Pasadena City College to UCLA
Business Administration Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Pasadena City College
To
UCLA
Business AdministrationGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum GPA to transfer is 2.0, but that number is essentially irrelevant for Business Economics. Admitted transfers across all UCLA majors had a mid-50th percentile GPA of 3.77–4.00 in Fall 2024, and UCLA explicitly calls out Business Economics as one of its most competitive majors — advising that the strongest applicants finish all prep by fall before they transfer, not spring. Your GPA in your economics and math courses carries the most weight, since those are the exact courses UCLA reviewers look at to judge your readiness for upper-division work.
Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)
PCC participates in UCLA's Transfer Alliance Program (TAP). TAP gives you priority consideration for admission to Business Economics, which sits in the College of Letters & Science. To get certified, you need to complete PCC's Honors Program — talk to the Honors Program counselor at PCC as early as your first semester, because there are course and GPA requirements you have to meet throughout your time at PCC, not just at the end.
Major Requirements
Business Economics (College of Letters & Science, B.A.) Major Preparation
Business Economics (College of Letters & Science, B.A.) at UCLA
Courses at Pasadena City College that satisfy UCLA's Business Administration major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UCLA has no undergraduate 'Business Administration' degree. The closest program is Business Economics (B.A.) in the College of Letters & Science — a rigorous economics-based degree with management coursework. Students sometimes confuse it with the Economics (B.A.) or Mathematics/Economics (B.S.), both also in L&S. Business Economics includes management electives; Economics is more theory-focused; and Math/Economics is the most quantitatively intensive of the three. You must apply to the correct one — you cannot switch into Business Economics after you arrive at UCLA.
| Course at Pasadena City College | Satisfies at UCLA | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 2 — Principles of Microeconomics | ECON 1 — Microeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 1 — Principles of Macroeconomics | ECON 2 — Macroeconomic Theory | 3 |
| MATH 4A — Calculus I | MATH 31A — Differential Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 4B — Calculus II | MATH 31B — Integration and Infinite Series | 4 |
| MATH 57 — Introduction to Statistics | STATS 10 — Introduction to Statistical Reasoning | 4 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Pasadena City College
Complete these five courses at Pasadena City College to start your UCLA 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 4A → MATH 4B
MATH 4B (Calculus II) requires MATH 4A as a prerequisite — you cannot take them in the same semester. Since both are required before transfer, plan MATH 4A in your first semester so MATH 4B can follow in your second; delaying MATH 4A by even one semester can mean your calculus sequence isn't complete when you apply.
UCLA runs on quarters — PCC runs on semesters
Your two semesters at PCC will feel longer and more spacious than UCLA's ten-week quarters — once you transfer, the pace picks up sharply, so use your semester timeline to finish as much major prep as possible 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
IGETC Looks Complete — But Check Area 5
Business Economics at UCLA lives in the College of Letters & Science, and UCLA strongly recommends completing IGETC before you transfer. The gotcha is Area 5 — the lab science requirement. Many PCC students finish all their IGETC coursework but skip the lab component of Area 5B, leaving their IGETC certification incomplete. An incomplete IGETC is treated as no IGETC at all, so verify your Area 5A and 5B with a lab science before you apply.
MATH 5 Won't Get You to UCLA Calculus
PCC offers MATH 5 (Calculus for Business and Social Science), and it sounds like the right course for a business major. It isn't — at least not for UCLA Business Economics. UCLA requires Math 31A and 31B (differential and integral calculus), which articulate to PCC's MATH 4A and MATH 4B. If you take MATH 5 instead, you'll arrive at UCLA without satisfying the calculus prep requirement, which can delay your entry into the major. Start with MATH 4A in your very first semester.
Honors Certification Has an Early Deadline — Don't Miss It
TAP certification at PCC requires completing the Honors Program, but the program has its own internal milestones: a minimum GPA, a required number of honors sections, and a certification window that closes before UCLA's December application deadline. Students who discover TAP in their second year often find they don't have enough time to complete the honors coursework. Visit the PCC Honors Program counselor in your very first semester to start the process — not after you've already picked your classes.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How competitive is it to transfer from Pasadena City College to UCLA Business Economics?
