Mt. San Antonio College to UC Berkeley
Computer Science Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC Berkeley
GPA Reality Check
UC Berkeley's minimum transfer GPA is 3.0, but admitted students in 2024 had a mid-50% range of 3.61–3.96. Computer Science is one of Berkeley's most competitive transfer majors, so realistically you need to be at or above the top of that range. The courses that matter most are your CS and math prerequisites — adcoms want to see strong grades in CSCI 110, CSCI 111, MATH 180, and MATH 280 specifically, because those are the clearest signal you can handle Berkeley's upper-division workload.
Major Requirements
Computer Science B.A. (College of Computing, Data Science, and Society) Major Preparation
Computer Science B.A. (College of Computing, Data Science, and Society) at UC Berkeley
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Computer Science major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC Berkeley offers three distinct undergraduate CS-adjacent degrees. The CS B.A. (CDSS) is the most transfer-accessible. The EECS B.S. and the Electrical and Computer Engineering B.S. both live in the College of Engineering, which requires a minimum 3.5 GPA for transfer eligibility and does not allow major changes after admission — a very different (and harder) path. There is also a Data Science B.A. in CDSS that students sometimes confuse with CS; it has overlapping prerequisites but is a separate degree.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CSCI 110 — Fundamentals of Computer Science | COMPSCI 61A | 3.5 |
| CSCI 111 — Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures | COMPSCI 61B | 3.5 |
| MATH 180 — Calculus I | MATH 1A | 4 |
| MATH 280 — Calculus II | MATH 1B | 4 |
| MATH 265 — Linear Algebra | MATH 54 (Linear Algebra component — CS accepts this alone) | 3 |
| PHYS 4A — Physics for Scientists and Engineers I | PHYSICS 7A | 5 |
| No equivalent at Mt. SAC | COMPSCI 70 (Discrete Mathematics and Probability Theory) | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Berkeley after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
IGETC at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete IGETC at Mt. San Antonio College to satisfy UC Berkeley's lower-division GE requirements before transferring.
ENGL 1A
4 unitsENGL 1C or ENGL 2
3–4 unitsMATH 110 (Statistics), MATH 140 (Pre-calculus), or MATH 180 (Calculus I — also counts for major prep)
3–4 unitsART 101 (Art History Survey I), MUSI 20 (Music Appreciation), or THTR 101 (Introduction to Theatre)
3 unitsPHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy) or ENGL 10 (Introduction to Literature)
3 unitsPSYC 1A (General Psychology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), or HIST 11 (History of the United States I)
3 unitsPHYS 4A (Physics for Scientists and Engineers I — also counts for major prep) or CHEM 40 (General Chemistry I)
4–5 unitsBIOL 1 (Principles of Biology) or BIOL 3 (Introduction to Biology)
4 unitsSPAN 1 (Elementary Spanish I), FREN 1 (Elementary French I), or JAPN 1 (Elementary Japanese I)
4–5 units| Area | Course options at Mt. San Antonio College | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1A: English Composition | ENGL 1A | 4 |
| 1B: Critical Thinking and Composition | ENGL 1C or ENGL 2 | 3–4 |
| 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | MATH 110 (Statistics), MATH 140 (Pre-calculus), or MATH 180 (Calculus I — also counts for major prep) | 3–4 |
| 3A: Arts | ART 101 (Art History Survey I), MUSI 20 (Music Appreciation), or THTR 101 (Introduction to Theatre) | 3 |
| 3B: Humanities | PHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy) or ENGL 10 (Introduction to Literature) | 3 |
| 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences | PSYC 1A (General Psychology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), or HIST 11 (History of the United States I) | 3 |
| 5A: Physical Science | PHYS 4A (Physics for Scientists and Engineers I — also counts for major prep) or CHEM 40 (General Chemistry I) | 4–5 |
| 5B: Biological Science | BIOL 1 (Principles of Biology) or BIOL 3 (Introduction to Biology) | 4 |
| 6: Language Other Than English | SPAN 1 (Elementary Spanish I), FREN 1 (Elementary French I), or JAPN 1 (Elementary Japanese I) | 4–5 |
CSCI 110 → CSCI 111
CSCI 111 (Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures) has a hard prerequisite of CSCI 110 — they cannot be taken at the same time. If you don't start CSCI 110 in your very first semester at Mt. SAC, the entire two-course CS sequence gets pushed back, and you risk applying to Berkeley without completing your core programming prerequisites.
