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Transfer Students

Transfer students are enthusiastically encouraged to complete their study of History at UC San Diego.

Planning to Transfer

Students are welcome to take all of the required courses for the major once they've transferred to UC San Diego. Lower and upper division courses in history may be taken concurrently so waiting to fulfill lower division requirements here shouldn't impact your ability to complete your degree in a timely manner. If you would like to fulfill major requirements prior to transferring to UC San Diego please read the appropriate section below.

California Community College Students

All community college coursework transfers as lower division, so you will not be able to complete upper-division requirements at your community college.

Check Assist.org to find out if your college has an articulation agreement with UC San Diego (most do). 

Next, find out what courses at your community college articulate with one of our lower division sequences: 

  • HILD 2 A-B-C (U.S. History)
  • HILD 7 A-B-C (Race and Ethnicity/U.S. History)
  • HILD 10-11-12 (East Asian History)

Please note that we do not offer a World Civilization series of courses so those courses cannot be articulated and will need to be petitioned to fulfill lower-division requirements.

Local Community College Students

The Cross-Enrollment Program allows undergraduate students enrolled in a California Community College or a California State University campus to enroll in courses at a University of California campus without formal admission for a maximum of one course per quarter. 

In-State Students

Check Assist.org to find out if your college has an articulation agreement with UC San Diego. If your college or university does not have articulation agreements with UC San Diego, we'd prefer that you complete all of your major coursework here; however, we will consider petitions to accept non-articulated courses.

In order to successfully petition a course we will need a combination of the following evidence:

  • Course Syllabus
  • Course Description
  • Student Work (papers, essays, tests, etc.)
  • Anything else that would help you show the department that the course is as academically rigorous and covers the content as one of our courses

Local State University Students

The Cross-Enrollment Program allows undergraduate students enrolled in a California Community College or a California State University campus to enroll in a University of California campus without formal admission for a maximum of one course per quarter.

Out-of-State Students

We'd prefer that you complete the of your majority of your major coursework at UC San Diego; however, we understand if you'd like to petition some of the courses from your previous institution. 

In order to successfully petition a course we will need a combination of the following evidence:

  • Course Syllabus
  • Course Description
  • Student Work (papers, essays, tests, etc.)
  • Anything else that would help you show the department that the course is as academically rigorous and covers the content as one of our courses

High School AP Credit

A score of 3 or better in AP U.S. History counts as having completed HILD 2A and HILD 2B. One more course is required and you many choose any of the following: HILD 2C, HILD 7A, HILD 7B, HILD 7C, HILD 10, HILD 11, HILD 12, HILD 14, HILD 30.

We cannot give credit for AP courses that do not have an equivalent course in this department (AP Euro, AP World). Please review our lower-division offerings prior to enrolling in your high school's AP history course.

Admitted Transfer Student Checklist

Step 1- Understanding the Major Requirements

Print out or download a copy of the History Major Tracker (PDF) to familiarize yourself with the UC San Diego History major requirements and so you have a place to note what requirements you have and have not fulfilled.

Step 2-What Courses Transfer?

Articulated Courses

Articulated courses are courses from community colleges that have an agreement with UC San Diego to transfer as equivalent to one of our lower division courses. 

The official source for California articulation and student transfer information is ASSIST.ORG. Here you will find out how courses taken at another college or university in California will transfer to UC San Diego. The Department of History can only give credit for courses that have been officially transferred to UC San Diego. The courses and units must be posted on your UC San Diego transcript/academic record.

Non-articulated Courses

If your History courses are not listed on ASSIST.ORG, then our department does not have an articulation agreement with your school, and you will need to meet with the History Undergraduate Advisor to determine what courses may be petitioned.

Petitioning Non-articulated Courses 

We recommend students wait to petition non-articulated courses until they have completed at least one upper division  course within the History department (usually during winter quarter).

When filling out the petition we recommend that you use the phrasing below:

RequestI would like (course code and number) taken at (name of college) to fulfill the lower division requirement for the History major. 
Reason for RequestI have successfully completed (course code and number of the UCSD upper division History course you have completed) which shows that the above listed course(s) have adequately prepared me for upper division coursework within the department.

Note

All Community College courses are transferred as lower division.

Step 3-Course Planning at UC San Diego

Print the 2-year Curriculum Guide [PDF]. The guide assumes that the lower division requirements have been met since a majority of students transfer from community college. We strongly recommend taking only three courses (12 units) for the first quarter. You will need to check with your college advisor for any GE deficiencies.

As you look at the history courses offered for the academic year keep in mind the Field of Emphasis, the Non-Field Emphasis, pre-1800, and colloquium requirements. It's best to take a colloquium (courses numbered 160-190) during your first year at UC San Diego, in Winter or Spring quarter. Our hope is that students will take a colloquium that builds on past coursework and that experience will inspire students to apply to our Honors Program

If you have questions or concerns about course planning, make an appointment to speak with a faculty advisor. The Fields of Emphasis page lists faculty that teach in each of those fields, otherwise you can always speak to the Vice-Chair for Undergraduate Affairs.

Step 4-Course Enrollment

Review the Schedule of Classes and the History Department's Course Offerings to see what courses are being offered for the upcoming quarter. The department always holds some seats for incoming transfer students during the fall quarter but we recommend that you map out a few different schedules that would work for you just in case. Meet with your college advisor to discuss your proposed schedule. Then enroll in classes during your enrollment time on TritonLink.

Please use the Course Pre-Authorization Tool to be pre-authorized for a course (lift pre-requisites, department approval, and other restrictions that may be barring you from registering in a course).



Please Note
The department is currently in the process of updating our upper-division course pre-requisites to upper-division standing. If you see an upper division course with other pre-requisites you will need to request pre-authorization to enroll in the course. 

Step 5-Meet with the History Advisors

Make an appointment to meet with the Undergraduate Student Affairs Advisor any time during your first the quarter to:

  • double check your 2-year plan
  • review the major requirements
  • petition courses
  • answer any other questions you may have about the opportunities available to you as a History major at UC San Diego

Advising hours are Monday-Friday 9:00-11:00 am, 1:30-3:00 pm, and by appointment. Consulting with faculty in your area of interest or with the Vice-Chair of Undergraduate Affairs may also be helpful in putting your program together.  All faculty hold weekly office hours during the regular academic year when not on leave.

Helpful Links

UC San Diego Off-Campus Housing Website