Very competitive. UCLA's overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2024 was 22.3% across all majors, and Business Economics is explicitly named by UCLA as one of its most selective programs. The mid-50th percentile GPA for admitted transfers campus-wide was 3.77–4.00, and UCLA recommends that Business Economics applicants have all prep — including ECON 1, ECON 2, MATH 4A, MATH 4B, and MATH 57 — completed before the fall term prior to transfer.
Does UCLA even have a Business Administration major I can transfer into from PCC?
No — UCLA does not offer an undergraduate Business Administration degree. The closest equivalent is Business Economics (B.A.), which lives in the College of Letters & Science and blends economics theory with management coursework. You must apply directly to Business Economics; transfer students admitted under another major at UCLA cannot switch into Business Economics after arrival.
Which PCC courses count toward UCLA Business Economics major prep?
Based on ASSIST articulation, the key PCC courses are ECON 2 (Principles of Microeconomics) for UCLA's ECON 1, ECON 1 (Principles of Macroeconomics) for UCLA's ECON 2, MATH 4A (Calculus I) for UCLA's MATH 31A, MATH 4B (Calculus II) for UCLA's MATH 31B, and MATH 57 (Introduction to Statistics) for UCLA's STATS 10. Always verify the current agreement on ASSIST.org before enrolling.
Does the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP) help PCC students get into UCLA Business Economics?
Yes. PCC participates in TAP, which gives priority consideration to students who complete PCC's Honors Program and get certified by the Honors counselor. Business Economics sits in UCLA's College of Letters & Science, which is covered under TAP's priority consideration. The catch is that TAP certification requires meeting specific GPA and coursework milestones throughout your time at PCC — not just at the end — so you need to start the Honors Program early.
Should I complete IGETC at PCC before transferring to UCLA for Business Economics?
Yes — UCLA strongly recommends IGETC for all College of Letters & Science majors, including Business Economics. Completing IGETC at PCC means you arrive at UCLA with your lower-division general education fully satisfied, freeing up your quarters for upper-division economics and management coursework. Just make sure your IGETC is fully certified — including the Area 5 lab science requirement — before you submit your application, because an incomplete IGETC certification offers no advantage.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Transferring from Pasadena City College (PCC) to UCLA as a Business Economics major is one of the most competitive CC-to-UC pathways in Southern California. UCLA does not offer a standalone Business Administration undergraduate degree — instead, the Business Economics B.A. in the College of Letters & Science is the program transfer students target, combining rigorous economics theory with management electives. Transfer planning for this pathway starts with ASSIST.org, where you can verify exactly how PCC courses map to UCLA's lower-division major prerequisites: ECON 2 (Principles of Microeconomics), MATH 4A (Calculus I), MATH 4B (Calculus II), and MATH 57 (Introduction to Statistics) are among the most critical courses to complete at PCC before you apply. UCLA's overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2024 was 22.3%, with admitted students carrying a mid-50th percentile GPA of 3.77–4.00 — and Business Economics is explicitly flagged by UCLA as a highly selective major where the strongest applicants finish all major prerequisites by the fall term before transfer, not spring. Completing IGETC at PCC is strongly recommended for this major, as it satisfies UCLA's lower-division general education requirements and frees up your ten-week quarters on campus for upper-division coursework. PCC students also have access to the UCLA Transfer Alliance Program (TAP), which gives Honors Program completers priority consideration for admission to College of Letters & Science majors including Business Economics. Tools like Pipeline can help PCC students build a personalized semester-by-semester plan that maps out the exact prerequisite chains — like the MATH 4A-to-MATH 4B calculus sequence — alongside IGETC requirements, TAP milestones, and application deadlines, so nothing falls through the cracks before December of your application year.
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