San Diego Mesa College to UCSD
Psychology Transfer Plan
San Diego Mesa College matches all 13 of UCSD's Psychology prep requirements, though BILD 1, 2 and 3 all run through the same two-course BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B pair rather than separate options. Mesa's two calculus courses aren't interchangeable, so which one you take determines which UCSD slot it fills.
From
San Diego Mesa College
To
UC San Diego
PsychologyMajor Requirements
Psychology Major Preparation
Courses at San Diego Mesa College that satisfy UC San Diego's Psychology 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 107 — General Biology - Lecture and Laboratory | BILD 10 — Fundamental Concepts of Modern Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 130 — Human Heredity | BILD 20 — Human Genetics in Modern Society | 3 |
| BIOL 235 — Human Physiology | BILD 26 — Human Physiology | 4 |
| 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 |
| PSYC 255 — Introduction to Psychological Research | PSYC 70 — Research Methods in Psychology (choose 1) | 3 |
| PSYC 255 — Introduction to Psychological Research | COGS 14A — Introduction to Research Methods (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 121 — Basic Techniques of Applied Calculus I | MATH 10A — Calculus I (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 150 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering (choose 1) | 5 |
| PHIL 101 — Symbolic Logic | PHIL 10 — Introduction to Logic (choose 1) | 3 |
| CISC 182 — Fluency with Information Technology | CSE 3 — Fluency in Information Technology (choose 1) | 4 |
| CISC 190 — Java Programming | CSE 8A — Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving I (choose 1) | 4 |
| CISC 191 — Intermediate Java Programming | CSE 11 — Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving - Accelerated Pace (choose 1) | 4 |
| CISC 187 + CISC 191 — Data Structures in C++ + Intermediate Java Programming | CSE 12 — Basic Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design (choose 1) | 8 |
| ENGE 116 or CISC 179 or CISC 192 — Computational Methods in Engineering | MAE 8 — MATLAB Programming for Engineering Analysis (choose 1) | 3 |
| STAT C1000 or PSYC 258 — Introduction to Statistics | PSYC 60 — Introduction to Statistics (choose 1) | 3 |
| STAT C1000 or PSYC 258 — Introduction to Statistics | COGS 14B — Introduction to Statistical Analysis (choose 1) | 3 |
| STAT C1000 or BIOL 200 — Introduction to Statistics | MATH 11 — Calculus Based Elementary Probability and Statistics (choose 1) | 3 |
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 |
Three semesters before BIOL 210B finishes
CHEM 152 leads into BIOL 210A, then BIOL 210B: three semesters in a row. If you want that biology pair, start chemistry immediately; otherwise BIOL 130 and BIOL 107 cover natural science without it.
Mesa runs semesters, UCSD runs quarters
Mesa's BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B, two semesters, cover UCSD's BILD 1, BILD 2 and BILD 3 together, and CHEM 200 with CHEM 201 covers the three-quarter CHEM 6A to CHEM 6C series.
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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
Fastest natural science combo at Mesa
BIOL 130 and BIOL 107 are both single courses with no prerequisites, and together they cover two of UCSD's six natural science options. That's faster than the two-course BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B pair BILD 1, 2 and 3 all require.
The two calculus options don't overlap
MATH 121 only satisfies UCSD's MATH 10A, while MATH 150 is what covers MATH 20A, the option UCSD recommends for advanced-calculus careers. MATH 150 also needs MATH 141 or MATH 15E first, so plan an extra term.
Programming is required: five Mesa matches
The major requires one programming course, and Mesa matches five of UCSD's ten options. For graduate study UCSD recommends CSE 11 or MAE 8 among others: CISC 191 covers CSE 11, and ENGE 116, CISC 179 or CISC 192 covers MAE 8.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mesa's BIOL 210A sequence transfer to UCSD?
Yes. BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B together match UCSD's BILD 1, BILD 2 and BILD 3, though the major only requires two natural science courses total, so this two-course pair covers more than the minimum.
What doesn't Mesa cover for UCSD Psychology?
Nothing required is missing. Mesa has a matched course for every one of UCSD's 13 listed prep requirements, from BIOL 235 physiology through statistics, though none of it is required just to apply.
What's UCSD's admit rate for Psychology applicants?
71% of all transfer applicants were admitted to UCSD's Psychology B.A. in 2025, counting every community college, not Mesa alone. The department does recommend finishing at least three foundational courses before you transfer.
How long is Mesa's chemistry-to-biology prereq chain?
Three semesters minimum: CHEM 152, then BIOL 210A, then BIOL 210B. Start chemistry your first semester at Mesa if you want BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B done before transferring; BIOL 130 or BIOL 107 avoid the chain.
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Related Transfer Plans
San Diego Mesa College students transferring into Psychology, B.A. at UC San Diego can match all 13 of UCSD's prep requirements through Mesa's own courses, including BIOL 210A and BIOL 210B for the natural science group. Mesa's two calculus courses, MATH 121 and MATH 150, match different UCSD courses, MATH 10A and MATH 20A, so choose carefully. Transfermatic checks every Mesa course against UCSD's exact psychology requirements before you register for classes.
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