Santa Monica College to UCSD
Political Science Transfer Plan
Santa Monica College matches all four of UC San Diego's intro Political Science courses, including POLS C1000 for POLI 10 and POL SC 51 for POLI 13, and UCSD needs three of them. The piece SMC can't cover is POLI 30, Political Inquiry, which you'll take at UCSD.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UC San Diego
Political ScienceMajor Requirements
Political Science Major Preparation
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UC San Diego's Political Science major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| POLS C1000 — American Government and Politics | POLI 10 — Introduction to Political Science: American Politics | 3 |
| POL SC 2 — Comparative Government and Politics | POLI 11 — Introduction to Political Science: Comparative Politics | 3 |
| POL SC 7 — International Politics | POLI 12 — Introduction to Political Science: International Relations | 3 |
| POL SC 51 — Political Philosophy | POLI 13 — Power and Justice | 3 |
| No SMC match | POLI 30 — Political Inquiry | — |
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 Santa Monica College
Complete these five courses at Santa Monica 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 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 |
Quarters run faster than SMC semesters
SMC runs on semesters, but UCSD runs on quarters. Course pacing and unit values won't match one-to-one, so SMC students should expect UCSD's terms to move faster and cover less material at once.
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
POLI 30 waits until UCSD
SMC has no course ASSIST maps to POLI 30, Political Inquiry. SMC students take it at UCSD alongside their other lower-division work, not before.
One SMC course per requirement
Each of SMC's four matched courses is a single, direct swap for its UCSD counterpart: POLS C1000, POL SC 2, POL SC 7 and POL SC 51 cover the requirement on their own, no pairing needed.
UCSD only needs three of four intros
UCSD's own notes say students need three of the four intro courses, POLI 10 through 13, not all four. SMC students who finish all four end up with room to spare.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SMC POL SC 51 transfer to UC San Diego political science?
Yes. POL SC 51 satisfies POLI 13, Power and Justice, by itself, with no second course required alongside it.
What UC San Diego political science requirement doesn't SMC cover?
POLI 30, Political Inquiry. ASSIST lists no SMC course that maps to it, so students finish that requirement once they've transferred to UCSD.
What GPA do SMC students need for UC San Diego political science?
Political Science isn't one of UCSD's screened majors, so admission comes down to the general transfer minimum: a 2.4 GPA for California residents.
Do SMC students need all four POLI 10-13 courses for UCSD?
No. UCSD's department notes ask for three of the four, and SMC has a direct match for every one, so students clear the requirement with room to choose.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Santa Monica College students transferring to UC San Diego for a Political Science B.A. can match all four intro courses before they leave SMC, pairing POLS C1000 with POLI 10 and POL SC 51 with POLI 13; UCSD needs three of them. POLI 30, Political Inquiry, has no SMC equivalent and gets finished at UCSD instead. Because SMC runs semesters and UCSD runs quarters, the pacing shifts once students arrive. Transfermatic checks SMC's course list against this exact UCSD agreement so students know what's covered before they register.
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