Mt. San Antonio College to UCSB
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 Santa Barbara
Computer ScienceGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum GPA to transfer is 3.0, but UCSB itself recommends a 3.4 or higher for selective majors — and the College of Engineering's Computer Science program is one of the most competitive on campus. The mid-50% GPA range for admitted UCSB transfers overall is 3.46–3.91, and CS applicants cluster toward the higher end of that range. Your grades in MATH 181, MATH 182, CSCI 110, and CSCI 111 carry the most weight — these are the exact courses UCSB reviewers look at first when evaluating CS transfer applicants.
Major Requirements
Computer Science (B.S.) — College of Engineering Major Preparation
Computer Science (B.S.) — College of Engineering at UC Santa Barbara
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Computer Science major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSB offers both a Computer Science B.S. (College of Engineering) and a Computer Engineering B.S. — they are separate majors with different prep requirements. There is no CS B.A. option. Students sometimes also confuse the CS B.S. with the Statistics and Data Science B.S. (College of Letters & Science), which has a different application pathway and is eligible for TAG.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 181 — Calculus 1 | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications I | 5 |
| MATH 182 — Calculus 2 | MATH 3B — Calculus with Applications II | 5 |
| MATH 260 — Linear Algebra | MATH 4A — Linear Algebra with Applications | 3 |
| MATH 285 — Differential Equations | MATH 4B — Differential Equations | 3 |
| CSCI 110 — Introduction to Computer Science | CMPSC 16 — Problem Solving with Computers I | 3.5 |
| CSCI 111 — Computer Science II | CMPSC 24 — Problem Solving with Computers II | 3.5 |
| No equivalent at Mt. SAC | CMPSC 40 — Foundations of Computer Science (Discrete Math) | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Santa Barbara after transfer. Factor this into your first-year course plan.
General Education
Foundation GE at Mt. San Antonio College
Complete these five courses at Mt. San Antonio College to start your UCSB 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 |
CSCI 110 → CSCI 111
CSCI 110 is a hard prerequisite for CSCI 111, and together they satisfy UCSB's lower-division CS programming preparation. If you push CSCI 110 to your second semester, you won't finish CSCI 111 before your application deadline — and you'll be missing a required prep course when UCSB reviews your file.
UCSB runs on quarters — Mt. SAC runs on semesters
You're used to 18-week semesters at Mt. SAC, but UCSB moves fast on 10-week quarters — material that took a full semester now gets covered in two and a half months, so hit the ground running from day one.
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
TAG Does Not Cover Computer Science at UCSB
TAG — the Transfer Admission Guarantee — is not available for any College of Engineering major at UCSB, and that includes Computer Science B.S. There is no guaranteed admission path here, so your application needs to stand on its own merits. Focus on a strong GPA in MATH 181, MATH 182, CSCI 110, and CSCI 111, and apply to UCSB competitively through the standard UC application process.
Mt. SAC Has No Articulated CMPSC 40 Equivalent
UCSB's Foundations of Computer Science course (CMPSC 40 — the discrete math requirement for CS majors) currently has no articulated equivalent at Mt. San Antonio College. This is a gap that other CCs sometimes fill but Mt. SAC does not, which means you will take it after you arrive on campus. Plan your first quarter at UCSB knowing this course is waiting for you, and do not expect to jump straight into upper-division CS coursework.
Finish Math and CS Series at One School
UCSB's College of Engineering strongly advises completing sequential course series — like the Calculus chain from MATH 181 through MATH 285 — at a single institution before transferring. Splitting a series between Mt. SAC and another college can create coverage gaps that force extra coursework at UCSB and stretch your degree to three years instead of two.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the transfer acceptance rate from Mt. San Antonio College to UCSB Computer Science?
UCSB's overall transfer acceptance rate for Fall 2024 was 61.8% across 18,421 applicants, but Computer Science in the College of Engineering is one of the most competitive programs on campus. Admitted CS transfer applicants typically have GPAs well above 3.4, and your grades in courses like CSCI 110 and MATH 181 carry significant weight in the review.
Can I use TAG to guarantee my transfer from Mt. SAC to UCSB for Computer Science?
No — TAG (Transfer Admission Guarantee) is explicitly not available for any major in UCSB's College of Engineering, including Computer Science B.S. Unlike some other UCSB majors where TAG provides guaranteed admission, CS applicants from Mt. San Antonio College must go through the competitive standard UC application process. Make sure your major prep GPA in courses like CSCI 110 and MATH 181 is as strong as possible.
What courses do I need to take at Mt. SAC before transferring to UCSB for Computer Science?
The required lower-division prep includes MATH 181 (Calculus 1), MATH 182 (Calculus 2), MATH 260 (Linear Algebra), MATH 285 (Differential Equations), CSCI 110 (Introduction to Computer Science), and CSCI 111 (Computer Science II). Note that UCSB's discrete math requirement — CMPSC 40 — has no articulated equivalent at Mt. SAC, so you will complete that course after you arrive at UCSB.
Is IGETC accepted for Computer Science at UCSB?
Yes, IGETC is accepted at UCSB and satisfies lower-division general education requirements across all three colleges, including the College of Engineering. However, UCSB and the College of Engineering specifically advise CS transfer applicants to prioritize completing major prep courses — like MATH 181 through MATH 285 and the CSCI 110–111 sequence — before spending time on IGETC electives, since all required prep must be done by the spring semester before you transfer.
How competitive is UCSB Computer Science for transfer students compared to other majors?
Very competitive. The CS department at UCSB receives the second-highest number of applicants on campus, behind only Biology, and the College of Engineering admits by major — meaning your application is evaluated specifically against other CS applicants, not the general transfer pool. A GPA in the 3.6+ range in your major prep courses like CSCI 110, CSCI 111, and the Calculus sequence puts you in the strongest position.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Students at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) who are planning to transfer to UC Santa Barbara (UCSB) for Computer Science are taking on one of the most competitive transfer pathways in the California community college system. UCSB's overall transfer acceptance rate for Fall 2024 was 61.8% across more than 18,000 applicants, but the Computer Science B.S. — housed in UCSB's Robert Mehrabian College of Engineering — draws far more competition than that number suggests, with the CS department ranking second campus-wide in total applicants. Effective transfer planning at Mt. SAC starts with locking in a rigorous sequence of major prerequisites: MATH 181 (Calculus 1) and MATH 182 (Calculus 2) anchor the math chain, followed by MATH 260 (Linear Algebra) and MATH 285 (Differential Equations), while CSCI 110 and CSCI 111 cover the programming preparation that directly articulates to UCSB's lower-division CS requirements. One detail that catches many Mt. SAC students off guard: unlike some other community colleges, Mt. SAC has no articulated equivalent for CMPSC 40 (Foundations of Computer Science), so that discrete math requirement must be completed after arriving on campus. On the general education side, IGETC is accepted for all UCSB colleges including Engineering, but most advisors recommend finishing major prep first. It's also critical to know that TAG — the Transfer Admission Guarantee — is not available for College of Engineering majors like Computer Science at UCSB, so every application is evaluated competitively. Tools like Pipeline help Mt. SAC students map out a semester-by-semester plan, identify course gaps like the missing CMPSC 40 equivalent, and build a personalized transfer roadmap that keeps prerequisites, IGETC, and application deadlines aligned from day one.
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