San Diego Mesa College to UCSD
General Biology Transfer Plan
San Diego Mesa College matches 19 of the 20 lower-division courses in UCSD's General Biology B.S., leaving only BILD 5 to take after transfer. Screening runs through BILD 1 and 3, CHEM 200 and 201 with their labs, and MATH 121 and MATH 122, with a 2.5 GPA across the set.
From
San Diego Mesa College
To
UC San Diego
General BiologyMajor Requirements
General Biology Major Preparation
Courses at San Diego Mesa College that satisfy UC San Diego's General Biology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at San Diego Mesa College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 210B + BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences II + Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | BILD 1 — The Cell | 8 |
| BIOL 210A + BIOL 210B — Introduction to the Biological Sciences I + Introduction to the Biological Sciences II | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 8 |
| BIOL 210A + BIOL 210B — Introduction to the Biological Sciences I + Introduction to the Biological Sciences II | BILD 3 — Organismic and Evolutionary Biology | 8 |
| BIOL 210B + BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences II + Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | BILD 4 — Introductory Biology Lab | 8 |
| No Mesa match | BILD 5 — Data Analysis and Design for Biologists | — |
| CHEM 200 — General Chemistry I - Lecture | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 200 + CHEM 201 — General Chemistry I - Lecture + General Chemistry II - Lecture | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II | 6 |
| CHEM 201 — General Chemistry II - Lecture | CHEM 6C — General Chemistry III | 3 |
| CHEM 200L + CHEM 201L — General Chemistry I - Laboratory + General Chemistry II - Laboratory | CHEM 7L — Introductory Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 231 — Organic Chemistry I - Lecture | CHEM 41A — Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Reactivity | 3 |
| CHEM 231 + CHEM 233 — Organic Chemistry I - Lecture + Organic Chemistry II - Lecture | CHEM 41B — Organic Chemistry II: Reactivity and Synthesis | 6 |
| MATH 121 — Basic Techniques of Applied Calculus I | MATH 10A — Calculus I | 3 |
| MATH 122 + MATH 121 — Basic Techniques of Calculus II + Basic Techniques of Applied Calculus I | MATH 10B — Calculus II | 6 |
| STAT C1000 or BIOL 200 — Introduction to Statistics | MATH 11 — Calculus Based Elementary Probability and Statistics | 3 |
| PHYS 180A — General Physics I | PHYS 1A — Mechanics | 4 |
| PHYS 181A — General Physics Laboratory I | PHYS 1AL — Mechanics Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 180B — General Physics II | PHYS 1B — Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
| PHYS 181B — General Physics Laboratory II | PHYS 1BL — Electricity and Magnetism Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 180B + PHYS 180A — General Physics II + General Physics I | PHYS 1C — Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics | 8 |
| PHYS 181A + PHYS 181B — General Physics Laboratory I + General Physics Laboratory II | PHYS 1CL — Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics Laboratory | 2 |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC San Diego after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at San Diego Mesa College
Complete these five courses at San Diego Mesa 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 100
Natural History - Environmental Biology
CHEM 100
Fundamentals of Chemistry
HIST 100
World History I
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at San Diego Mesa College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 100 — Natural History - Environmental Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 100 — Fundamentals of Chemistry | 3 |
Humanities | HIST 100 — World History I | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
Chemistry runs four semesters at Mesa
CHEM 200 leads to CHEM 201, then CHEM 231, then CHEM 233: four semesters minimum. BIOL 210A needs CHEM 152 first, so plan chemistry into your very first term.
Mesa runs semesters, UCSD runs quarters
UCSD splits what Mesa teaches in two semesters into three quarters. CHEM 200 and CHEM 201, with their labs, together earn CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C and 7L 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
Mesa splits chemistry lecture and lab
CHEM 200L and CHEM 201L are separate lab courses from CHEM 200 and CHEM 201. The two labs together earn UCSD's CHEM 7L, while the lectures cover CHEM 6A through 6C, so don't skip the lab sections.
Two ways to cover UCSD's MATH 11
STAT C1000 or BIOL 200, Biological Statistics, either one satisfies UCSD's calculus-based MATH 11 on its own. Pick whichever fits your schedule; UCSD doesn't require both.
BILD 5 has no Mesa match
ASSIST lists no Mesa course for BILD 5, Data Analysis and Design for Biologists, so that one waits until UCSD. It's not among the courses UCSD checks at admission.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What Mesa classes transfer to UC San Diego for biology?
BIOL 210A with BIOL 210B for BILD 1 through 4, CHEM 200 and CHEM 201 plus their CHEM 200L and CHEM 201L labs for general chemistry, CHEM 231 and CHEM 233 for organic chemistry, MATH 121 and MATH 122 for calculus, and STAT C1000 or BIOL 200 for statistics. Together they cover 19 of 20 UCSD requirements.
What doesn't Mesa cover for UCSD General Biology?
BILD 5, Data Analysis and Design for Biologists, is the single course Mesa doesn't cover. No Mesa class is articulated to it, so you'd complete it at UCSD after you arrive. It's not part of the courses UCSD screens at admission.
Do I need both Mesa physics lab courses?
For UCSD's PHYS 1CL, yes: it requires both PHYS 181A and PHYS 181B, Mesa's two physics lab courses. The earlier labs, PHYS 1AL and PHYS 1BL, each need only one of them.
What GPA does UCSD want in the biology screening courses?
You need a C- or better in each screening course and a 2.5 average across BILD 1, BILD 3, general chemistry with its lab, and calculus. Finish them, using Mesa's BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B, CHEM 200 and CHEM 201 with CHEM 200L and CHEM 201L, and MATH 121 and MATH 122, by the spring before you start at UCSD.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
San Diego Mesa College students working toward UC San Diego's Biology: General Biology B.S. can clear almost the whole lower division locally. Mesa's CHEM 200 and CHEM 201, paired with their CHEM 200L and CHEM 201L labs, satisfy UCSD's full general chemistry series, and a complete BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B sequence earns BILD 1 through 4. BILD 5 is the one course with no Mesa match. Transfermatic maps these Mesa courses to their UCSD terms, lab sections included.
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