Pasadena City College to UC Berkeley
Business Administration Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UC Berkeley
GPA Reality Check
The minimum GPA to apply to UC Berkeley is 3.0, but the actual mid-50% range for admitted transfers was 3.61–3.96 in 2024 — and Haas is considerably more selective than the campus average. Haas reads every single prerequisite grade individually, so a C- in MATH 57 or ECON 1 won't just drag your GPA — it signals to an admissions reader that your quantitative foundation is shaky. Aim for straight A's in every calculus, statistics, and economics course; these are the courses Haas cares about most.
Major Requirements
Business Administration (Haas School of Business B.S.) Major Preparation
Business Administration (Haas School of Business B.S.) at UC Berkeley
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Business Administration major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
Berkeley offers several business-adjacent majors that students frequently confuse with Haas. Economics (College of Letters & Science) covers theory and quantitative analysis but is a different application process and major. Political Economy blends politics and economic theory. Analytics (formerly Operations Research and Management Science) is more quantitative and data-focused. None of these are the same as the Haas B.S. — and critically, you cannot transfer into Berkeley through one of these majors and then switch into Haas.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 1A — Reading and Composition | English R1A — Reading and Composition | 4 |
| ENGL 1B — Composition and Literature | English R1B — Reading and Composition | 3 |
| MATH 5A — Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MATH 16A — Analytic Geometry and Calculus (first semester of calculus sequence) | 5 |
| MATH 5B — Calculus with Analytic Geometry II | MATH 16B — Analytic Geometry and Calculus (satisfies Haas calculus prerequisite) | 5 |
| MATH 57 — Elementary Statistics | STAT 20 — Probability and Statistics (satisfies Haas statistics prerequisite) | 4 |
| ECON 1 — Principles of Economics — Microeconomics | ECON 1 — Introduction to Economics (microeconomics component) | 3 |
| ECON 2 — Principles of Economics — Macroeconomics | ECON 2 — Introduction to Economics (macroeconomics component) | 3 |
General Education
GE Requirements at UC Berkeley
IGETC is not accepted for this program
Haas does not use IGETC. Instead, admitted students must complete the Seven-Course Breadth requirement from the College of Letters & Science — seven courses spanning arts and literature, biological science, historical studies, international studies, philosophy/values, physical science, and social/behavioral science. These breadth courses cannot overlap with your major prerequisites, and no more than two courses from any one department may count. Breadth can be completed at PCC before transfer using the articulation agreements on ASSIST; courses must earn a C- or better.
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
Missing the Haas Supplemental Application Deadline
Haas requires a second application — separate from your UC application — submitted by January 31. This supplemental includes an essay, a resume update, and a video interview component. If you miss this deadline, Haas will deny your admission automatically, regardless of how strong your UC application is.
Confusing Seven-Course Breadth With IGETC
IGETC is not accepted for Haas — a fact that trips up a lot of PCC students who've been told to complete IGETC for UC transfers. Haas uses its own Seven-Course Breadth system from the College of Letters & Science. Check ASSIST to identify which PCC courses count toward breadth, and remember: your Haas prerequisite courses (like ECON 1 and MATH 5A) cannot double-count toward breadth.
Letting Calculus Slip to Your Last Semester
All prerequisites must be done by the end of spring before you enroll at Haas — and prerequisites more than five years old don't count. If you push MATH 5A to your second semester at PCC, MATH 5B won't be done until your final spring. That leaves no buffer, and one bad semester tanks your eligibility. Start MATH 5A your very first semester.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Pasadena City College to UC Berkeley Haas Business Administration?
The official minimum GPA for UC Berkeley transfer eligibility is 3.0, but that number is misleading for Haas. The mid-50% GPA range for all admitted Berkeley transfers in 2024 was 3.61–3.96, and Haas is one of the most competitive programs on campus. Admissions readers look closely at your grades in each individual prerequisite like MATH 57 and ECON 1, not just your cumulative GPA — so aim for A's across the board.
Does Pasadena City College have a transfer guarantee or TAG program for UC Berkeley?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, so there is no guaranteed admission path from PCC to Berkeley regardless of your GPA. Berkeley also does not have a Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) partnership with PCC. Your best leverage is completing all Haas prerequisites like ECON 1, ECON 2, MATH 5A, MATH 5B, and MATH 57 with strong grades and submitting both the UC application and the Haas supplemental application on time.
Can I use IGETC to satisfy general education requirements when transferring from PCC to UC Berkeley Haas?
No — IGETC is not accepted for the Haas School of Business. Haas uses the Seven-Course Breadth requirement from the College of Letters & Science instead. You can complete many of these breadth courses at PCC using the ASSIST articulation agreement, but be aware that your Haas prerequisite courses such as ECON 1 and MATH 5A cannot also count toward your breadth requirement.
What courses do I need to complete at PCC before applying to transfer to UC Berkeley Business Administration?
Haas requires completing a specific set of prerequisites before you enroll — not just before you apply. At PCC, the key courses are ENGL 1A and ENGL 1B (Reading and Composition), MATH 5A and MATH 5B (the full calculus sequence), MATH 57 (Elementary Statistics), ECON 1 (Microeconomics), and ECON 2 (Macroeconomics). All must be completed with a C- or higher, and none can be more than five years old when you start at Haas.
Is there a supplemental application required to transfer to Berkeley Haas from Pasadena City College?
Yes — and this is one of the most common mistakes PCC students make. After submitting your UC application by the November/December deadline, you must also complete a separate Haas Supplemental Application by January 31. The supplemental includes an essay, a resume, and a video interview. If you miss the January 31 deadline, Haas will deny your application regardless of your UC application status — no exceptions.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning your transfer from Pasadena City College (PCC) to UC Berkeley as a Business Administration major means navigating one of the most competitive transfer pathways in California — and one with a few critical rules that catch students off guard. The Haas School of Business B.S. program at UC Berkeley sits inside its own admissions process, separate from the general UC application, with a required supplemental application due January 31. The overall UC Berkeley transfer accept rate for Fall 2025 was 24% across 23,322 applicants, but Haas is significantly more selective than that campus-wide figure suggests. Successful transfer planning starts early at PCC: you'll need to complete ENGL 1A, ENGL 1B, MATH 5A, MATH 5B, MATH 57, ECON 1, and ECON 2 as your major prerequisites — all with strong grades, since Haas reads every prerequisite individually. One detail that surprises many PCC students is that IGETC is not accepted for Haas; instead, you need to fulfill the Seven-Course Breadth requirement from the College of Letters & Science, and your major prep courses cannot double-count toward breadth. Unlike most UC campuses, Berkeley does not offer TAG, so there's no guaranteed admission path — your grades and your application essays have to do all the work. Tools like Pipeline help students at Pasadena City College map out exactly when to take each course, track prerequisite chains like the MATH 5A → MATH 5B calculus sequence, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks before the application window opens in August. Given how many students are disqualified from Haas simply for missing the supplemental deadline or leaving a prerequisite incomplete, having a detailed, personalized semester-by-semester plan isn't optional — it's the difference between a competitive application and no application at all.
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