Mt. San Antonio College to UCSB
Psychology 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
GPA Reality Check
UCSB's minimum transfer GPA is 2.4 for California residents, but admitted students in the most recent cycle had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.46–3.91. That's a wide gap. For the PBS B.S., your math and science grades carry extra weight — UCSB reviewers want to see you can handle quantitative coursework, so your grades in MATH 7 (Calculus), STAT C1000 (Statistics), and the CHEM 10/11 series will matter more than almost anything else on your transcript.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
UCSB participates in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, which gives Mt. San Antonio College students a guaranteed admission decision before the regular application cycle. To qualify, you need a cumulative UC-transferable GPA of 3.4 by the end of fall of your application year, completed English composition and math requirements by that same deadline, and your TAG application submitted through the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) in September. If you TAG to UCSB, you still must also submit a regular UC application to UCSB under the same major — skipping that step invalidates your guarantee.
Major Requirements
Psychological & Brain Sciences (PBS) B.S. — College of Letters & Science Major Preparation
Psychological & Brain Sciences (PBS) B.S. — College of Letters & Science at UC Santa Barbara
Courses at Mt. San Antonio College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Psychology major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSB's PBS department offers two undergraduate majors that students often confuse: the Psychological & Brain Sciences B.S. and the Biopsychology B.S. Both are rigorous, research-focused science degrees — but Biopsychology leans more heavily into neuroscience and biology coursework. Neither program offers a traditional clinical or counseling psychology track; if that's your goal, UCSB is not the right fit for that focus at the undergraduate level.
| Course at Mt. San Antonio College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PSYC C1000 — Introduction to Psychology | PSY 1 — Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| STAT C1000 — Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences | PSTAT 5A — Statistics | 4 |
| MATH 7 — Calculus 1 | MATH 34A — Calculus with Applications | 5 |
| CHEM 10 — General Chemistry I | CHEM 1A — General Chemistry | 5 |
| CHEM 11 — General Chemistry II | CHEM 1B — General Chemistry | 5 |
| PSYC 22 — Research Methods in Psychology | Recommended prep — supports upper-division PSY research methods sequence | 4 |
| No equivalent at Mt. SAC | PSY 10A / 10B — only offered at UCSB, no CC articulation | — |
Courses with no equivalent must be taken at UC Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara's lower-division GE requirements before transferring.
ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 1A)
3 unitsENGL 1C
3 unitsSTAT C1000 (Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences) or MATH 7 (Calculus 1)
3-5 unitsART 1 (Art Appreciation) or MUS 20 (Music Appreciation)
3 unitsENGL 2 (Literature and Critical Thinking) or PHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy)
3 unitsPSYC C1000 (Introduction to Psychology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), or HIST 11 (U.S. History)
3 unitsCHEM 10 (General Chemistry I) or ASTR 10 (Descriptive Astronomy)
3-5 unitsBIO 10 (Introduction to Biology) or BIO 3 (Introduction to Organismal Biology)
3-4 unitsSPAN C1000 (Elementary Spanish I) or ASL 1 (American Sign Language I) — proficiency exam or two semesters of the same language
0 units| Area | Course options at Mt. San Antonio College | Units |
|---|---|---|
| 1A: English Composition | ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 1A) | 3 |
| 1B: Critical Thinking and Composition | ENGL 1C | 3 |
| 2: Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning | STAT C1000 (Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences) or MATH 7 (Calculus 1) | 3-5 |
| 3A: Arts | ART 1 (Art Appreciation) or MUS 20 (Music Appreciation) | 3 |
| 3B: Humanities | ENGL 2 (Literature and Critical Thinking) or PHIL 1 (Introduction to Philosophy) | 3 |
| 4: Social and Behavioral Sciences | PSYC C1000 (Introduction to Psychology), SOC 1 (Introduction to Sociology), or HIST 11 (U.S. History) | 3 |
| 5A: Physical Science | CHEM 10 (General Chemistry I) or ASTR 10 (Descriptive Astronomy) | 3-5 |
| 5B: Biological Science | BIO 10 (Introduction to Biology) or BIO 3 (Introduction to Organismal Biology) | 3-4 |
| 6: Language Other Than English | SPAN C1000 (Elementary Spanish I) or ASL 1 (American Sign Language I) — proficiency exam or two semesters of the same language | 0 |
Stats → Research Methods
STAT C1000 (Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences) is a hard prerequisite for PSYC 22 (Research Methods in Psychology) at Mt. SAC — and both courses must be complete before you can enroll in Research Methods. Get the order wrong and you lose an entire semester, potentially delaying your transfer date.
UCSB runs on quarters — Mt. SAC runs on semesters
When you transfer, your academic pace shifts from two 18-week semesters per year to three 10-week quarters — material moves faster and deadlines stack up quickly, so build strong study habits and a clear week-by-week schedule before you arrive.