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
Don't Wait to Start CSCI 110
CSCI 110 (Fundamentals of Computer Science) must come before CSCI 111, and both are required for the CS B.A. prep. If you put off CSCI 110 until your second semester, you push CSCI 111 to your third — and suddenly your application looks incomplete when you apply in November. Start CSCI 110 your very first semester at Mt. SAC.
COMPSCI 70 Has No Mt. SAC Equivalent
Berkeley's COMPSCI 70 (Discrete Mathematics and Probability Theory) has no articulated equivalent at Mt. San Antonio College, meaning you cannot satisfy it before you transfer. This is normal — Berkeley knows this and it's taken after you arrive. Don't waste time hunting for a workaround or assuming MATH 110 covers it; it doesn't count.
The CS B.A. and the EECS B.S. Are Not the Same
The CS B.A. lives in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS) and requires a minimum 3.0 GPA for transfer eligibility. The EECS B.S. is in the College of Engineering and requires a 3.5 minimum — and you cannot change your major after you're admitted to Engineering. Make sure you're applying to the right program on your UC application.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC Berkeley for Computer Science?
The published minimum is 3.0, but that number is misleading. Admitted transfer students at UC Berkeley in 2024 had a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96 across all majors, and Computer Science is among the most competitive. Aim for strong grades especially in CSCI 110, CSCI 111, MATH 180, and MATH 280 — those are the courses Berkeley weighs most heavily for CS applicants.
Does UC Berkeley have a TAG program for Mt. SAC students applying to Computer Science?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. Mt. SAC does offer TAGs with six other UC campuses, but Berkeley is not one of them. Your path to Berkeley is through a strong application: complete your major prep, finish IGETC, and submit a compelling set of Personal Insight Questions by the November 30 deadline.
Does IGETC work for Computer Science at UC Berkeley?
Yes, IGETC is accepted for the CS B.A. in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS). While Berkeley no longer requires IGETC for admission eligibility, completing it is still strongly recommended because it clears your lower-division breadth requirements and lets you focus on upper-division CS coursework after you arrive. PHYS 4A at Mt. SAC doubles as both an IGETC Area 5A course and a major prep requirement, so it's one of your most efficient courses.
Which Mt. SAC Computer Science courses transfer to UC Berkeley?
CSCI 110 (Fundamentals of Computer Science) articulates to Berkeley's COMPSCI 61A, and CSCI 111 (Object-Oriented Programming and Data Structures) articulates to COMPSCI 61B. These two courses are the core of your CS prep. Note that Berkeley's COMPSCI 70 (Discrete Math) has no Mt. SAC equivalent and is taken after transfer.
How many applicants transfer to UC Berkeley each year and what are my odds?
For Fall 2025, UC Berkeley received 23,322 transfer applications and admitted 5,603 students — an overall admit rate of about 24%. Computer Science is one of the most impacted majors on campus, so the CS-specific admit rate runs lower than the university average. Of students admitted across all majors, 91.5% came from California community colleges, so transferring from Mt. SAC puts you in the preferred applicant pool.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC Berkeley as a Computer Science major is one of the most ambitious — and achievable — paths in the California community college system. Mt. SAC ranks among the top 10 community colleges in the state for UC transfers, and UC Berkeley admitted about 24% of its 23,322 transfer applicants in Fall 2025, with admitted students carrying GPAs between 3.61 and 3.96. That gap between the 3.0 minimum and the 3.9 reality is exactly why careful transfer planning matters. The CS B.A. at Berkeley sits in the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society (CDSS) — not the College of Engineering — and has its own lower-division major prerequisites that you need to satisfy at Mt. SAC before you apply. On ASSIST.org, the articulation agreement shows that CSCI 110 (Fundamentals of Computer Science) maps to Berkeley's COMPSCI 61A, and CSCI 111 maps to COMPSCI 61B. Your math sequence — MATH 180, MATH 280, and MATH 265 — satisfies Berkeley's calculus and linear algebra requirements, while PHYS 4A covers the physics prep and doubles as an IGETC Area 5A course. Speaking of IGETC: it is accepted for the CS B.A. and will satisfy your lower-division breadth requirements after you arrive at Berkeley, saving you significant time toward graduation. There is no TAG program for Berkeley, so your application strength is everything. Tools like Pipeline help Mt. SAC students map out a semester-by-semester plan that coordinates major prerequisites, IGETC completion, and the prerequisite chains — like the fact that CSCI 111 cannot be taken until CSCI 110 is done — so nothing slips through the cracks on the way to a Berkeley acceptance.
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