Diablo Valley College to UC Berkeley
Nursing Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Diablo Valley College
To
UC Berkeley
NursingGPA Reality Check
The published UC minimum GPA is 3.0, but admitted transfer students at Berkeley land in a 3.61–3.96 mid-50th percentile range — nearly a full GPA point above the floor. For a nursing pathway, the stakes are even higher: nursing programs (and the BSN programs you'll apply to after transfer) look hardest at your grades in Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, and Microbiology. A B in those courses is not a dealbreaker, but an A is what competitive applicants are bringing. Treat every science course like your application depends on it, because it does.
Transfer Alliance Project (TAP)
Diablo Valley College is an official Transfer Alliance Project (TAP) partner school, which means UC Berkeley is actively looking at DVC applicants with extra care. TAP has historically been associated with significantly higher admit rates for participants compared to the overall transfer pool. Get to DVC's Transfer Center early, get TAP-certified before you file your UC application in November, and make sure your counselor has signed off on your certification — don't leave this step to the last minute.
Major Requirements
Public Health (B.A.) — School of Public Health (Pre-Nursing Pathway) Major Preparation
Public Health (B.A.) — School of Public Health (Pre-Nursing Pathway) at UC Berkeley
Courses at Diablo Valley College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC Berkeley does not offer a standalone undergraduate Nursing degree. Students pursuing nursing careers most often major in Public Health (B.A.) in the School of Public Health or Integrative Biology (B.A.) in L&S while completing nursing school prerequisites on the side. The UC Berkeley Extension also runs a Nursing Preparatory Program with a direct linkage pathway to Samuel Merritt University's BSN. Don't confuse these tracks — they lead to different timelines and outcomes, so clarify your end goal with a DVC counselor before you build your plan.
| Course at Diablo Valley College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 100 — Principles of Biology | General Biology (lower-division biology requirement) | 4 |
| BIOL 107 — Human Anatomy | Human Anatomy (INTEGBI X104 equivalent — nursing prereq) | 4 |
| BIOL 108 — Human Physiology | Human Physiology (IB 132 equivalent — nursing prereq) | 4 |
| BIOL 112 — Microbiology | Medical Microbiology (MCELLBI X134 equivalent — nursing prereq) | 4 |
| CHEM 108 — General Chemistry | General Chemistry I (CHEM X19A equivalent — nursing prereq) | 5 |
| MATH 120 — Introduction to Statistics | Introduction to Biostatistics (MCELLBI X471 equivalent — nursing prereq) | 4 |
| PSYC 100 — Introduction to Psychology | General Psychology (PSYCH XBW1 equivalent — nursing prereq) | 3 |
| No equivalent at Diablo Valley College | Public Health 150 — Foundations of Public Health (upper-division, taken after transfer) | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Berkeley after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at Diablo Valley College
Complete these five courses at Diablo Valley College to start your UC Berkeley 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.
ANTHR 115
Primate Evolution and Adaptation
CHEM 107
Integrated Inorganic, Organic, and Biological Chemistry
HIST 120
History of the United States before 1865
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Diablo Valley College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | ANTHR 115 — Primate Evolution and Adaptation | 3 |
Physical Science | CHEM 107 — Integrated Inorganic, Organic, and Biological Chemistry | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 120 — History of the United States before 1865 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
BIOL 100 → BIOL 107 / BIOL 108
General Biology (BIOL 100) is a prerequisite for both Human Anatomy (BIOL 107) and Human Physiology (BIOL 108) at DVC. Skip it or delay it and you could lose an entire semester off your timeline — which directly impacts whether your most important nursing prerequisites are done before your transfer application is reviewed.
Preview
Your First Semester
A preview of what Pipeline generates — exact courses, in the right order, every semester.
Watch Out
Common Mistakes for This Transfer Path
Start BIOL 100 your very first semester
Human Anatomy (BIOL 107) and Human Physiology (BIOL 108) — the two courses nursing programs care most about — both require General Biology (BIOL 100) as a prerequisite at DVC. If you wait to take BIOL 100 until your second semester, you compress your entire science sequence and may not finish all nursing prerequisites before your transfer application deadline. Lock in BIOL 100 on day one, even if it means taking a heavier load upfront.
DVC has no articulated Public Health lower-division course for Berkeley
Unlike some other UC Berkeley feeder schools, Diablo Valley College does not have a directly articulated equivalent for Berkeley's upper-division Public Health core — those courses are taken after you arrive on campus. What this means for you: don't waste energy hunting for a 'Public Health' course at DVC that checks that box. Focus instead on completing your science prerequisites (BIOL 107, BIOL 108, BIOL 112) and IGETC, which is accepted for the Public Health B.A. pathway.
