Pasadena City College to UCSD
Business Administration Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UC San Diego
Business AdministrationGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum GPA is 2.4, but admitted UCSD transfer students average around 3.9. That gap is not a typo — it reflects just how competitive the applicant pool is, especially for a selective major like Business Economics. Your ECON 1, ECON 2, MATH 5A, and MATH 54 grades will carry the most weight because UCSD screens applicants specifically on major prep completion and performance. A B in any of those courses hurts more than a B in an elective.
Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
PCC students are eligible for the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), which you submit each September for the following fall. TAG can lock in your admission to UCSD — but here's the part most students miss: because Business Economics is a selective major at UCSD, TAG does not guarantee admission into that specific major. It only guarantees a spot in a non-selective alternate major you designate on your application. File your TAG anyway — it's still your best safety net — but go in with eyes open and hit the highest GPA you can to compete for Business Economics on merit.
Major Requirements
Business Economics (B.S.) — Department of Economics Major Preparation
Business Economics (B.S.) — Department of Economics at UC San Diego
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UC San Diego's Business Administration major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSD does not offer a traditional Business Administration B.A. or B.S. The closest match for transfer students is Business Economics (B.S.), housed in the Economics department — not the Rady School of Management. Rady offers only minors and graduate programs at the undergraduate level. Students sometimes also consider International Studies – International Business or Business Psychology, both of which have different prep requirements and application pools. Make sure you're targeting the right major before you build your course plan.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCSD | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 1 — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 1 — Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 2 — Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 2 — Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| MATH 5A — Calculus with Analytic Geometry I | MATH 10A — Calculus I (or MATH 20A) | 5 |
| MATH 54 — Elementary Statistics | MATH 11 — Calculus-Based Introductory Probability and Statistics | 4 |
| ACCT 1A — Fundamentals of Accounting I | MGT 4 — Financial Accounting | 4 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Pasadena City College
Complete these five courses at Pasadena City College to start your UCSD 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 002
Animal Biology
CHEM 001A
General Chemistry and Chemical Analysis I
HIST 001A
History of European Civilization to 1715
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
| Area | Course at Pasadena City College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 002 — Animal Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 001A — General Chemistry and Chemical Analysis I | 5 |
Humanities | HIST 001A — History of European Civilization to 1715 | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 4 |
Critical ThinkingCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 4 |
MATH 5A → MATH 54 (Statistics)
Calculus (MATH 5A) should come before Elementary Statistics (MATH 54) — UCSD's Business Economics program expects quantitative maturity that statistics alone doesn't build. If you take them in the wrong order, you may clear the prep checklist on paper but struggle in upper-division economics courses from day one.
PCC runs on semesters — UCSD runs on quarters
Your 16-week PCC semester courses will compress into 10-week UCSD quarters after you transfer, so build strong fundamentals in every major prep course now — there won't be time to catch up once the quarter clock starts.
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
IGETC Helps — But Check Revelle College First
IGETC clears most of UCSD's lower-division GE requirements at seven of the eight residential colleges — but if you get placed into Revelle College, IGETC alone isn't enough. Revelle requires additional math and natural science coursework on top of IGETC, which can add quarters to your graduation timeline. You don't choose your college until after admission, so the safest move is to complete at least one calculus course like MATH 5A and one lab science at PCC regardless, so you're covered no matter which college you land in.
UCSD Has No Business Administration Major — Full Stop
This is the most important thing to know before you start planning: UCSD's Rady School of Management does not offer a Bachelor's in Business Administration. The closest undergraduate major is Business Economics (B.S.) in the Economics department, and it has a different course list than a traditional BA in Business. If you've been casually assuming UCSD has a business degree, recheck your target major now — before you spend a semester taking the wrong prep courses.
PCC's Semester Calendar Is an Asset — Use It
PCC runs on semesters, which means each of your courses runs about 16 weeks — roughly 60% longer than a 10-week quarter at UCSD. That extra time per course is actually an advantage: use it to go deep in ECON 1 and MATH 5A, because UCSD's quarter-paced upper-division econ courses will move fast and expect you to have the fundamentals locked in. Students who coast through micro and calculus at PCC often hit a wall in their first quarter at UCSD.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UCSD have a Business Administration major for transfer students from Pasadena City College?
