Transfer Center

Your career objective will determine the type of degree you need and your choices for selecting a major. For assistance with investigating your career options, visit the Career Center .

Major

A major is a field of study that you select for your degree. You are required to major in specific academic subject to demonstrate sustained high level work in one field. Most institutions require that you declare a major for transfer.

Minor

A minor is an optional field of study that you select in conjunction with your major. The coursework for a minor may not be as intense as for the major. Generally you declare your minor once you are attending your transfer institution.

Double Major

Many institutions offered the opportunity for you to major in more than one field of study. Students who select to double major are held to all of the requirements of each major.

How to pick a major

• Understand yourself and how your personality relates to skills, abilities, and career interests. This can be done by using the services of the Career Center and working with a counselor.
• Determine your career objective. Your career objective will determine the type of degree you need and your choices for selecting a major.
• Select your major. Selecting your major will help you determine the courses you need to take.

Visit the Counseling Department.

Preparation for the Major (or Prep for Major) are lower-division courses that are required or recommended to be admitted to a major upon transfer.

Many majors require or recommend introductory or prerequisite courses, most of which are offered in California Community Colleges. The following resources can aid in identifying the preparation for major courses.

ASSIST: Displays articulation reports of how course credits earned at San Diego Mesa College meet the requirements for preparation for major, general education and transferability of courses to the UC and CSU systems. You can also utilize ASSIST to explore majors offered at the UCs and CSUs. Visit ASSIST at www.assist.org

Mesa College has a number of articulation agreements with local private universities, including information on preparation for major. Please view these agreements under the Articulation page.

AICCU Mentor: Displays articulation reports of how course credits earned at San Diego Mesa College meet the requirements for preparation for major at private colleges and universities of California. Visit www.aiccumentor.edu

HBCU Mentor: Assists students in researching Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Visit www.hbcumentor.org

General Education requirements are courses required of everyone regardless of major. Each university has different general education patterns. Utilize the Mesa College Catalog for detailed information on selecting the general education options that is right for you. Mesa students can choose from the following:

• Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern of courses acceptable at all campuses of the UC and CSU and some private institutions 2009-2010 IGETC Sheet
• California State University General Education (CSU GE) Breath pattern of lower-division courses acceptable at all campuses of the CSU system 2009-2010 CSU GE Sheet
• Specific requirements for an individual university (check out the articulation agreements for some GE patterns for private universities)

It is strongly advised that you work closely with a counselor before making a decision.

Electives are additional courses taken to meet the number of required units or to meet additional lower-division graduation requirements.Make sure the courses you select are transferable courses by referring to the course descriptions in this catalog.

Colleges and Universities operate on either a Quarter system or a Semester system. San Diego Mesa College operates on a Semester system.

For transfer to CSUs and UCs, a minimum of 60 Transferable Units is required for admission. Some CSUs do accept less units. Please check with a counselor for these exceptions.

For transfer to private institutions the number of Transferable Units required for admission may be found on the university's website.

Universities may have a maximum limit on the number of Transferable Units. CSUs and UCs have a maximum of 70 semester or 90 quarter Transferable Units towards a bachelors degree. Other institutions may have unit limitation. Check with your target institution for limitations. Any course work completed above the unit maximum will still count towards meeting degree requirements.

Course repetition policies vary at each institution. Check with your target institution for their policy and work with a Mesa counselor to determine how these policies apply to academic record and admission.

Any course taken at a regionally accredited institution, regardless of when it was taken, counts towards your overall number of units. Regional Accreditation Agencies:

• Northwest Association of Schools
• Southern Association of Colleges & Schools/Commission on Colleges
• Middle States Association of Colleges & Schools
• Western Association of Schools & Colleges
• Northern Central Association of Collegs & Schools
• New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc./Commission Institute of Higher Education

For more information on accreditation and to search for a college's or universitie's accreditation, visit the US Department of Education.

This includes all transferable coursework to your target institution. Some universities require a certain Transferable GPA to be admitted into the university and/or a particular major. To determine if a course is transferable to a specific university, refer to the course descriptions in the Mesa College Catalog, on ASSIST.org (UCs and CSUs only), or articulation agreements.

Some UCs and CSUs may specify that for a core set of courses for your major you must meet a certain GPA. This information is on ASSIST.org.

This includes all coursework taken in higher education.

Course repetition policies vary at each institution. Check with your target institution for their policy and work with a Mesa counselor to determine how these policies apply to your GPA.

Any course taken at a regionally accredited institution, regardless of when it was taken, counts towards your GPA. See Course Units for more information.

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To transfer coursework from another institution to Mesa College, you can request that your previous institution(s) send your transcripts directly to the college, or you may hand carry your UNOPENED transcripts to the counseling office (note: opened transcripts can not be accepted as official transcripts.) Please directly contact your previous institution to request these transcripts.

Part of the transfer application process is to submit official transcripts to the university from all previously attended institutions. Please directly contact your previous institution(s) to request these transcripts. Each university has different or multiple transcript submission deadlines, so be sure to confirm these dates and how to submit transcripts.

How to request your Mesa College transcripts be sent to another university.

At times during the application process and when meeting with a counselor, you may need a copy of your previous coursework from Mesa and other institutions. Many colleges, including Mesa College, have web portals in which students can access unofficial transcripts/grade reports. Students can use the computers in the transfer center to access these web portals.