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 on Chemistry — It Chains Everything
The PBS B.S. strongly encourages completing at least the full General Chemistry series (CHEM 10 and CHEM 11 at Mt. SAC) before you arrive at UCSB. If you show up without it, you'll spend your first year at UCSB taking intro-level CHEM instead of upper-division PSY courses, delaying graduation by a full year or more. Start CHEM 10 your first semester if you're serious about staying on track.
Statistics Must Come Before Research Methods
PSYC 22 (Research Methods in Psychology) at Mt. SAC requires both PSYC C1000 and STAT C1000 as hard prerequisites — you cannot enroll without them. Students who delay taking STAT C1000 often can't fit Research Methods in before they transfer, which means arriving at UCSB less prepared for the upper-division research sequence. Map out PSYC C1000 → STAT C1000 → PSYC 22 in your first three semesters.
TAG Doesn't File Itself — September Deadline Is Real
The TAG application window opens and closes in September, roughly a month before the regular UC application opens on November 1. Many Mt. SAC students miss the TAG window entirely because they didn't know it ran on a completely separate calendar. Log into the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) before September 1 of your transfer year and have your GPA documentation ready — UCSB's TAG requires a 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA confirmed by the end of fall semester.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College to UCSB for Psychology?
The minimum UC-transferable GPA to be eligible is 2.4 for California residents, but that won't make you competitive. Admitted UCSB transfer students in the most recent cycle had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.46–3.91. For the PBS B.S., you want to aim for a 3.5 or higher, especially in your science and math courses like CHEM 10 and STAT C1000.
Does UCSB accept IGETC for the Psychology major from Mt. SAC?
Yes — UCSB accepts IGETC to satisfy lower-division general education requirements for all three of its undergraduate colleges, including the College of Letters & Science where the PBS B.S. lives. Completing IGETC at Mt. SAC before you transfer means you arrive at UCSB with your GE slate cleared and can focus on upper-division major coursework right away.
What classes should I take at Mt. SAC to prepare for UCSB's Psychology major?
Start with PSYC C1000 (Introduction to Psychology), then take STAT C1000 (Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences) and MATH 7 (Calculus 1). The CHEM 10 and CHEM 11 General Chemistry series is strongly recommended before you transfer, as is PSYC 22 (Research Methods in Psychology). PSY 10A and 10B are UCSB-only courses with no CC equivalent, so you'll take those after you arrive.
Can I get a guaranteed admission to UCSB with a TAG from Mt. San Antonio College?
Yes — UCSB participates in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program and Mt. SAC students are eligible to apply. You need a 3.4 cumulative UC-transferable GPA confirmed by the end of the fall semester before your transfer year, and you must submit your TAG application through the UC Transfer Admission Planner (TAP) in September. Don't forget you must also submit a regular UC application to UCSB under the same major for the TAG to be valid.
What is the difference between UCSB's Psychology major and Biopsychology major?
UCSB's PBS department offers two separate B.S. degrees: Psychological & Brain Sciences and Biopsychology. Both are rigorous, lab-based science programs with overlapping pre-major requirements (including Calculus, Statistics, and Chemistry), but Biopsychology focuses more intensively on neuroscience and biological mechanisms of behavior. Neither major prepares students for clinical counseling at the undergraduate level — if that's your goal, you'll want to research graduate programs separately.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) to UC Santa Barbara as a Psychology major takes more runway than most students expect. UCSB's Psychology program is housed in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences (PBS) within the College of Letters & Science, and the degree awarded is a B.S. — not a B.A. — which signals its heavy science orientation. Admitted transfer students in the most recent cycle had a mid-50th percentile GPA range of 3.46–3.91, and the overall transfer admit rate from Mt. SAC to the UC system was 74% across all majors and campuses. For transfer planning purposes, that headline number is encouraging, but your competitiveness for UCSB specifically depends on how well you complete the PBS pre-major requirements before you leave Mt. SAC. UCSB's Transfer Planning Guide names Intro to Psychology, Calculus, Statistics, and at least one year of General Chemistry as the courses to finish before you arrive — that maps to PSYC C1000, MATH 7, STAT C1000, and the CHEM 10/CHEM 11 sequence at Mt. SAC. IGETC is accepted for the PBS B.S., so completing your IGETC coursework at Mt. SAC is a smart strategy for clearing your lower-division GE requirements before transfer. Mt. SAC students can also apply for a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) with UCSB through the UC Transfer Admission Planner in September, which requires a 3.4 GPA by the end of fall semester. Tools like Pipeline help students map out all of these moving pieces — major prerequisites, IGETC areas, TAG deadlines, and prerequisite chains like STAT C1000 before PSYC 22 — into a single personalized semester-by-semester plan, so nothing falls through the cracks before application season.
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