Santa Monica College to UCI
Mechanical Engineering Transfer Plan
SMC covers 18 of UC Irvine's 22 Mechanical Engineering prep courses, including the full calculus-through-differential-equations chain and all three physics courses with labs. The gaps are Materials Science, Thermodynamics, and both Introduction to Engineering courses; none has an SMC match, and none is an admission requirement.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UC Irvine
Mechanical EngineeringUC Irvine TAG
UCI is one of six UC campuses offering TAG. Mechanical Engineering qualifies for fall 2027 applicants at a 3.4 GPA, but the major is dropped from TAG starting with fall 2028.
Major Requirements
Mechanical Engineering Major Preparation
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UC Irvine's Mechanical Engineering major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UCI | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CS 30 or CS 36 or CS 50 or CS 52 — MATLAB Programming | ENGRMAE 10 — Introduction to Engineering Computations | 3 |
| MATH 7 — Calculus 1 | MATH 2A — Single-Variable Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 8 — Calculus 2 | MATH 2B — Single-Variable Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 11 — Multivariable Calculus | MATH 2D — Multivariable Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 11 — Multivariable Calculus | MATH 2E — Multivariable Calculus | 5 |
| MATH 13 — Linear Algebra | MATH 3A — Introduction to Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 15 — Differential Equations | MATH 3D — Elementary Differential Equations | 3 |
| PHYSCS 21 — Mechanics with Lab | PHYSICS 7C, PHYSICS 7LC | 5 |
| PHYSCS 22 — Electricity and Magnetism with Lab | PHYSICS 7D, PHYSICS 7LD | 5 |
| PHYSCS 23 — Fluids, Waves, Thermodynamics, Optics with Lab | PHYSICS 7E — Classical Physics | 5 |
| CHEM 11 — General Chemistry I | ENGR 1A, CHEM 1LE (choose 1) | 5 |
| CHEM 11 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 1A, CHEM 1LE (choose 1) | 5 |
| ENGR 12 — Statics | ENGRCEE 30 — Statics | 3 |
| ENGR 11 — Engineering Graphics and Design | ENGRMAE 52 — Computer-Aided Design | 3 |
| ENGR 21 — Circuit Analysis | EECS 70A — NETWORK ANALYSIS I (choose 1) | 3 |
| No SMC match | ENGR 54 — Principles of Materials Science and Engineering | — |
| PHYSCS 23 — Fluids, Waves, Thermodynamics, Optics with Lab | PHYSICS 52A — Fundamentals of Experimental Physics | 5 |
| ECON 1 — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 20A — Basic Economics I (choose 1) | 3 |
| ENGR 16 — Dynamics | ENGRMAE 80 — Dynamics | 3 |
| No SMC match | ENGRMAE 91 — Introduction to Thermodynamics | — |
| ANATMY 1 (or another listed option) — General Human Anatomy | Science courses (or lecture/lab combination) for Mechanical Engineering (choose 1) | 4 |
| No SMC match | ENGR 7A — Introduction to Engineering I | — |
| No SMC match | ENGR 7B — Introduction to Engineering II | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Irvine after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at Santa Monica College
UCI's Mechanical Engineering program uses its own GE pattern (see note below), but these five Santa Monica College courses cover foundation requirements every UC accepts. Start here.
BIOL 10
Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology
CHEM 10
Introductory General Chemistry
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
COMM C1000
Introduction to Public Speaking
| Area | Course at Santa Monica College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 10 — Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Introductory General Chemistry | 5 |
HumanitiesCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Oral CommunicationCCN | COMM C1000 — Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
UCI Mechanical Engineering: full GE notes
UCI's engineering school wants your math, science, and engineering courses finished before Cal-GETC or its own GE pattern, and IGETC carries no weight in who gets admitted.
Five terms of math and physics before circuits
MATH 2, then MATH 7, MATH 8, PHYSCS 22, and finally ENGR 21: that's five semesters minimum. Start the calculus sequence your first term or the whole chain slides.
SMC runs semesters, UCI runs quarters
SMC's courses are semester-length, so one SMC course can clear two UCI quarter courses. MATH 11 covers both MATH 2D and MATH 2E, UCI's multivariable calculus pair.
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
Statics and CAD aren't blocking admission
ENGR 12 and ENGR 11 clear Statics and Computer-Aided Design at SMC, but UCI only needs them to finish the degree in two years, not to admit you. Don't let a missing grade there stall your application.
Materials Science has no SMC match
ASSIST lists no SMC course for ENGR 54 (Materials Science). It isn't on UCI's admission list, so you'll take it after you transfer. It's one of four UCI courses SMC doesn't cover.
Programming needs just one course
UCI accepts CS 30, CS 36, CS 50, or CS 52 for its programming requirement (ENGRMAE 10), so pick whichever fits your schedule; you don't need more than one.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SMC MATH 7 transfer to UCI Mechanical Engineering?
Yes. MATH 7 clears MATH 2A, the first course in UCI's calculus sequence, and MATH 8 clears MATH 2B right after it.
What doesn't SMC cover for UCI Mechanical Engineering?
Four of 22 requirements: ENGR 54 (Materials Science), ENGRMAE 91 (Thermodynamics), and ENGR 7A and ENGR 7B (Introduction to Engineering). SMC has no course that ASSIST matches to any of them, and UCI doesn't require them for admission.
How many prep courses does SMC cover for UCI Mechanical Engineering?
18 of 22. That includes the calculus and physics sequences, chemistry, programming, statics, CAD, circuit analysis, dynamics, and the economics elective.
Is Statics required to transfer from SMC to UCI Mechanical Engineering?
Not for admission. UCI's own notes list Statics and CAD as needed to finish the degree in two years, not as an admission requirement, and SMC's ENGR 12 covers it anyway.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Santa Monica College students headed into UC Irvine's Mechanical Engineering, B.S. program clear 18 of 22 required courses, including the calculus sequence through MATH 15 and all three physics courses with labs. What's missing is Materials Science (ENGR 54), Thermodynamics (ENGRMAE 91), and both Introduction to Engineering courses, which have no SMC match and are taken at UCI. On our platform, put in your CC and your transfer university and Transfermatic lines up SMC's course list against UCI's requirements automatically, so you know exactly what's left before you apply.
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