Santa Monica College to UC Berkeley
Nursing Transfer Plan
Semester-by-semester courses, IGETC requirements, and major prerequisites — verified from real articulation data.
From
Santa Monica College
To
UC Berkeley
NursingGPA Reality Check
The UC minimum is 3.0, but admitted UC Berkeley transfers in 2025 landed in the 3.61–3.96 range — and nursing school applications, which you'll file after transfer, are even more cutthroat. Every grade in your science sequence matters disproportionately: admissions committees at BSN programs scrutinize ANAT 1, PHYSIO 3, and MICRO 1 grades individually, not just your cumulative GPA. A 3.5 overall with a B in Human Physiology is a weaker application than a 3.6 with straight A's across your life sciences.
Major Requirements
Pre-Nursing / Nursing Preparatory Program (UC Berkeley Extension, B.S. pathway to BSN) Major Preparation
Pre-Nursing / Nursing Preparatory Program (UC Berkeley Extension, B.S. pathway to BSN) at UC Berkeley
Courses at Santa Monica College that satisfy UC Berkeley's Nursing major preparation, verified via ASSIST.org.
UC Berkeley does not offer a traditional undergraduate B.S. in Nursing for direct junior transfer. Students pursuing nursing from SMC typically enroll at UC Berkeley as Public Health, Molecular & Cell Biology, or Integrative Biology majors — completing science prerequisites on campus — and then apply separately to BSN programs such as the Samuel Merritt University linkage through UC Berkeley Extension's Nursing Preparatory Program (NPP). Do not confuse this with UCLA's direct-admit Nursing B.S., which does accept community college transfers through a supplemental application process.
| Course at Santa Monica College | Satisfies at UC Berkeley | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANAT 1 — Human Anatomy | Human Anatomy — lower-division science prerequisite for nursing school applications | 4 |
| PHYSIO 3 — Human Physiology | Human Physiology — lower-division science prerequisite for nursing school applications | 3 |
| MICRO 1 — Microbiology | Microbiology — lower-division science prerequisite for nursing school applications | 4 |
| CHEM 11 — General Chemistry I | General Chemistry — lower-division science prerequisite for nursing school applications | 5 |
| BIOL 22 — Human Biology | Biological Sciences — lower-division prerequisite; satisfies science breadth for pre-nursing track | 4 |
| PSYCH 19 — Lifespan Human Development | Human Development / Psychology — required by most BSN programs and nursing school applications | 3 |
| ENGL 1 — Reading and Composition | English Composition — UC Berkeley Essential Skills / IGETC Area 1A | 3 |
General Education
Foundation GE at Santa Monica College
Complete these five courses at Santa Monica College to start your UC Berkeley 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 10
Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology
CHEM 10
Introductory General Chemistry
ENGL C1001
Critical Thinking and Writing
ENGL C1000
Academic Reading and Writing
COMM C1000
Introduction to Public Speaking
| Area | Course at Santa Monica College | Units |
|---|---|---|
Life Science | BIOL 10 — Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology | 4 |
Physical Science | CHEM 10 — Introductory General Chemistry | 5 |
HumanitiesCCN | ENGL C1001 — Critical Thinking and Writing | 3 |
English CompositionCCN | ENGL C1000 — Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
Oral CommunicationCCN | COMM C1000 — Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
ANAT 1 → PHYSIO 3 (Anatomy Before Physiology)
SMC enforces Human Anatomy (ANAT 1) as a hard prerequisite for Human Physiology (PHYSIO 3) — you cannot take them simultaneously. If you miss ANAT 1 in your first semester, you lose a full year off your transfer timeline since both courses need to be completed before you apply.
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
Start Your Science Chain Semester One
The ANAT 1 → PHYSIO 3 sequence, combined with the BIOL 22 → MICRO 1 chain, means you have at minimum three semesters of prerequisite science locked in order before you're done. At SMC, which runs on semesters (not quarters), you have less scheduling flexibility than students at quarter-system colleges — missing ANAT 1 in your first fall pushes your entire science timeline back and can delay transfer by a full year. Map your science sequence before you even register for your first term.
UC Berkeley Has No Direct Nursing Transfer Major
This surprises a lot of SMC students: UC Berkeley does not offer a traditional undergraduate B.S. in Nursing that you transfer directly into as a junior. The path runs through a related major — typically Public Health, Molecular & Cell Biology, or Integrative Biology — and then a separate application to a BSN program like the Samuel Merritt University linkage through UC Berkeley Extension's Nursing Preparatory Program. If you want a direct-admit nursing transfer, UCLA's Nursing B.S. requires a supplemental application but is an actual junior transfer option — know the difference before you apply.
