Pasadena City College to UCSB
Economics Transfer Plan
PCC covers four of UCSB Economics' six prep requirements, including the whole admission screen: ECON 001B, ECON 001A and calculus, which a single BUS 014B class can satisfy on its own. ECON 10A and a statistics course have no PCC match, leaving both for after you transfer.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UC Santa Barbara
EconomicsUCSB Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
PCC students with a 3.4 GPA can file for UCSB TAG in Economics. Like regular admission, TAG only guarantees the Pre-Economics pre-major; the department's 2.85 GPA rule for ECON 1, 2 and 10A still applies once you're at UCSB.
Major Requirements
Economics Major Preparation
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Economics major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 001B or ECON 001BH — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 1 — Principles of Economics-Micro | 3 |
| ECON 001A or ECON 001AH — Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 2 — Principles of Economics-Macro | 3 |
| MATH 005A or MATH 005AE or MATH 005AH — Single Variable Calculus I | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications, First Course (choose 1) | 5 |
| BUS 014B or MATH 006A — Mathematical Analysis for Business-Calculus | MATH 34A — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 005B or MATH 005BE or MATH 005BH — Single Variable Calculus II | MATH 3B — Calculus with Applications, Second Course (choose 1) | 5 |
| BUS 014B — Mathematical Analysis for Business-Calculus | MATH 34B — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 4 |
| No PCC match | ECON 10A — Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | — |
| No PCC 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 Pasadena City College
Complete these five courses at Pasadena City 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 002
Animal Biology
CHEM 001A
General Chemistry and Chemical Analysis I
HIST 001A
History of European Civilization to 1715
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Pasadena City College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 002 — Animal Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 001A — General Chemistry and Chemical Analysis I | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 001A — History of European Civilization to 1715 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
PCC semesters, UCSB quarters
UCSB turns every PCC semester unit into one and a half quarter units. A four-unit BUS 014B or a five-unit MATH 005A still lines up one-to-one against UCSB's calculus 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
BUS 014B alone meets both calc slots
ASSIST lists PCC's BUS 014B against both UCSB MATH 34A and MATH 34B, so one four-unit business course can replace the full calculus requirement. The STEM track, MATH 005A then 005B, works too, but needs two separate courses.
Honors sections aren't required, just accepted
PCC's ECON 001AH and 001BH, plus MATH 005AH and 005BH, all satisfy UCSB's screen exactly like the non-honors versions. Taking honors doesn't raise your chances beyond hitting the 2.75 GPA with no grade below C.
Embedded support sections still transfer
PCC's MATH 005AE and 005BE, the embedded-support versions of Calculus I and II, articulate the same as the standard sections. If you need the extra support, it won't cost you UCSB credit for the course.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What PCC classes transfer to UCSB for economics?
ECON 001B or 001BH for micro, ECON 001A or 001AH for macro, and calculus: BUS 014B by itself, or the MATH 005A/005B pair (standard, honors or embedded-support sections all count).
Does PCC BUS 014B cover UCSB's whole calculus requirement?
Yes. ASSIST matches BUS 014B to both UCSB MATH 34A and MATH 34B, so a single four-unit course clears the requirement. The alternative, MATH 005A then 005B, is UCSB's more advanced preferred track.
What doesn't PCC cover for UCSB economics?
ECON 10A and a statistics course, either ECON 5 or PSTAT 120A. Neither has a PCC match on ASSIST, and UCSB requires you to complete both after you arrive, with ECON 10A counted toward the pre-major GPA.
How competitive is UCSB economics admission?
62% of all 2025 transfer applicants to UCSB Economics got in, a figure for everyone who applied to the major, not PCC specifically. It's a selective screen: you enter as a Pre-Economics pre-major first, with full major status decided later.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Pasadena City College students headed to UC Santa Barbara's Economics program can knock out most of the department's screen before transferring: ECON 001B, ECON 001A, and calculus through a single BUS 014B course or the MATH 005A and 005B sequence. UCSB wants a 2.75 GPA across that group, with TAG open at 3.4. ECON 10A and a statistics course are completed at UCSB. Transfermatic maps this PCC path into a term-by-term plan before you apply.
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