Major Requirements

All UC bachelor degrees include major requirements that include both lower-division (freshman and sophomore) and upper-division (junior and senior) coursework that is specifically related to the field of study for the major. As a transfer student, you'll be using community college courses to satisfy as many lower-division major requirements as possible prior to transfer.

It's important that you carefully research how your community college courses might be used to satisfy major requirements. Because UC majors tend to be highly specialized, major requirements can be different across campuses.

To make the best use of your time at a community college, it’s essential that you understand which of these lower-division courses you are required to complete before transferring and which would be beneficial to complete to maximize your chances of admission at your chosen campus.

Some campuses and majors also may require applicants to complete specific lower-division major preparation courses, often with specific GPA, to be considered for admission. This can make it challenging to plan which courses to take if you’re considering multiple UC campuses.

The UC Transfer Preparation Paths and the Plan Your Coursework sections of this site have tools that can help you with this research.