Political Science Transfer Pathway

Taking the following courses will meet all of the transfer admission course requirements for the participating majors listed below.

Course expectations

Choose 3 of the following 4 courses:

  • Introduction to American government & politics
  • Introduction to political theory & thought
  • Introduction to comparative government & politics
  • Introduction to international relations

Note: The following courses count toward the major on some campuses and constitute sound preparation for the major on all UC campuses. Students can complete these courses after transfer without negatively affecting their competitiveness for admission.

  • A fourth course from the above list
  • Introduction to statistics (one course)
  • One UC-transferable history course focusing on civilization or history (e.g., western civilization, U.S. history, East Asian civilization)
  • Microeconomics or macroeconomics (one course) 

Use ASSIST to find the specific classes offered at your community college that will satisfy the expected coursework at a particular UC campus. In addition to the coursework above, you will need to fulfill minimum requirements expected of all transfer applicants to UC.

If you're working on an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) in political science at your community college, there's a lot of overlap with UC Transfer Pathway coursework. When you have options, try to select courses for your ADT that meet both the ADT and UC requirements. The difference between what UC expects and what some ADTs require is that UC does not include introduction to political science nor statistics/research methods as options to fulfill its three core Pathway course expectations. Additional courses required for an ADT may be eligible for UC credit at some campuses. Check ASSIST for details.

Applicable majors

The Political Science Pathway applies to the degree programs listed below. More degree programs may be added in the future so you should check back periodically to see if your major has joined this list.

  • Political science, A.B. at Davis
  • Political science, B.A. at Berkeley
  • Political science, B.A. at Irvine
  • Political science, B.A. at Los Angeles
  • Political science, B.A. at Merced
  • Political science, B.A. at Riverside
  • Political science, B.A. at San Diego
  • Political science, B.A. at Santa Barbara
  • Politics, B.A. at Santa Cruz

Campus GPA requirements

Admission to different UC campuses and majors varies in competitiveness depending on how many students apply and how many slots are available. As a result, the minimum GPA and grade requirements for particular courses may vary from campus to campus. Make sure to look on the campus admissions websites to find minimum expected grade point averages for the major you are interested in.

Tools to help you prepare

Use ASSIST to ensure that your courses are accepted by each campus as part of major preparation.

Use the Transfer Admission Planner to track and plan your coursework.