San Diego Mesa College to UCSB
Psychological and Brain Sciences Transfer Plan
Mesa College handles 9 of UCSB's 11 Psychological and Brain Sciences prep requirements, covering PSYC C1000, the CHEM 200/201 pair and the BIOL 210A/210B sequence. PSY 10A and PSY 10B stay off the table because UCSB teaches both itself.
From
San Diego Mesa College
To
UC Santa Barbara
Psychological and Brain SciencesTAG to UC Santa Barbara
UCSB offers TAG, and hitting a 3.4 GPA along with the other TAG conditions locks in a spot in the Pre-PBS pre-major. Getting into the full major after that still runs through the department's own GPA thresholds.
Major Requirements
Psychological and Brain Sciences Major Preparation
Courses at San Diego Mesa College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Psychological and Brain Sciences major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at San Diego Mesa College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 — Introduction to Psychology | PSY 1 — Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| MATH 121 — Basic Techniques of Applied Calculus I | MATH 34A — Calculus for Social and Life Sciences (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 150 — Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications, First Course (choose 1) | 5 |
| BUSE 115 or POLI 201 or PSYC 258 or STAT C1000 — Statistics for Business | PSTAT 5A — Understanding Data | 3 |
| No Mesa match | PSY 10A — Research Methods in Psychological & Brain Sciences | — |
| No Mesa match | PSY 10B — Statistical Methods in Psychological & Brain Sciences | — |
| CHEM 200 + CHEM 201 — General Chemistry I - Lecture + General Chemistry II - Lecture | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1B | 6 |
| BIOL 210B + BIOL 210A — Introduction to the Biological Sciences II + Introduction to the Biological Sciences I | MCDB 1A, EEMB 2 (choose 1) | 8 |
| ANTH 103 — Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | ANTH 2 — Introductory Cultural Anthropology (choose 4) | 3 |
| ANTH 102 — Introduction to Biological Anthropology | ANTH 5 — Introductory Biological Anthropology (choose 4) | 3 |
| CHEM 201 + CHEM 200 — General Chemistry II - Lecture + General Chemistry I - Lecture | CHEM 1C — General Chemistry (choose 4) | 6 |
| CISC 179 or CISC 190 — Introduction to Python Programming | CMPSC 8 — Introduction to Computer Science (choose 4) | 4 |
| CISC 192 or CISC 205 — C/C++ Programming | CMPSC 16 — Problem Solving with Computers I (choose 4) | 4 |
| GEOL 100 + GEOL 101 — Physical Geology + Physical Geology Laboratory | EARTH 2 — Principles of Physical Geology (choose 4) | 4 |
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 San Diego Mesa College
Complete these five courses at San Diego Mesa 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 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 |
Biology depends on a three-term chemistry chain
CHEM 152 must come before BIOL 210A, which must come before BIOL 210B. That's three semesters minimum, so put CHEM 152 in your first term.
Semesters at Mesa, quarters at UCSB
Mesa's schedule runs in semesters, but UCSB divides its year into quarters. Coursework after transfer, PSY 10A and 10B included, moves on that shorter ten-week cycle.
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
PSTAT 5A has four Mesa substitutes
BUSE 115, POLI 201, PSYC 258 or STAT C1000 all satisfy PSTAT 5A, so any one of them works. Take it before transfer; UCSB wants PSTAT 5A done before you enroll in PSY 10A.
Chemistry leads straight into biology
CHEM 152 has to come before BIOL 210A, and BIOL 210A has to come before BIOL 210B. Three semesters minimum, so register for CHEM 152 right away.
A single C- is the limit, not two
The psych department will accept one grade of C- across your Area I and Area II courses, nothing weaker anywhere in that list.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mesa PSYC C1000 transfer to UCSB psychology?
Yes. PSYC C1000 at Mesa satisfies UCSB's PSY 1 requirement outright, no honors section needed.
What can't Mesa students cover for UCSB psychology?
PSY 10A and PSY 10B. UCSB requires both to be taken at UCSB after transfer, so they aren't a Mesa gap. Admission doesn't require specific courses, but UCSB highly recommends intro psych, calculus, statistics and general chemistry first.
What's UCSB's admit rate for this major?
72% of all transfer applicants to Psychological and Brain Sciences were admitted in UCSB's 2025 data, not a Mesa-specific number.
What should Mesa students take first for UCSB psych?
Start with PSYC C1000, a calculus course such as MATH 121, and CHEM 152. UCSB wants PSY 1, calculus, PSTAT 5A and CHEM 1A-1B done before PSY 10A, and CHEM 152 opens BIOL 210A.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
San Diego Mesa College students aiming for UC Santa Barbara's Psychological and Brain Sciences, B.S. can complete most of the pre-major list at Mesa, including PSYC C1000, CHEM 200 and CHEM 201, and the BIOL 210A/210B sequence, before transferring. PSY 10A and PSY 10B are the exception; UCSB requires both to be taken there. Because the chemistry-to-biology chain runs three semesters straight, some students use Transfermatic to line up Mesa's course sequence so nothing gets delayed.
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