Upon admission, all prospective Chemistry and Biochemistry majors are accepted into the Pre-Chemistry major. Students who have completed all pre-major coursework, as outlined on the Pre-Chemistry major sheet, may petition to declare the full major immediately after the completion of their first quarter at UCSB.
Transfer students need to obtain a UC GPA of 2.00 or above in each of the 6 pre-major course sequences. Only applicable UC courses will be included in this GPA calculation, regardless of course transferability. For example, if the equivalent of Math 3A is completed prior to transferring, then a student must achieve a GPA of at least a 2.0 in Math 3B and 4A at UCSB.
Preparation for the Major
Prospective transfer students are strongly encouraged to complete all of the “Preparation for the Major” coursework prior to transfer in order to ensure timely progress to degree. Failure to complete all requirements prior to transfer is likely to delay graduation by a full year; students missing preparatory coursework are barred from enrolling in required upper-division course sequences and will have to wait a full year until these sequences are offered again.
Preparation for the Biochemistry B.S., Chemistry B.S., and Chemistry B.A.:
- General Chemistry: Chem 1A or 2A, 1B or 2B, 1C or 2C
- General Chemistry labs: Chem 1AL or 2AC, 1BL or 2BC, 1CL or 2CC
- Organic Chemistry: Chem 109A, 109B, 109C
- Organic Chemistry labs: Chem 6AL and 6BL
- Math: Math 3A-B, 4A, and 6A
- Physics: Physics 1-2-3-3L-4-4L or 6A-AL-B-BL-C-CL
Biochemistry B.S. (additional requirements)
- Biology: MCDB 1A, 1B, 1LL, EEMB 2
Chemistry B.S. (additional requirements)
- Organic Chemistry lab: Chem 6CL
- Math: Math 4B
- Physics: Physics 1-2-3-3L-4-4L is required and may not be substituted with 6A-AL-B-BL-C-CL
Again, it is emphasized that failure to complete all requirements prior to transfer is likely to delay graduation by a full year or more.
For a full list of major requirements and sample schedules, please visit the degree requirements section of this website.
Please click here to view Transfer Module Orientation.
DECLARING YOUR MAJOR
Department policy requires that all incoming transfer students, even those who have successfully completed all the pre-major requirements, enter the University as a Pre-Chemistry major. Advancement to full major status is only permitted after:
1) The Pre-Chemistry major requirements have been satisfied