Pasadena City College to UCSB
Computer Science Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UC Santa Barbara
Computer ScienceGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum GPA is 3.0, but UCSB itself recommends a 3.6 or higher for engineering majors — and Computer Science lives in the College of Engineering. The mid-50% GPA range for admitted UCSB transfers overall was 3.46–3.91, and CS is among the more competitive majors on campus. Your grades in CS 3, CS 4, MATH 5A, and MATH 5B carry the most weight — these are the exact courses UCSB reviewers look at to judge whether you can handle upper-division CS work.
Major Requirements
Computer Science (B.S., College of Engineering) Major Preparation
Computer Science (B.S., College of Engineering) at UC Santa Barbara
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UC Santa Barbara's Computer Science major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCSB also offers Computer Engineering (B.S.) in the College of Engineering and a Statistics & Data Science major in the College of Letters & Science. Computer Science is housed in the College of Engineering — not Letters & Science — which means different GPA expectations, no IGETC, and no TAG eligibility. Students who want a more flexible path sometimes consider Cognitive Science (L&S) instead, but it is a distinctly different field.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCSB | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CS 3 — Introduction to Computer Science I | CMPSC 16 — Problem Solving with Computers I | 4 |
| CS 4 — Data Structures and Algorithms | CMPSC 24 — Problem Solving with Computers II | 4 |
| No equivalent at Pasadena City College | CMPSC 64 — Computer Organization and Logic | — |
| MATH 5A — Calculus 1 | MATH 3A — Calculus with Applications I | 5 |
| MATH 5B — Calculus 2 | MATH 3B — Calculus with Applications II | 5 |
| MATH 5C — Multivariable Calculus | MATH 4A — Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 8 — Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | MATH 4B — Linear Algebra and Differential Equations | 4 |
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 Pasadena City College
UCSB's Computer Science (B.S., College of Engineering) program uses its own GE pattern (see note below), but these five Pasadena City College courses cover foundation requirements every UC accepts. Start here.
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 |
UCSB Computer Science (B.S., College of Engineering): full GE notes
Computer Science at UCSB sits in the College of Engineering, which does not recommend IGETC for its students. Engineering students satisfy general education through UCSB's College of Engineering GE pattern after transfer, which includes courses in writing, ethics, and social sciences taken on campus at UCSB. Because the CS B.S. is heavy on lower-division major preparation — calculus sequences, programming, discrete math — UCSB explicitly advises prospective COE transfer students to prioritize completing major prep courses before transfer, and to handle GE requirements on campus rather than spending community college semesters on IGETC. Confirm the specific post-transfer GE requirements in the UCSB General Catalog under the College of Engineering.
MATH 5A → 5B → 5C → MATH 8
PCC's calculus sequence runs four courses deep before you reach Linear Algebra — MATH 5A feeds MATH 5B, which feeds MATH 5C, which feeds MATH 8. If you start this chain even one semester late, you will likely arrive at UCSB without MATH 4A or 4B completed, which can block enrollment in upper-division CS courses from day one.
PCC runs on semesters — UCSB runs on quarters
One PCC semester covers roughly the same material as one and a half UCSB quarters, so your four-course calc sequence at PCC maps cleanly to UCSB's quarter system — but expect UCSB's pace to feel noticeably faster when 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
IGETC Will Not Work for This Major
Computer Science at UCSB sits in the College of Engineering, which does not accept IGETC for satisfying lower-division general education. Do not spend semesters building out an IGETC pattern — instead, focus your non-major units on UCSB's College of Engineering breadth requirements, which you can identify on the UCSB Engineering website. Spending time on IGETC courses that won't count is one of the most common and costly planning mistakes CS transfer students make.
TAG Is Off the Table for Engineering
The UCSB Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is only available for majors in the College of Letters and Science — Computer Science in the College of Engineering is explicitly excluded. This is unique and important: students targeting Letters & Science majors at UCSB can lock in admission via TAG, but you cannot. Your path is a competitive regular application, which makes your GPA in CS 3, CS 4, and the MATH 5A–5C sequence even more critical.
