Prospective Transfer Student Information
We're so glad you are interested in transferring to UC Santa Cruz and joining the department of Environmental Studies!
In our department, we offer five undergraduate majors: Environmental Studies BA, Agroecology BA, and three ENVS combined majors (ENVS/Biology, ENVS/Earth Science, and ENVS/Economics). Our majors are considered screening majors, which means there are requirements that must be completed before transferring in, but we will work with you to be as flexible as we can if you have not completed all screening requirements.
Important notes for prospective transfer students:
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If you are missing any of the screening requirements to transfer into our department, we encourage you to take advantage of UCSC summer session. Most of the required courses for our majors are offered at UCSC in summer. We are happy to advise you on this if you have questions.
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Some of the General Education courses taken for admission to UCSC may cover some ENVS lower division prerequisites as well. To get the complete list of major requirements that can be transferred, consult assist.org or talk to an ENVS advisor.
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There are two courses that will not have any equivalent, which are STAT 7/L: Statistical Methods for the Biological, Environmental, and Health Sciences (required for all of our majors), and ENVS 80F: Introduction to Agroecology (only required for Agroecology majors). These must be taken at UCSC, either in summer, or fall of your first year.
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If transfer coursework is completed at a 4-year institution or out-of-state institution, syllabi for each specific course must be submitted to the department or admissions office for review to see if it can be applied to the major.
CONSIDER SUMMER EDGE!!
If you're a fall transfer admit, you can get a head start on your degree by joining Transfer Edge during the summer before your first quarter. Our specially designed five-week program includes taking accelerated Summer Session courses for full academic credit, making friends, optional residential living, Peer Mentors, and fun. You’ll take a minimum of 7 credits during Summer Session 2 - a 5-credit class of your choice, plus the popular 2-credit Successful Transfer to the Research University. Contact envsadvi@ucsc.edu if you have questions about which classes to take.
ENVS Transfer Student Requriements
Listed here are the lower division courses required for admission to UCSC in each major program (admission screening criteria). Please review ASSIST.org for more details on what courses at your institution articulate to UCSC's courses.
Environmental Studies B.A.
- Chemistry: ENVS 23 or CHEM 1A (one semester of general Chemistry)
- Ecology: ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C
- Econ and Politics: ENVS 25, or Econ 1 or 2 and a course in national or international politics
- Math: MATH 3 (precalculus), or Calculus
Agroecology B.A.
- Chemistry: ENVS 23 or CHEM 1A (one semester of general Chemistry)
- Ecology: ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C
- Econ and Politics: ENVS 25, or Econ 1 or 2 and a course in national or international politics
- Math: MATH 3 (precalculus), or Calculus
Environmental Studies/Biology B.A.
- Chemistry: CHEM 1A + 1B/M + 1C/N (full general chemistry series)
- Biology: BIOL 20A and BIOE 20C
- Econ and Politics: ENVS 25, or ECON 1 or 2 and a course in national or international politics
- Math: MATH 3 (precalculus), or Calculus
Environmental Studies/Earth Sciences B.A.
- Chemistry: CHEM 1A + 1B/M + 1C/N (full general chemistry series)
- Ecology: ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C
- Econ and Politics: ENVS 25, or ECON 1 or 2 and a course in national or international politics
- Math: MATH 11A or MATH 19A (calculus)
Environmental Studies/Economics B.A.
- Chemistry: ENVS 23 or CHEM 1A (one semester of general Chemistry)
- Ecology: ENVS 24 or BIOE 20C
- Econ and Politics: ENVS 25, or ECON 1 or 2 and a course in national or international politics
- Math: ECON 11A or MATH 11A or MATH 19A (calculus)
If you have questions about transferring to UCSC and pursuing an ENVS major, please contact: envsadvising@ucsc.edu
