics?
Nothing. Mt. SAC has a matching course, through either the MATH or BUSC department, for every one of UCSD's five Economics prep requirements.
What's the admit rate for UCSD Economics?
65% for 2025, across every transfer applicant to the major, not specific to Mt. SAC. UCSD screens first on ECON 1, ECON 3 and MATH 20A-B, requiring a C- minimum and a 2.3 GPA across those courses.
Does Mt. SAC have an ECON course that transfers for this major?
No standalone ECON course is used here. Mt. SAC's BUSC 1A and BUSC 1B are the courses ASSIST matches to UCSD's ECON 3 and ECON 1, and honors versions of both count too.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Mt. San Antonio College students transferring into UC San Diego's Economics B.A. can clear all five prep requirements at Mt. SAC. The math chain runs MATH 150 through MATH 280 across five semesters, and the two required economics courses, ECON 1 and ECON 3, are matched by Mt. SAC's BUSC 1B and BUSC 1A instead of an ECON-labeled class. UCSD's 65% admit rate for Economics transfer applicants in 2025 applies the same to Mt. SAC students routed through BUSC. Transfermatic tracks the BUSC-to-ECON mapping so it doesn't get missed during registration.
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