De Anza College to UCSD
Business Administration Transfer Plan
Quarter-by-quarter courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
De Anza College
To
UC San Diego
Business AdministrationGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum GPA is 3.0, but UCSD transfer admits average around 3.9 — and Business Economics is explicitly named one of UCSD's most selective transfer majors. That gap is real, and it matters most in your math and economics courses: MATH 1A, 1B, 1C, ECON 1, and ECON 2 are the exact courses admissions uses to screen you. A B in calculus feels fine until you realize the student who got your spot had an A.
Major Requirements
Business Economics (B.S.) Major Preparation
Business Economics (B.S.) at UC San Diego
Courses at De Anza College that satisfy UC San Diego's Business Administration major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC San Diego does not offer a standalone 'Business Administration' undergraduate degree. Students looking for a business-focused major should look at Business Economics (B.S.) in the Economics Department, which pairs core econ theory with Rady School of Management courses in accounting, finance, and operations. This is different from the Economics B.A. (less business emphasis) and the Management Science major (now discontinued). If your goal is a traditional business degree, Business Economics B.S. is the right target — but go in knowing it is classified as one of UCSD's most selective transfer majors.
| Course at De Anza College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 1 — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 1 — Principles of Microeconomics | 5 |
| ECON 2 — Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 3 — Principles of Macroeconomics | 5 |
| ACCT 1A — Financial Accounting | MGT 45 — Principles of Accounting (partial; MGT 45 covers both financial and managerial accounting) | 5 |
| MATH 1A — Calculus | MATH 20A — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| MATH 1B — Calculus | MATH 20B — Calculus for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| MATH 1C — Calculus | MATH 20C — Calculus and Analytic Geometry for Science and Engineering | 5 |
| No equivalent at De Anza College | ECON 5 — Data Analytics for the Social Sciences (required for B.S.) | — |
| No equivalent at De Anza College | MGT 16 — Personal Ethics at Work (lower-division B.S. requirement) | — |
| No equivalent at De Anza College | MGT 71 — Operations Management (lower-division B.S. requirement) | — |
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 De Anza College
Complete these five courses at De Anza 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
Introductory Biology
CHEM 10
Introductory Chemistry
HIST 17A
History of the United States to Early National Era
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at De Anza College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 10 — Introductory Biology | 5 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Introductory Chemistry | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 17A — History of the United States to Early National Era | 4 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 5 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 5 |
MATH 1A → MATH 1B → MATH 1C
All three calculus courses must be completed in order before you transfer — MATH 1A before 1B, and 1B before 1C. If you start the sequence even one quarter late, you risk hitting your transfer application deadline with MATH 1C still incomplete, which disqualifies you from the Business Economics major screening at UCSD.
Preview
Your First Quarter
A preview of what Pipeline generates — exact courses, in the right order, every quarter.
Watch Out
Common Mistakes for This Transfer Path
Three Prep Courses Have No De Anza Equivalent
UCSD's Business Economics B.S. requires MGT 16 (Personal Ethics at Work), MGT 71 (Operations Management), and ECON 5 (Data Analytics for the Social Sciences) as lower-division requirements — and none of them have articulated equivalents at De Anza College. That means you will take all three after you arrive on campus, which adds to your upper-division course load. Plan your first two quarters at UCSD around this reality, and let your counselor know so your Ed Plan reflects it.
UC San Diego Does Not Offer TAG — Don't Plan Around It
Unlike UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and four other UC campuses, UC San Diego does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee program. There is no TAG pathway to UCSD, period. If a peer or a website tells you otherwise, verify directly at ucsd.edu/admissions. Your path to UCSD runs through a strong GPA and completed major prep — not a guarantee agreement.
Start Calculus in Your Very First Quarter
The MATH 1A → 1B → 1C sequence at De Anza takes three back-to-back quarters with no gaps. UCSD requires all three to be complete before you transfer into Business Economics, and any delay — a late enrollment, a dropped course, or waiting until Winter — can make the full sequence impossible to finish in time. Register for MATH 1A on Day 1, treat it like your most important course, and do not defer it.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC San Diego have a Business Administration major for transfer students from De Anza?
UCSD does not offer a standalone undergraduate Business Administration degree. The closest match is the Business Economics B.S. (major code EN30), housed in the Economics Department with required courses from the Rady School of Management. De Anza students targeting this path should complete ECON 1, ECON 2, ACCT 1A, and the full MATH 1A–1B–1C calculus sequence before applying.
What GPA do I need to transfer from De Anza to UC San Diego for Business Economics?
The UC system minimum is 3.0, but admitted UCSD transfer students average around 3.9. Business Economics is explicitly listed as one of UCSD's most selective transfer majors, so you should realistically target a 3.7 or higher — with especially strong grades in your economics and calculus courses like ECON 1 and MATH 1A.
Is IGETC accepted for Business Economics at UC San Diego?
Yes, IGETC is accepted at UCSD and will satisfy lower-division general education requirements at most of its residential colleges. However, IGETC does not replace your major prep — you still need to complete ECON 1, ECON 2, ACCT 1A, and MATH 1A through 1C at De Anza separately. Completing IGETC just means you can focus on upper-division work after you transfer.
Does De Anza College offer a TAG to UC San Diego?
No. UC San Diego does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee program. TAG is available at six other UC campuses — Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz — but UCSD is not among them. De Anza students applying to UCSD go through the standard UC transfer application process with no guaranteed admission pathway.
How many De Anza students transfer to UC San Diego each year?
In 2022-23, UC San Diego was the second most popular UC destination for De Anza students, with 158 students enrolled. UCSD's overall transfer admit rate was approximately 52.7% for Fall 2025, though Business Economics is among the campus's most competitive majors and will be harder to break into than the campus-wide rate suggests.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Transfer planning from De Anza College to UC San Diego (UCSD) for a business-focused degree takes more upfront research than most students expect — because UCSD does not actually offer an undergraduate Business Administration major. The right target is the Business Economics B.S. (EN30), a rigorous program administered by UCSD's Department of Economics with core requirements from the Rady School of Management. Getting in means completing serious major prerequisites before you apply: ECON 1 (Principles of Microeconomics) and ECON 2 (Principles of Macroeconomics) at De Anza, ACCT 1A for the financial accounting requirement, and the full three-course calculus sequence — MATH 1A, MATH 1B, and MATH 1C. UCSD's overall transfer admit rate sits around 52.7%, but Business Economics is explicitly named one of the campus's most selective transfer majors, meaning admitted students typically carry GPAs near 3.9. De Anza College sends roughly 158 students to UCSD each year across all majors, making it one of UCSD's top feeder community colleges. IGETC is accepted and can clear most lower-division general education requirements, freeing you up to focus on upper-division coursework after transfer. Three lower-division Rady School courses — MGT 16, MGT 71, and ECON 5 — have no articulated equivalents at De Anza, so expect to complete them during your first year at UCSD. Tools like Pipeline can help you build a personalized, quarter-by-quarter transfer plan that accounts for these gaps and keeps the calculus sequence on track from your very first term. Start MATH 1A immediately — there is no slack in this timeline.
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