Mt. San Antonio College to UCSB
Economics Transfer Plan
Mt. SAC clears four of UCSB Economics' six prep courses through BUSC 1B, BUSC 1A and calculus, either MATH 140 alone or the MATH 180-181 pair. ECON 10A and a statistics course have no Mt. SAC match, so you'll finish both at UCSB.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC Santa Barbara
EconomicsUCSB Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
Mt. SAC students at a 3.4 GPA can apply for UCSB TAG in Economics. It secures the Pre-Economics pre-major, the same starting point as any other admitted transfer, and full major status still depends on the 2.85 GPA rule at UCSB.
Major Requirements
Economics Major Preparation
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Economics major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BUSC 1B or BUSC 1BH — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 1 — Principles of Economics-Micro | 3 |
| BUSC 1A or BUSC 1AH — Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 2 — Principles of Economics-Macro | 3 |
| MATH 180 — Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications, First Course (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 140 — Calculus for Business | MATH 34A — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 181 — Calculus and Analytic Geometry II | MATH 3B — Calculus with Applications, Second Course (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 140 — Calculus for Business | MATH 34B — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 4 |
| No Mt. SAC match | ECON 10A — Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | — |
| No Mt. SAC match for any of 2 options | ECON 5 — Statistics for Economics and others (choose 1) | — |
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 Mt. San Antonio College
Complete these five courses at Mt. San Antonio 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.
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 |
Mt. SAC semesters, UCSB quarters
UCSB converts each Mt. SAC semester unit into one and a half quarter units. Your calculus course, whether MATH 140 or the MATH 180-181 pair, still maps directly onto UCSB's requirement.
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 sits in the Business division
Mt. SAC lists its transfer-level economics courses as BUSC 1A and BUSC 1B rather than under an ECON prefix. ASSIST matches BUSC 1B to UCSB's micro requirement and BUSC 1A to macro.
MATH 140 alone finishes UCSB's calculus screen
One Mt. SAC course, MATH 140, articulates against both UCSB MATH 34A and MATH 34B. Taking MATH 180 then MATH 181 instead maps to UCSB's MATH 3A-3B track, which UCSB highly recommends.
Honors sections cover the same requirement
BUSC 1AH and BUSC 1BH satisfy UCSB's economics screen exactly like the standard sections. The honors grade still needs to clear a C, and it still counts toward the 2.75 GPA average with your other prep courses.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What Mt. SAC classes transfer to UCSB for economics?
BUSC 1B or 1BH for micro, BUSC 1A or 1AH for macro, and calculus: MATH 140 by itself, or MATH 180 then MATH 181. All need a C or better for UCSB's screen.
Why are Mt. SAC's economics classes labeled BUSC, not ECON?
Mt. SAC lists its principles of economics courses under the BUSC prefix. ASSIST articulates BUSC 1B against UCSB's ECON 1, micro, and BUSC 1A against ECON 2, macro, so they count exactly like ECON courses.
What isn't covered at Mt. SAC for UCSB economics?
ECON 10A and a statistics course, either ECON 5 or PSTAT 120A. Neither has a Mt. SAC match. UCSB says ECON 5 and ECON 10A must be taken at UCSB, and ECON 10A is part of the 2.85 pre-major GPA.
How selective is UCSB's economics major for transfers?
62% of all 2025 transfer applicants to UCSB Economics were admitted, counting every applicant to the major, not Mt. SAC alone. Admission first places you in Pre-Economics, with full major status settled after ECON 10A at UCSB and a 2.85 pre-major GPA.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Mt. San Antonio College lists its Economics prep under the BUSC prefix: BUSC 1B and BUSC 1A satisfy UC Santa Barbara's ECON 1 and ECON 2 screen, and a single MATH 140 class or the MATH 180-181 pair finishes calculus. The department wants a 2.75 GPA across those courses with no grade below C, with a 3.4 needed for TAG. UCSB keeps ECON 10A and a statistics course on its own campus after you arrive. Transfermatic can turn this Mt. SAC route into a workable term schedule.
Build your Mt. San Antonio College → UCSB plan
Personalized, semester-by-semester. Free to start.
Get My Transfer Plan