Mt. San Antonio College to UC Berkeley
Nursing Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC Berkeley
NursingGPA Reality Check
UC Berkeley sets a minimum 3.0 GPA for transfer eligibility, but the mid-50% GPA range for students actually admitted in Fall 2025 was 3.61–3.96. For a health-sciences-adjacent path like Public Health, your science GPA — meaning your grades in BIOL 1, BIOL 2, BIOL 22, BIOL 23, BIOL 24, and CHEM 50 — carries enormous weight. A 3.0 gets your application read; a 3.7+ in those science courses makes you competitive.
Major Requirements
Public Health (School of Public Health B.S.) Major Preparation
Public Health (School of Public Health B.S.) at UC Berkeley
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC Berkeley does not offer a traditional four-year BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) as a standalone undergraduate major on its main campus. Students aiming to become registered nurses most often target the UC Berkeley Extension Nursing Preparatory Program — a certificate program, not a transfer bachelor's degree. The closest undergraduate degree path at UC Berkeley is the B.S. in Public Health through the School of Public Health. Students should verify their target degree with a counselor before planning coursework, as confusing these pathways can cost you a full semester of misdirected prep.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BIOL 1 — General Biology I | Biology (lower-division requirement) | 4 |
| BIOL 2 — General Biology II | Biology (lower-division requirement, second semester) | 4 |
| CHEM 50 — Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry | Chemistry (introductory requirement) | 5 |
| BIOL 22 — Human Anatomy | Human Anatomy (health sciences prerequisite) | 4 |
| BIOL 23 — Human Physiology | Human Physiology (health sciences prerequisite) | 4 |
| BIOL 24 — Microbiology | Microbiology (health sciences prerequisite) | 4 |
| MATH 110 — Statistics | Statistics (lower-division requirement) | 4 |
| PSYCH 1A — Introduction to Psychology | Behavioral/Social Science prerequisite | 3 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete these five courses at Mt. San Antonio 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.
BIOL 1
General Biology
CHEM 10
Chemistry for Allied Health Majors
HIST 1
History of the United States
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 1 — General Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Chemistry for Allied Health Majors | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 1 — History of the United States | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
BIOL 22 (Anatomy) → BIOL 23 (Physiology)
Human Anatomy (BIOL 22) is a required prerequisite for Human Physiology (BIOL 23) at Mt. SAC — they cannot be taken simultaneously. If you delay starting this sequence, you risk arriving at your transfer application semester with missing science prerequisites, which UC Berkeley will notice.
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
UC Berkeley Has No TAG — Plan Accordingly
Unlike UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, or four other UC campuses, UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. There is no guaranteed admission pathway for Mt. SAC students, regardless of your GPA. Your best move is to use the UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP) early, build a strong science record in courses like BIOL 22 and BIOL 23, and apply to at least one TAG-eligible UC as a backup.
Berkeley Has No Undergrad BSN — Know Your Target
This is the single biggest planning trap for nursing-track students at Mt. SAC: UC Berkeley's main campus does not offer a traditional four-year BSN degree. The School of Public Health offers a B.S. in Public Health, and UC Berkeley Extension has a Nursing Preparatory Program certificate. Confirm with a transfer counselor which program you're actually targeting before you finalize your course plan, because the prerequisites differ.
BIOL 22 and BIOL 23 Must Go In Order
At Mt. SAC, Human Anatomy (BIOL 22) is a hard prerequisite for Human Physiology (BIOL 23) — you cannot enroll in both in the same semester, and you cannot skip ahead. This two-course sequence alone takes two semesters, which means you need to start BIOL 22 no later than your second semester if you want to finish all science prerequisites before your transfer application semester.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC Berkeley have a nursing major for transfer students from Mt. San Antonio College?
UC Berkeley's main campus does not offer a traditional four-year BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) as an undergraduate major. Mt. SAC students interested in nursing most often look at the B.S. in Public Health through UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, or use UC Berkeley Extension's Nursing Preparatory Program as a bridge to a BSN at another institution. Confirm your target program with a Mt. SAC counselor before planning your coursework.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC Berkeley?
UC Berkeley requires a minimum 3.0 GPA in all UC-transferable coursework, but the mid-50% GPA range for students actually admitted in Fall 2025 was 3.61–3.96. For health-sciences-adjacent majors, your grades in science prerequisites like BIOL 22 (Human Anatomy) and BIOL 24 (Microbiology) at Mt. SAC carry particularly heavy weight. Aim for a 3.7 or higher to be genuinely competitive.
Can I use TAG to guarantee admission from Mt. SAC to UC Berkeley?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. TAG is available at six UC campuses (Davis, Irvine, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz), but Berkeley, UCLA, and UC San Diego are explicitly excluded. Mt. SAC students should use the UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP) to track progress and apply through the standard UC application in November.
What science courses do I need to take at Mt. SAC for a health sciences path to UC Berkeley?
Core science prerequisites for health-sciences-adjacent programs include BIOL 1 (General Biology I), BIOL 2 (General Biology II), BIOL 22 (Human Anatomy), BIOL 23 (Human Physiology), BIOL 24 (Microbiology), and CHEM 50 (Survey of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry). Note that BIOL 22 must be completed before BIOL 23, so plan to start that sequence no later than your second semester at Mt. SAC to finish everything before you apply.
Is IGETC worth completing if I'm applying to UC Berkeley from Mt. San Antonio College?
Yes — completing IGETC at Mt. SAC is strongly recommended even though it's no longer a strict admission requirement for most UC Berkeley colleges. For students admitted to UC Berkeley's College of Letters and Science or School of Public Health, a certified IGETC streamlines your lower-division general education requirements after you arrive on campus, freeing up time for upper-division major coursework. Just confirm with ASSIST.org and a Mt. SAC counselor that your specific target program accepts full IGETC certification.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) pursuing a nursing or health sciences path often set their sights on UC Berkeley — and with careful transfer planning, that goal is absolutely achievable. The UC Berkeley overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2025 was approximately 24%, with admitted students carrying a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96, making competitive science preparation essential. One critical detail every Mt. SAC student must know before building their education plan: UC Berkeley's main campus does not offer a traditional four-year BSN degree. The closest undergraduate path is the B.S. in Public Health through UC Berkeley's School of Public Health, with UC Berkeley Extension also offering a Nursing Preparatory Program certificate as a bridge pathway. Major prerequisites for health-sciences programs at Berkeley require a rigorous science sequence, including Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Microbiology, and introductory chemistry — courses Mt. SAC students can complete as BIOL 22, BIOL 23, BIOL 24, and CHEM 50 respectively. IGETC, the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, is highly recommended for most UC Berkeley colleges and can be completed at Mt. SAC to streamline degree progress after transfer. Unlike six other UC campuses, UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, so there is no shortcut — your GPA and your major prerequisites do all the talking. Tools like Pipeline help Mt. SAC students build semester-by-semester transfer plans that account for prerequisite chains, IGETC requirements, and application deadlines, so nothing falls through the cracks on the road to Berkeley.
Build your Mt. San Antonio College → UC Berkeley plan
Personalized, semester-by-semester. Free to start.
Get My Transfer Plan