PSYCH 19 Pulls Double Duty — Don't Overlook It
SMC's PSYCH 19 (Lifespan Human Development) satisfies both a common BSN program prerequisite and can count toward your IGETC Area 4 (Social and Behavioral Sciences) requirement simultaneously. Most students sleep on this and take it late, but finishing it early means one less requirement to track and it keeps your application file complete for nursing school reviewers who want to see human development completed before you apply.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does UC Berkeley have a nursing major for transfer students from Santa Monica College?
UC Berkeley does not offer a traditional undergraduate B.S. in Nursing for direct community college transfer. SMC students pursuing nursing at Berkeley typically declare a related major like Public Health or Molecular & Cell Biology, complete their science prerequisites including ANAT 1 and PHYSIO 3 at SMC, and then apply to BSN programs — including a linkage pathway to Samuel Merritt University through UC Berkeley Extension's Nursing Preparatory Program.
What GPA do I need to transfer from Santa Monica College to UC Berkeley?
The UC minimum is 3.0, but admitted UC Berkeley transfer students for Fall 2025 had a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96 — meaning half of admitted students were above a 3.96. For a pre-nursing track, your science GPA in courses like ANAT 1, PHYSIO 3, and MICRO 1 will be scrutinized especially hard by BSN programs after you transfer.
Is there a TAG or guaranteed admission program from Santa Monica College to UC Berkeley?
No — UC Berkeley does not participate in the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program, unlike UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Merced, UC Santa Cruz, and UC Riverside. SMC does have TAP certification for UCLA (College of Letters and Science), but Berkeley admits transfers through standard comprehensive review only, with no guaranteed pathway.
What classes should I take at SMC to prepare for nursing programs from UC Berkeley?
The core pre-nursing science sequence at SMC includes ANAT 1 (Human Anatomy), PHYSIO 3 (Human Physiology), MICRO 1 (Microbiology), and CHEM 11 (General Chemistry I). You'll also want PSYCH 19 (Lifespan Human Development), which is required by most BSN programs. Start ANAT 1 your first semester — it gates the entire sequence.
Does IGETC apply to a pre-nursing transfer path from SMC to UC Berkeley?
Yes — IGETC is accepted and helps satisfy lower-division general education requirements when you transfer to UC Berkeley. Completing IGETC at SMC means you arrive at Berkeley with your breadth requirements largely handled, freeing up time to focus on upper-division coursework and your nursing school application. PSYCH 19 at SMC can count toward both IGETC Area 4 and your nursing school prerequisite list simultaneously.
Explore More
Related Transfer Plans
Planning to transfer from Santa Monica College (SMC) to UC Berkeley with a goal of pursuing nursing is one of the more nuanced pathways in the California community college transfer system — and getting the details right early can save you an entire year. Unlike UCLA, UC Berkeley does not offer a traditional undergraduate B.S. in Nursing for direct junior transfer from a community college. Instead, SMC students on this path typically transfer to UC Berkeley under a related major such as Public Health or Molecular & Cell Biology, complete upper-division science coursework on campus, and then apply separately to a BSN program — with a notable linkage pathway available through UC Berkeley Extension's Nursing Preparatory Program and Samuel Merritt University. That makes transfer planning more layered than average: you're not just preparing for Berkeley's admission requirements (the overall transfer admit rate for Fall 2025 was 24%, with a mid-50% GPA range of 3.61–3.96), you're also building a transcript that nursing schools will evaluate on its own terms. Your major prerequisites at SMC — courses like ANAT 1, PHYSIO 3, MICRO 1, and CHEM 11 — follow a strict prerequisite chain that must start your first semester. IGETC is accepted for this pathway and can be completed concurrently with your science sequence; SMC's PSYCH 19 (Lifespan Human Development) satisfies both IGETC Area 4 and a common BSN program requirement at the same time. SMC has sent 133 students to UC Berkeley in a single academic year and holds the number-one spot for UC transfers statewide for 34 consecutive years — so the infrastructure and articulation support are strong. Tools like Pipeline can help you build a personalized, semester-by-semester plan that accounts for both Berkeley's admission requirements and the downstream nursing school prerequisites, so nothing slips through the cracks.
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