Southwestern College to UCSD
General Biology Transfer Plan
Southwestern College matches 19 of the 20 lower-division courses in UCSD's General Biology B.S., with BILD 5 the sole course left for after you transfer. Getting there runs through a three-course Southwestern biology sequence, plus chemistry and calculus, with a 2.5 GPA required across the screening set.
From
Southwestern College
To
UC San Diego
General BiologyMajor Requirements
General Biology Major Preparation
Courses at Southwestern College that satisfy UC San Diego's General Biology major preparation, mapped and verified by Transfermatic's transfer engine.
| Course at Southwestern College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 210 + BIOL 212 + BIOL 211 — General Zoology + Biology of Plants + Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology | BILD 1 — The Cell | 12 |
| BIOL 211 + BIOL 210 + BIOL 212 — Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology + General Zoology + Biology of Plants | BILD 2 — Multicellular Life | 12 |
| BIOL 211 + BIOL 210 + BIOL 212 — Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology + General Zoology + Biology of Plants | BILD 3 — Organismic and Evolutionary Biology | 12 |
| BIOL 211 + BIOL 212 + BIOL 210 — Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology + Biology of Plants + General Zoology | BILD 4 — Introductory Biology Lab | 12 |
| No Southwestern match | BILD 5 — Data Analysis and Design for Biologists | — |
| CHEM 200 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 6A — General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 200 + CHEM 210 — General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II | CHEM 6B — General Chemistry II | 10 |
| CHEM 210 + CHEM 200 — General Chemistry II + General Chemistry I | CHEM 6C — General Chemistry III | 10 |
| CHEM 200 + CHEM 210 — General Chemistry I + General Chemistry II | CHEM 7L — Introductory Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory | 10 |
| CHEM 240 — Organic Chemistry I | CHEM 41A — Organic Chemistry I: Structure and Reactivity | 5 |
| CHEM 240 + CHEM 242 — Organic Chemistry I + Organic Chemistry II | CHEM 41B — Organic Chemistry II: Reactivity and Synthesis | 10 |
| MATH 121 or MATH 120 — Applied Calculus I | MATH 10A — Calculus I | 3 |
| MATH 121 + MATH 122 — Applied Calculus I + Applied Calculus II | MATH 10B — Calculus II | 6 |
| STAT C1000 or BIOL 215 — Introduction to Statistics | MATH 11 — Calculus Based Elementary Probability and Statistics | 4 |
| PHYS 150 — Fundamentals of Physics I | PHYS 1A — Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 151 — Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory I | PHYS 1AL — Mechanics Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 152 — Fundamentals of Physics II | PHYS 1B — Electricity and Magnetism | 3 |
| PHYS 153 — Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory II | PHYS 1BL — Electricity and Magnetism Laboratory | 1 |
| PHYS 150 + PHYS 153 + PHYS 152 + PHYS 151 — Fundamentals of Physics I + Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory II + Fundamentals of Physics II + Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory I | PHYS 1C — Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics | 8 |
| PHYS 153 + PHYS 151 + PHYS 150 + PHYS 152 — Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory II + Fundamentals of Physics Laboratory I + Fundamentals of Physics I + Fundamentals of Physics II | PHYS 1CL — Waves, Optics, and Modern Physics Laboratory | 8 |
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 Southwestern College
Complete these five courses at Southwestern 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
Principles of Biology
CHEM 100
Introduction to General Chemistry
HIST 104
Western Civilization I
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Southwestern College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 100 — Principles of Biology | 3 |
Physical Science | CHEM 100 — Introduction to General Chemistry | 4 |
Humanities | HIST 104 — Western Civilization I | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
Organic chemistry starts with math at Southwestern
MATH 121, then CHEM 210, CHEM 240 and CHEM 242: four semesters minimum. MATH 121 also starts your calculus, so take it your first term alongside CHEM 200.
Southwestern runs semesters, UCSD runs quarters
UCSD splits what Southwestern teaches across two semesters into three quarters. CHEM 200 paired with CHEM 210 earns four UCSD chemistry courses: CHEM 6A, 6B, 6C and 7L.
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
Southwestern's biology sequence is three courses
BIOL 210, BIOL 212 and BIOL 211 together earn BILD 1 through 4. UCSD grants credit only once all three are finished, not for completing them one at a time.
UCSD's PHYS 1C needs all four physics classes
PHYS 150, 151, 152 and 153, Southwestern's full lecture-and-lab physics sequence, are all required for PHYS 1C and PHYS 1CL. The earlier physics requirements need only one course each.
BILD 5 has no Southwestern match
ASSIST lists no Southwestern course for BILD 5, Data Analysis and Design for Biologists, so you'll take it after transfer. It's not among the courses UCSD checks at admission.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What Southwestern classes transfer to UC San Diego for biology?
BIOL 210, BIOL 212 and BIOL 211 together for BILD 1 through 4, CHEM 200 and CHEM 210 for general chemistry, CHEM 240 and CHEM 242 for organic chemistry, MATH 121 and MATH 122 for calculus, a statistics course, and Southwestern's four-course physics sequence. That covers 19 of UCSD's 20 requirements.
What doesn't Southwestern cover for UCSD General Biology?
Southwestern's only gap is BILD 5, Data Analysis and Design for Biologists. No Southwestern class is articulated to it, so you'd finish it at UCSD after you arrive. Admission screening at UCSD skips it entirely.
Does Southwestern's biology sequence take three classes?
Yes. BIOL 210, BIOL 212 and BIOL 211 must all be complete before UCSD grants BILD 1 through 4, with no partial credit. Plan on all three before you transfer.
What GPA does UCSD want in the biology screening courses?
A 2.5 average across BILD 1, BILD 3, general chemistry with its lab, and calculus, with no grade below a C-. At Southwestern that's the biology sequence, CHEM 200 and CHEM 210, and MATH 121 and MATH 122, wrapped up by the spring before you start at UCSD.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Southwestern College students planning a transfer into UC San Diego's Biology: General Biology B.S. can complete nearly the whole lower division locally, though the biology sequence runs three courses deep. BIOL 210, BIOL 212 and BIOL 211 together earn BILD 1 through 4, while CHEM 200 and CHEM 210 cover general chemistry. Only BILD 5 has no Southwestern match. Transfermatic sequences these Southwestern courses by UCSD term, biology sequence first.
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