PCC Has No Articulated Equivalent for CMPSC 64
UCSB's CMPSC 64 (Computer Organization and Logic) is a required lower-division CS prep course, and Pasadena City College currently has no articulated equivalent for it on ASSIST. This is specific to PCC — some other California community colleges do have an articulated course for CMPSC 64. That means you will need to complete CMPSC 64 in your first quarter at UCSB, so plan your first-year schedule accordingly and email the CS undergraduate advisor early to confirm prerequisite clearance.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What GPA do I need to transfer from Pasadena City College to UCSB for Computer Science?
The UC minimum is 3.0, but UCSB recommends 3.6 or higher for engineering majors, and Computer Science is in the College of Engineering. The mid-50% GPA range for all admitted UCSB transfers was 3.46–3.91 in fall 2024, and CS is one of UCSB's most competitive majors. Focus on earning strong grades in CS 3, CS 4, MATH 5A, and MATH 5B — those are the courses that signal your readiness most directly.
Does Pasadena City College have a TAG agreement with UC Santa Barbara for Computer Science?
No. UCSB's Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) applies only to majors in the College of Letters and Science — it explicitly excludes all College of Engineering majors, including Computer Science. This means PCC CS students must go through the standard competitive transfer process without a guaranteed admission safety net.
What courses should I take at Pasadena City College to prepare for UCSB Computer Science?
The core lower-division prep includes CS 3 (Introduction to Computer Science I), CS 4 (Data Structures and Algorithms), and the full math sequence: MATH 5A, MATH 5B, MATH 5C, and MATH 8. Note that PCC has no articulated equivalent for UCSB's CMPSC 64 (Computer Organization and Logic), so you will need to take that course after you arrive at UCSB.
Does UCSB Computer Science accept IGETC from Pasadena City College?
No. Computer Science at UCSB is housed in the College of Engineering, which does not accept IGETC for general education credit. Instead of pursuing IGETC, PCC students should focus on completing major prep courses — especially the MATH 5A through MATH 8 sequence and CS 3 and CS 4 — and check UCSB Engineering's specific GE breadth requirements.
How long does it take to transfer from Pasadena City College to UCSB as a Computer Science major?
Most students need at least two full years at PCC — often closer to two and a half — because of the four-course calculus chain (MATH 5A, 5B, 5C, and then MATH 8) that must be completed sequentially. If you start MATH 5A in your very first semester and take CS 3 at the same time, you can realistically finish all lower-division prep by the end of your second year and apply for fall transfer.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from Pasadena City College (PCC) to UC Santa Barbara as a Computer Science major is one of the most ambitious — and achievable — paths in the California community college system. UCSB admitted 61.8% of its roughly 18,400 transfer applicants in fall 2024, making it one of the more welcoming UC campuses overall. But Computer Science lives in UCSB's College of Engineering, not the College of Letters and Science, which changes everything about how you plan. IGETC is not accepted for engineering majors, and the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) is unavailable for any College of Engineering major including CS. That means your transfer planning must center entirely on major prerequisites: the calculus chain of MATH 5A, MATH 5B, MATH 5C, and MATH 8 at PCC, plus CS 3 (Introduction to Computer Science I) and CS 4 (Data Structures and Algorithms). UCSB recommends a 3.6 or higher GPA for engineering applicants, well above the 3.0 UC minimum. One gap unique to PCC students is that Pasadena City College has no articulated equivalent for UCSB's CMPSC 64 (Computer Organization and Logic), which is a required lower-division course — students will need to complete it in their first quarter after transfer. Navigating all of this across a semester-to-quarter calendar transition takes careful, early planning. Tools like Pipeline help students at Pasadena City College build a personalized, semester-by-semester transfer plan that accounts for prerequisite chains, unit requirements, and the specific articulation agreements between PCC and UC Santa Barbara — so nothing falls through the cracks before application season.
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