UCSD does not offer a traditional Business Administration B.A. or B.S. at the undergraduate level. The closest major for PCC transfer students is Business Economics (B.S.) in the Economics department, which requires courses like ECON 1 and ECON 2 at PCC. The Rady School of Management offers only minors and graduate programs, not an undergraduate business degree.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Pasadena City College to UCSD for Business Economics?
The official UC minimum GPA is 2.4 for California residents, but admitted UCSD transfer students average around 3.9. Business Economics is a selective major at UCSD, meaning the admitted pool skews even higher. Your performance in ECON 1, ECON 2, and MATH 5A at PCC will be scrutinized most closely during the admissions review.
Does UC TAG work for Business Economics at UCSD from Pasadena City College?
PCC students are eligible to submit a UC TAG application in September, and UCSD is one of the six campuses that participates in TAG. However, Business Economics is classified as a selective major at UCSD, so TAG does not guarantee admission into that specific major — it guarantees admission to a non-selective alternate major you list. Submit your TAG, but compete for Business Economics on the strength of your GPA and completed prep courses including ECON 1 and ECON 2.
Which PCC courses count as major prep for Business Economics at UC San Diego?
The core lower-division prep courses articulated through ASSIST for the PCC-to-UCSD Business Economics pathway include ECON 1 (Principles of Microeconomics), ECON 2 (Principles of Macroeconomics), MATH 5A (Calculus with Analytic Geometry I), MATH 54 (Elementary Statistics), and ACCT 1A (Fundamentals of Accounting I). Complete all of these at PCC before you transfer — Business Economics is a selective major and you'll be screened on how many prep courses you've finished and the grades you earned.
Can I use IGETC when transferring from Pasadena City College to UC San Diego for Business Economics?
Yes — IGETC is accepted at UCSD and satisfies lower-division GE requirements at seven of the eight residential colleges. The one exception is Revelle College, which requires additional math and natural science courses beyond what IGETC covers. Since you won't know which college you're placed in until after admission, completing MATH 5A at PCC while doing IGETC gives you a buffer. PCC students who started before Fall 2025 can still follow the IGETC pattern rather than the newer Cal-GETC — check with a PCC counselor to confirm which pattern applies to you.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Pasadena City College (PCC) students aiming to transfer to UC San Diego (UCSD) for a business-related degree need to know one key fact upfront: UCSD does not offer a traditional Business Administration major. The closest undergraduate option is Business Economics (B.S.) in the Economics department, and transfer planning for this pathway looks different than a standard business school application. With a UCSD overall transfer acceptance rate of approximately 52.7% across 23,441 applicants in fall 2025, the campus is more accessible than its reputation suggests — but Business Economics is classified as a selective major, meaning the admitted pool is more competitive than the campus average. Serious applicants typically show GPAs near 3.9, and UCSD screens transfers specifically on the number and quality of major prerequisites completed before arrival. From PCC, the essential major prep courses include ECON 1 (Principles of Microeconomics), ECON 2 (Principles of Macroeconomics), MATH 5A (Calculus with Analytic Geometry I), MATH 54 (Elementary Statistics), and ACCT 1A (Fundamentals of Accounting I) — all verified through ASSIST articulation. IGETC is accepted at UCSD for most residential colleges, making it a smart general education path to pursue alongside major prerequisites. PCC students are also eligible for the UC Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG), submitted each September, though TAG does not apply to selective majors like Business Economics. Because PCC operates on semesters and UCSD runs on a quarter system, students have more time per course at PCC to build the deep math and economics foundations that UCSD's fast-paced upper-division curriculum demands. Tools like Pipeline help PCC students map out a semester-by-semester plan that sequences ECON 1 before ECON 2, gets calculus done early, and leaves room to hit 60 transferable units before the application deadline — so nothing falls through the cracks on the road to La Jolla.
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