Mt. San Antonio College to UC Berkeley
Psychology Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Mt. San Antonio College
To
UC Berkeley
PsychologyGPA Reality Check
UC Berkeley's minimum transfer GPA is 3.0, but admitted students in 2024 landed in a mid-50% range of 3.61–3.96 — and Psychology is flagged as one of the more competitive majors within Letters & Science. That gap between the floor and the actual range is not small. Your major prep GPA matters most: Berkeley's Psychology department reviews how you performed in PSYC C1000, PSYC 2, STAT C1000, and related coursework, so a B in Intro Psych is not the same as an A when you're competing with the applicant pool.
UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP)
UC TAP — the Transfer Admission Planner — isn't a guarantee, but it's the closest thing Berkeley offers to a structured planning partnership with your community college. Create your TAP account early, log every course you've completed or plan to complete, and keep it updated each semester. One key perk: your TAP data feeds directly into the UC application, so your course history is already there when you hit submit in November.
Major Requirements
Psychology, B.A. — College of Letters & Science Major Preparation
Psychology, B.A. — College of Letters & Science at UC Berkeley
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Psychology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Berkeley also offers Cognitive Science (a separate B.A. covering the overlap of psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and computer science) and a minor in Neuroscience. If your interests lean toward brain biology or computation, check those programs too — they have different prep courses and live in different departments.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 — Introduction to Psychology | PSYCH 10 — Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSYC 2 — Biopsychology | Biological Science prerequisite (C-ID PSY 150) | 3 |
| STAT C1000 — Statistics | Statistics prerequisite for Psychology major | 4 |
| PSYC 19 — Social Psychology | Social Science elective prerequisite (C-ID PSY 180) | 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 |
STAT C1000 → PSYC 10 (Research Methods)
Mt. SAC's Research Methods course (PSYC 10) has a hard prerequisite on statistics — enroll in STAT C1000 first or you'll be blocked from the class entirely, which can push a Berkeley-recommended course out of your transfer prep window.
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
TAP Is a Tool, Not a Guarantee at Berkeley
Unlike UC Santa Barbara or UC Davis, UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program — so Mt. SAC students cannot lock in a Berkeley admit in advance. UC TAP is a planning and tracking tool, not a promise. Use it religiously to stay on top of your coursework, but build a balanced school list that includes TAG-eligible campuses as backups.
Take STAT C1000 Before You Touch Research Methods
Mt. SAC's Research Methods course (PSYC 10) requires statistics as a hard prerequisite — you will be blocked from enrolling without it. Because PSYC 10 is strongly recommended before you arrive at Berkeley, waiting on STAT C1000 can cascade into a compressed timeline. Put statistics in your very first semester so the rest of your psychology sequence opens up.
IGETC Certification Is Still Worth Completing
Berkeley no longer requires IGETC for L&S admission as of the Fall 2025 application cycle, but a certified IGETC still satisfies the L&S Essential Skills and breadth requirements once you're on campus — saving you units for upper-division Psychology courses. At Mt. SAC, your ENGL 1A and area distribution courses can stack toward full IGETC certification, so confirm with your counselor that you're on track for a complete certification rather than a partial one.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UC Berkeley for Psychology?
Berkeley's overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2025 was 24% across all majors, with admitted students holding a mid-50% GPA of 3.61–3.96. Psychology is consistently noted as one of the more competitive majors within the College of Letters & Science, so plan your GPA strategy around your major prep courses — especially PSYC C1000 and STAT C1000 — from day one.
What courses do I need to take at Mt. SAC to prepare for the UC Berkeley Psychology major?
The core lower-division prep includes PSYC C1000 (Introduction to Psychology), PSYC 2 (Biopsychology), STAT C1000 (Statistics), and PSYC 19 (Social Psychology). These courses map directly to Berkeley's Tier I prerequisite requirements for the Psychology B.A. Always verify the current articulation on ASSIST.org since agreements can be updated.
Does UC Berkeley have a TAG or transfer guarantee for Mt. SAC Psychology students?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program. Mt. SAC's Transfer Center confirms that TAG is only available at UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. For Berkeley, your best tool is the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP), which helps you track your coursework but does not guarantee admission.
Should I complete IGETC at Mt. SAC before transferring to UC Berkeley for Psychology?
IGETC is no longer required for admission to Berkeley's College of Letters & Science as of Fall 2025, but completing a full certified IGETC still satisfies L&S breadth and Essential Skills requirements once you enroll — freeing up space for upper-division Psychology coursework. Your Mt. SAC counselor can help you stack major prep courses like PSYC C1000 and GE courses to hit both goals at once.
Is Psychology at UC Berkeley competitive to declare once I'm admitted?
Yes — effective Summer 2024, Berkeley requires students to formally apply to the Psychology major through a holistic review process, not just declare it automatically. Transfer students must apply before the start of their second semester or before accumulating 80 transfer units, whichever comes first. Completing your Tier I prerequisites (including PSYC C1000 and STAT C1000 equivalents) before arriving gives you the strongest footing for that application.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students planning to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) to UC Berkeley to study Psychology are navigating one of the more competitive pathways in the California community college transfer system. Transfer planning for this route requires careful attention to major prerequisites, IGETC completion, and realistic GPA targets — Berkeley's overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2025 was 24%, and admitted students held a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96 across all majors, with Psychology drawing a particularly strong applicant pool within the College of Letters and Science. The Psychology B.A. at UC Berkeley lives in L&S and requires students to complete specific lower-division coursework before arriving on campus: PSYC C1000 (Introduction to Psychology) at Mt. San Antonio College is the foundation, followed by PSYC 2 (Biopsychology), STAT C1000 (Statistics), and PSYC 19 (Social Psychology) — all of which map to Berkeley's Tier I prerequisite requirements per the ASSIST articulation agreement. Because STAT C1000 is a hard prerequisite for Mt. SAC's Research Methods course, sequencing matters: students who delay statistics end up compressing their entire psychology prep timeline. IGETC, while no longer required for L&S admission as of the 2025 application cycle, continues to satisfy breadth requirements post-enrollment and remains worth completing at Mt. SAC. Unlike some other UC campuses, Berkeley does not offer a Transfer Admission Guarantee, making disciplined transfer planning non-negotiable. Tools like Pipeline help Mt. SAC students build a personalized, semester-by-semester plan that layers major prerequisites, IGETC courses, and GPA strategy into a single roadmap — so nothing falls through the cracks between now and your UC application deadline in November.
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