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Academic Requirements

First Year Admits

You are a first year admit if you were admitted to UC San Diego without completing at least one term other than summer session at a college or university after graduating high school.

University Requirements

You must complete the following requirements:

College General Education Requirements

You must complete the following requirements.

  • View the approved Muir General Education courses by area and theme.
  • View the general education courses offered in the current and upcoming terms. 

The Muir College Writing Requirement. 2 courses. 

The Muir College Writing program focuses on written and oral communication, critical thinking, completing and citing background research from academic sources, and the ability to make supported arguments applicable to academic writing. 

  • MCWP 40, MCWP 40C, MCWP 40CR or MCWP 40R
  • MCWP 50 or MCWP 50R
  • Both classes must be taken for a letter grade. 
  • Requirements can be satisfied by a grade of D or higher. 
  • Courses must be taken in order.
  • You have through your 6th quarter at UCSD to enroll in MCWP courses in your first pass. Do not delay taking MCWP coursework!
  • Courses are not cleared by AP, IB, or community college credits.

3 Math or Natural Science courses in an approved theme. 

The Math or Natural Sciences requirement focuses on a student’s deductive reasoning and numeracy within the context of understanding scientific concepts. 

  • May be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass basis. 
  • Can be satisfied by a letter grade of D or higher or by a grade of P.
  • May be cleared by AP, IB, or community college credits.
  • A maximum of 3 courses from your major may be applied to the General Education Curriculum.

3 Social Sciences courses in an approved theme.

The Social Sciences requirement focuses on developing inductive reasoning skills as applied to the interpretation and study of group or individual behavior. 

  • May be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass basis. 
  • Can be satisfied by a letter grade of D or higher or by a grade of P.
  • May be cleared by AP, IB, or community college credits.
  • A maximum of 3 courses from your major may be applied to the General Education Curriculum.

Choose 2 of 3 options from Fine Arts, Humanities, or a Language Other Than English

These three areas focus on developing communication skills and critical thinking by engaging in study of cultural artifacts, discourse, or scholarship and engaging in scholarship where a single correct perspective or answer may not be possible. 

  • 3 Fine Arts courses in an approved theme.
  • 3 Humanities courses in an approved theme.
  • 3 Language Other Than English courses in an approved theme. 
    • You cannot satisfy this option based on a language placement exam or by language proficiency. 
    • We only accept college credits, which can include credits from AP exams, IB Higher Level exams, or transfer credits..
  • May be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass basis. 
  • Can be satisfied by a letter grade of D or higher or by a grade of P.
  • May be cleared by AP, IB, or community college credits.

A maximum of 3 courses from your major may be applied to General Education.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are students who completed at least one term other than summer session at a college or university after graduation from high school before admission to UC San Diego as a transfer student.

University Requirements

  • The Entry Level Writing Requirement (ELWR)
  • The American History and Institutions (AHI) Requirement
  • The Requirement in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) (1 class).
  • Complete at least 180 units, at least 60 of those units must be upper division. See https://catalog.ucsd.edu/front/courses.html for information on what classes are upper-division.
  • A GPA in University of California classes of 2.0 or higher.
  • Fewer than 50% of your UC San Diego units may be taken as remote coursework.
  • No more than 25% of your UC San Diego units may be taken pass/no pass.
  • Quarter limit: You have a maximum of 6 quarters (not counting summers) to finish your degree. If you reach the limit and need additional time, you must submit a completion plan and have it approved to continue to enroll at UC San Diego.
  • Senior Residency: 35 of your last 45 units must be completed at UC San Diego.

General Education for Transfer Students Who Completed IGETC or CAL GETC Before Transfer

You must complete 1 class: MCWP 125 or MCWP 125R.

  • MCWP courses must be taken for a letter grade. 
  • The requirement can be satisfied by a letter grade of D or higher. 
  • You have through your 3rd quarter at UCSD to enroll in MCWP courses in your first pass. Afterward, you must try to add or wait list in your second pass. Do not delay taking MCWP coursework!

If you are certified as partial IGETC or CAL GETC, you must also fulfill the remaining 1 2 requirements from your transfer agreement. 

Transfer Students Who Completed GE Requirements at Another Campus Before Transfer

 Complete the Muir College Writing Requirement. 2 courses. 

  • MCWP 40, MCWP 40C, MCWP 40CR or MCWP 40R
  • MCWP 50 or MCWP 50R
  • Both classes must be taken for a letter grade. 
  • Requirements can be satisfied by a grade of D or higher. 
  • Courses must be taken in order.
  • You have through your 6th quarter at UCSD to enroll in MCWP courses in your first pass. Do not delay taking MCWP coursework!
  • Courses are not cleared by AP, IB, or community college credits.
  • You may be able to petition your transfer writing coursework to fulfill this requirement partially or fully.

All Other Transfer Students

You are held to the same requirements as students admitted as first year students. Advisors will review your transcripts to see what courses can apply to our requirements.

Major Requirements

  • You must complete a major from the list of majors offered at UC San Diego. 
  • You must declare a major once you have 90 units, including AP, IB, and transfer credits. 
    • You may change your major after declaring your major. 
    • Having a declared major does not prevent you from applying for a Selective or Screened Major.
  • A major requires at least 48 upper division units. Note that you must complete at least 60 upper division units to graduate, which may require you to complete upper division units beyond your minimum major requirements.
  • Some majors are selective or screened and either limit the number of students who can declare that major or require students to meet certain criteria to enter the major. Admission to selective majors is competitive. 
  • You must apply for and meet the criteria for double majors. Students are not automatically granted additional time or financial aid eligibility to complete a double major.

Minors

  • Minors are optional. Students may declare up to two minors from the list of minors offered at UC San Diego. 
  • Up to 2 upper division courses from your minor may overlap with your major.
  • You cannot overlap upper division courses between minors. 
  • You may overlap courses with your minor with general education, AHI, DEI, or JTCCER requirements. 
  • You may overlap lower division courses between major and minor or between minors. 
  • Minors appear on your transcript, but not on your diploma.

Professional School Requirements