Southwestern College to UCSD
Psychology Transfer Plan
Southwestern College matches all 13 of UCSD's Psychology prep courses. The BIOL 210, 212, 211 trio ends in a three-semester chain, CHEM 170 then CHEM 200 then BIOL 212, but pairing single courses like BIOL 180 and BIOL 100 skips it entirely.
From
Southwestern College
To
UC San Diego
PsychologyMajor Requirements
Psychology Major Preparation
Courses at Southwestern College that satisfy UC San Diego's Psychology 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 100 — Principles of Biology | BILD 10 — Fundamental Concepts of Modern Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 180 — Human Heredity, Evolution and Society | BILD 20 — Human Genetics in Modern Society | 3 |
| BIOL 261 — Principles of Human Physiology | BILD 26 — Human Physiology | 4 |
| 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 |
| 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 or MATH 120 — Applied Calculus I | MATH 10A — Calculus I (choose 1) | 3 |
| MATH 250 — Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering (choose 1) | 5 |
| PHIL 103 — Logic and Critical Thinking | PHIL 10 — Introduction to Logic (choose 1) | 3 |
| CIS 106 — Introduction to Programming Logic and Design using Python | COGS 18 — Introduction to Python (choose 1) | 3 |
| CIS 153 or MATH 130 — Internet Programming using JAVA/J++ | CSE 11 — Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving - Accelerated Pace (choose 1) | 4 |
| MATH 140 — Data Structures and Algorithms | CSE 12 — Basic Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design (choose 1) | 4 |
| ENGR 221 — Computer Programming and Applications - MATLAB | MAE 8 — MATLAB Programming for Engineering Analysis (choose 1) | 3 |
| PSYC 270 or STAT C1000 or BIOL 215 or PSYC 280 — Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | PSYC 60 — Introduction to Statistics (choose 1) | 3 |
| PSYC 270 or PSYC 280 — Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | COGS 14B — Introduction to Statistical Analysis (choose 1) | 3 |
| STAT C1000 or BIOL 215 — Introduction to Statistics | MATH 11 — Calculus Based Elementary Probability and Statistics (choose 1) | 4 |
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 |
Three semesters to finish the biology trio
CHEM 170 leads to CHEM 200, then BIOL 212: three semesters minimum. Start chemistry your first term if you want BILD 1, 2 and 3 through the trio, or pick single-course science options instead.
Southwestern runs semesters, UCSD quarters
Southwestern's CHEM 200 and CHEM 210, two semesters, cover UCSD's three-quarter CHEM 6A to CHEM 6C series, while BILD 1, BILD 2 and BILD 3 each need all three of BIOL 210, BIOL 211 and BIOL 212.
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
Skip the three-course biology trio
BILD 1, 2 and 3 all require the same BIOL 210, BIOL 212 and BIOL 211 trio at Southwestern. Since UCSD only needs two natural science courses, BIOL 180 and BIOL 100 alone cover that instead.
Biology trio runs three semesters
CHEM 170, then CHEM 200, then BIOL 212 takes three semesters minimum on the biology trio path. The single-course natural science options, like BIOL 180 or BIOL 100, skip this chain entirely.
Calculus choice matters for advanced credit
MATH 121 or MATH 120 covers UCSD's MATH 10A, but only MATH 250 satisfies MATH 20A, the option UCSD recommends for careers needing advanced calculus. Pick MATH 250 if that's your direction.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Southwestern's BIOL 212 transfer to UCSD?
Yes, as part of a three-course set. BIOL 210, BIOL 212 and BIOL 211 together satisfy UCSD's BILD 1, 2 and 3, though you only need two natural science courses total to meet the requirement.
What doesn't Southwestern cover for UCSD Psychology?
Nothing required is missing. Southwestern matches all 13 of UCSD's listed prep courses, including CIS 106, CIS 153 and ENGR 221 for the required programming course. The longest chain, CHEM 170 to CHEM 200 to BIOL 212, takes three semesters.
What's UCSD's admit rate for Psychology transfers?
71% of all transfer applicants to UCSD's Psychology B.A. were admitted in 2025, across every community college, not Southwestern alone. The department recommends finishing at least three foundational courses before you transfer.
Which Southwestern courses cover the first term?
BIOL 210 and MATH 121 are the earliest courses in Southwestern's plan, both startable your first semester. Neither has a listed prerequisite, so you can begin biology and calculus on day one.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Southwestern College students transferring into Psychology, B.A. at UC San Diego can match all 13 of UCSD's prep requirements. The BILD 1, 2 and 3 natural science group runs through a three-course BIOL trio at the end of a three-semester chain, CHEM 170 to CHEM 200 to BIOL 212, though single courses like BIOL 180 can cover the requirement faster. Transfermatic checks every Southwestern course against UCSD's exact psychology requirements before you register.
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