Transfer Credits

This page offers guidance on interpreting articulations on ASSIST for UCSD Physics. The Physics 1 & 2 series Frequently Asked Questions are also helpful for understanding enrollment options and limitations. For personalized quarterly planning of courses at UCSD, we recommend contacting your major department. However, for courses you plan to take outside UCSD, note:

• UCSD staff do not oversee scheduling or instruction at other institutions.
• Students must adhere to the enrollment policies of each institution and familiarize themselves with their rules.
• Courses without official articulation listed on ASSIST must be formally reviewed by UCSD Physics Department for equivalency credit (click here to petition).
• Refer to the Physics 1 & 2 series Frequently Asked Questions for course equivalencies from other UC Physics Departments.
• To receive equivalency credit for courses taken outside UCSD, students must send official transcripts to UCSD Office of Admissions. It takes approximately 8 weeks for courses to be added to the UCSD record after transcript submission.

Courses taken at California Community Colleges (CCCs) may have formal articulation as a UCSD Physics course - follow these steps to find out: 

1. Go to ASSIST
2. Look for the box labeled "Search below for articulation agreements"
3. In the "Academic Year" dropdown, select the academic year corresponding to when your CCC
4. In the ""Institution" dropdown, select your CCC
5. In the "Agreements with Other Institutions" dropdown, select "To: University of California, San Diego"
6. Click the blue button labeled "View Agreements"
7. Change the "View Agreement by" bubble to "Department"
8. Leave the "at University of California, San Diego" bubble marked
9. From the list of Departments, click "Physics"
10. Please review and comply with the agreement. The example and explanation provided below will assist you in understanding how to interpret the contents of the agreement.

Example

In the articulation above we see the following:

• PHYS 195, alone, must be completed to earn UCSD PHYS 2A course equivalency. Since PHYS 195 is also listed as the equivalent of UCSDs PHYS 2BL a student who completes PHYS 195 will also earn UCSD PHYS 2BL course equivalency.
   
• PHYS 196, alone, must be completed to earn UCSD PHYS 2B course equivalency. Since PHYS 196 is also listed as the equivalent of UCSDs PHYS 2CL a student who completes PHYS 196 will also earn UCSD PHYS 2CL course equivalency.
   
• PHYS 197, alone, must be completed to earn UCSD PHYS 2D course equivalency. Since PHYS 197 is also listed as the equivalent of UCSDs PHYS 2DL a student who completes PHYS 197 will also earn UCSD PHYS 2DL course equivalency.
   
• PHYS 195, 196, and 197 must all be completed at San Diego Mesa College to earn UCSD PHYS 2C course equivalency. Note:
  • UCSDs PHYS 2A (Mechanics) (whether taken at UCSD or completed via AP/IB/A-Level exams) does not include any PHYS 2C material, and so a student could not combine UCSDs PHYS 2A with San Diego Mesa College's PHYS 196 and PHYS 197 to receive a PHYS 2C equivalency.
  • UCSDs PHYS 2B (Electricity and Magnetism) does not include any PHYS 2C material, and so a student could not combine UCSDs PHYS 2B with San Diego Mesa College's PHYS 196 and PHYS 197 to receive a PHYS 2C equivalency.
  • A student who takes PHYS 195, 196, and 197 at San Diego Mesa College earns the PHYS 2C equivalency as well as the PHYS 2A, 2B, 2BL, 2CL, 2D, and 2DL course equivalency.

Notice that course equivalency is awarded despite the differing unit values between the schools.

Frequently Asked Questions