Transfer Credit Toward Major/Minor Requirements
Students may transfer courses equivalent to ANTH 1, ANTH 2, and ANTH 3 from California community colleges and universities with existing articulation agreements (www.assist.org).
Students may also petition to transfer courses equivalent to ANTH 1, ANTH 2, and ANTH 3 from other community colleges or from four-year institutions.
Students may petition up to 10 quarter credits (equivalent to two UC Santa Cruz courses) of upper-division transfer credit toward the elective requirements under the following circumstances:
- A student has taken an upper-division anthropology course at another four-year university (including courses taken through study abroad) and wants to petition for the course to count toward the anthropology major or minor elective.
- A student was enrolled in an accredited Field School Program and wants to petition for the course to count toward the anthropology elective requirements.
Prior to Enrolling in Your First Quarter at UCSC
Complete Lower-Division Requirements
Most upper-division courses have one of the following lower-division introductory courses as a prerequisite:
- ANTH 1 Introduction to Biological Anthropology
- ANTH 2 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- ANTH 3 Introduction to Archaeology
Confirm Transfer Credit Has Been Processed
After you have been admitted to UCSC and all your final official transcripts from other colleges have been received, the Office of Admissions will evaluate your transfer credit. The evaluation shows which of your past courses are transferable to UCSC and how many credits you have accrued. It also shows which general education requirements you have satisfied, whether you have satisfied the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), and whether you have satisfied the University of California Entry Level Writing and American History and Institutions requirements. Students access this information through MyUCSC by viewing the Academic Advisement Report from the "more links" drop-down menu in the Academics area of the Student Center. If this information is not available for your first enrollment period, contact a college or major adviser to help you select appropriate classes. It is an excellent idea to keep an unofficial copy of your transcripts from your previous schools. You should take these documents with you to all academic advising appointments.
Confirm Transfer Credit Articulates with UCSC Courses
Courses taken at community colleges or four-year universities may be used to satisfy the lower-division requirements for the major. View the UC Articulation Agreements to determine which California community college courses are equivalent to our ANTH 1, ANTH 2 and ANTH 3. Please note that courses approved by the Office of Admissions for transfer credit do not necessarily satisfy major requirements. Courses must have an articulation agreement to count automatically toward major requirements.
If your transfer credit course does not articulate with a UCSC course, you may submit a coursework petition. Faculty are not appointed during summer, so fall admits will likely need to wait until after the beginning of fall quarter for coursework petitions to be approved.
Enrolling in Your First Quarter at UCSC
We strongly recommended that transfer students take ANTH 150, Communicating Anthropology, during their first quarter at UCSC. This course is designed to provide transfer students with a transition to UCSC coursework. It emphasizes critical reading and writing skills and is an excellent foundation for further upper-division coursework. This class fulfills the anthropological theory core requirement.
We also recommend taking only one additional upper-division course in anthropology during your first quarter at UCSC. Most upper-division anthropology courses are offered only on an every-other-year basis. Transfer students are advised to plan accordingly.
“Free Quarter” for Transfer Students with Unarticulated, Lower-Division Courses
Any student who has taken a course analogous to ANTH 1, ANTH 2, or ANTH 3 will be issued a permission code by the undergraduate adviser for courses listing ANTH 1, ANTH 2, or ANTH 3 as a prerequisite (provided the class has not reached maximum enrollment) in their first quarter at UCSC. Students must provide unofficial transcripts as evidence that they have completed courses analogous to ANTH 1, ANTH 2, or ANTH 3.
If the student fails to petition for a course substitution during their first quarter, they must receive instructor permission to enroll in courses with ANTH 1, ANTH 2, or ANTH 3 as prerequisites thereafter until the prerequisite is satisfied either by taking the class or approved course substitution petition.
Major Qualifications
In order to qualify for the major, students must have received a "C" or better in at least one lower-division anthropology course (ANTH 1, ANTH 2, or ANTH 3) and have either received a "C" or better in a second lower-division anthropology course or be enrolled in a second lower-division anthropology course at the time of declaration.