Palomar College to SDSU
Biology Transfer Plan
Palomar covers 8 of SDSU's 9 Biology requirements: cell and organismal biology, general and organic chemistry, calculus and both physics courses, labs included. The only gap is BIOL 215, Biostatistics, which has no Palomar match on ASSIST.
From
Palomar College
To
San Diego State University
BiologyMajor Requirements
Biology Major Preparation
Courses at Palomar College that satisfy San Diego State University's Biology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Palomar College | Satisfies at SDSU | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 200 — Foundations of Biology I | BIOL 203, BIOL 203L | 4 |
| BIOL 201 (or another listed option) — Foundations of Biology II | BIOL 204, BIOL 204L | 4 |
| No Palomar match | BIOL 215 — Biostatistics | — |
| CHEM 110 + CHEM 110L — General Chemistry + General Chemistry Laboratory | CHEM 200 — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 115 + CHEM 115L — General Chemistry + General Chemistry Laboratory | CHEM 201 — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 220 — Organic Chemistry | CHEM 232, CHEM 232L | 5 |
| MATH 140 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry, First Course | MATH 150 — Calculus I (choose 1) | 5 |
| PHYS 120 or PHYS 200 — General Physics | PHYS 180A, PHYS 182A | 4 |
| PHYS 121 or PHYS 201 — General Physics | PHYS 180B, PHYS 182B | 4 |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at San Diego State University after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at Palomar College
Complete these five courses at Palomar College to start your SDSU 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 100
Introductory Biology: General Biology
CHEM 100
Fundamentals of Chemistry
HIST 101
History of the United States through Reconstruction
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Palomar College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 100 — Introductory Biology: General Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 100 — Fundamentals of Chemistry | 4 |
Humanities | HIST 101 — History of the United States through Reconstruction | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Four semesters from CHEM 100 to organic
CHEM 100, then CHEM 110 and CHEM 110L, then CHEM 115 and CHEM 115L, then CHEM 220. Labs go with their lectures, so that's four semesters minimum. Start CHEM 100 your first term at Palomar.
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
Take BIOL 200 before BIOL 201
BIOL 200 covers SDSU's BIOL 203 and BIOL 203L, and BIOL 201 covers BIOL 204 and BIOL 204L. BIOL 201 needs BIOL 200 first, so plan two semesters in a row.
Botany plus zoology also covers BIOL 204
Instead of BIOL 201, you can pair one botany course with one zoology course. Botany is BIOL 125, or BIOL 126 with BIOL 126L; zoology is BIOL 140, or BIOL 141 with BIOL 141L. Any such pair covers BIOL 204 and BIOL 204L.
Pick a physics track by your math
PHYS 120 then PHYS 121 covers both SDSU physics requirements, lectures and labs, and needs MATH 110 or MATH 110E first. PHYS 200 then PHYS 201 works too but needs MATH C2210 or MATH C2210E.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Palomar's CHEM 220 transfer to SDSU as organic chemistry?
Yes. CHEM 220 alone satisfies both SDSU's CHEM 232 lecture and CHEM 232L lab requirement. It comes last in Palomar's chemistry chain, after CHEM 115 and CHEM 115L, so it fits your fourth semester at the earliest.
What doesn't Palomar cover for SDSU's Biology major?
Only BIOL 215, Biostatistics. ASSIST lists no Palomar course for it, and SDSU wants all catalog major prep done by the end of spring 2027. Cell biology, organismal biology, general and organic chemistry, calculus and both physics courses, labs included, all have Palomar matches.
Is Palomar in SDSU's local admission area for Biology?
No. Palomar's exception applies only when all your transferable coursework is from Palomar or MiraCosta and the SDSU program isn't offered at CSU San Marcos, and Biology doesn't qualify. The fall 2027 minimum GPA for Biology B.A./B.S. is 2.80.
How long is Palomar's chemistry chain?
Four semesters: CHEM 100, then CHEM 110 with its lab CHEM 110L, then CHEM 115 with CHEM 115L, then CHEM 220. Each lab goes in the same term as its lecture, so starting CHEM 100 late pushes organic chemistry past your transfer date.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Palomar College students transferring into Biology, B.A. and B.S. at San Diego State University can cover 8 of the 9 prep requirements at Palomar: BIOL 200 and BIOL 201 for biology, general chemistry with labs, CHEM 220 for organic chemistry, MATH 140 for calculus and a two-semester physics sequence. Biostatistics, BIOL 215, is the one requirement with no Palomar match on ASSIST. Transfermatic lays out the Palomar semesters so the four-semester chemistry chain finishes before transfer.
Build your Palomar College → SDSU plan
Personalized, semester-by-semester. Free to start.
Get My Transfer Plan