Get TAP-certified before November — not after
DVC is a Transfer Alliance Project (TAP) partner school, and TAP-certified students see meaningfully better outcomes at UC Berkeley. The certification must be in place before you submit your UC application in November — it cannot be added retroactively. Visit the DVC Transfer Center in September of your application year, confirm your coursework qualifies, and get your counselor to finalize your TAP status before you hit 'submit' on the UC app.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC Berkeley have an undergraduate nursing major for transfer students from Diablo Valley College?
UC Berkeley does not offer a standalone undergraduate Nursing B.S. or B.A. degree. Students interested in nursing from Diablo Valley College typically transfer into the Public Health B.A. (School of Public Health) or Integrative Biology while completing nursing prerequisites — courses like BIOL 107 (Human Anatomy) and BIOL 108 (Human Physiology) — before applying to external BSN programs. UC Berkeley Extension also offers a Nursing Preparatory Program with a Samuel Merritt University BSN linkage.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Diablo Valley College to UC Berkeley for a nursing pathway?
The official UC minimum GPA is 3.0, but that's the floor, not the target. Admitted UC Berkeley transfer students for Fall 2025 had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.61–3.96. For a nursing pathway, BSN programs you'll apply to after transfer typically want a 3.5 or higher in your science prerequisites, so aim well above the UC minimum from your first semester at DVC.
What is the Transfer Alliance Project (TAP) and how does it help DVC students get into UC Berkeley?
TAP (Transfer Alliance Project) is a formal academic partnership between UC Berkeley and a select group of community colleges, including Diablo Valley College. TAP-certified students receive priority consideration in Berkeley's admissions process. To get certified, you must meet coursework and GPA requirements and file your TAP certification with a DVC counselor before submitting your UC application in November.
Which science courses at Diablo Valley College do I need to complete before transferring for a nursing pathway?
The core science prerequisites for a nursing pathway include Human Anatomy (BIOL 107), Human Physiology (BIOL 108), Microbiology (BIOL 112), and General Chemistry (CHEM 108) at DVC. You'll want to start with General Biology (BIOL 100) in your first semester, since it is a prerequisite for the anatomy and physiology courses. These are the courses nursing schools scrutinize most heavily, so strong grades here matter more than anywhere else in your transcript.
Is IGETC accepted for the UC Berkeley Public Health major for transfer students from Diablo Valley College?
Yes — IGETC is accepted for the Public Health B.A. in UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, which is the most common major for pre-nursing transfer students. Completing IGETC at DVC also satisfies Berkeley's Reading & Composition requirement and streamlines your degree progress once you arrive on campus. Starting Fall 2025, DVC has transitioned from IGETC to Cal-GETC, so check with a DVC counselor to confirm which pattern applies to your specific enrollment timeline.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students planning to transfer from Diablo Valley College (DVC) to UC Berkeley with a goal of entering the nursing profession face a uniquely layered planning challenge — and getting the details right early makes an enormous difference. Because UC Berkeley does not offer a standalone undergraduate Nursing degree, transfer planning for this pathway centers on related majors like the Public Health B.A. in Berkeley's School of Public Health, paired with careful completion of nursing school prerequisites before and after transfer. For students coming from Diablo Valley College, IGETC is accepted for the Public Health pathway and can be completed at DVC before transfer, clearing a major general education requirement on arrival at Berkeley. Major prerequisites for the nursing pathway — including Human Anatomy (BIOL 107), Human Physiology (BIOL 108), Microbiology (BIOL 112), General Chemistry (CHEM 108), and Introduction to Statistics (MATH 120) — must be sequenced carefully, starting with Principles of Biology (BIOL 100) in the first semester since it gates access to both anatomy and physiology. The overall UC Berkeley transfer admit rate for Fall 2025 was 24%, but DVC students benefit from a powerful structural advantage: Diablo Valley College is an official Transfer Alliance Project (TAP) partner, and TAP-certified students historically see higher admit rates than the general pool. With mid-50th percentile GPAs for admitted Berkeley transfers running from 3.61 to 3.96, aiming for the high end — especially in science coursework — is essential for a competitive application. Tools like Pipeline help students from Diablo Valley College build personalized semester-by-semester plans that account for prerequisite chains, IGETC completion, TAP certification timelines, and the specific science sequence needed for nursing school applications after transfer.
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