Information for Transfer Students
Women’s Studies (WS) cannot comment on admissions eligibility per se. Everything related to undergraduate admissions is handled centrally by the office of Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools. That is the source for everything you might need to know about the transfer admissions process. You will find those links on the main UCLA web page at “Prospective Students”. We can tell you WS is an “open” major – that is, it’s not an impacted major with “extra” screening requirements or a cap on the number of students admitted per year. We welcome everyone who wants to major in WS.
Transfer students who start in the Community College system complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum [IGETC] and enter UCLA as juniors. Your community college counseling staff should be able to tell you about IGETC. In terms of preparation for the WS major, WS-10 or an equivalent multi-disciplinary introduction to women's studies course is required. A discipline-specific course (such as "Women in History" or "Third World Women Writers"), while a fine choice, will not substitute for it. If your community college does not offer a multi-disciplinary intro WS course, you can take it here at UCLA even before you apply for transfer admission. WS-10 is offered every year through UCLA Summer Sessions. Note also, you may register and enroll in upper division WS courses during Summer, too. Even before you are admitted! Consult www.summer.ucla.edu for all information about coming to UCLA for summer school. See the WS web site for Summer course lists in particular.
In addition to the introductory course, we expect you to arrive here with a broad general education background, including introductory courses in social sciences (such as anthropology, history, political science, psychology, sociology) and humanities (such as art history or music history, classics, English literature as well as rhetoric and composition, philosophy, and the like). In most cases, you will have done that by following and completing the IGETC curriculum and obtaining the IGETC certification. If you have room for electives, we recommend courses that will challenge your critical reasoning and analytical skills and strengthen your writing and communications skills.
Lastly, we recommend strongly that -- once you are admitted to UCLA -- you take full advantage of the Summer Orientation Program. The day-long Transfer Orientation is specifically designed for you to give you what you need to know for the best start as a Bruin. A face-to-face meeting with the women's studies academic counselor is part of the day's agenda and there will be time for one-on-one Q&A such as transferability of specific courses, in addition to the general overview.
Also, Women’s Studies will offer our own orientation during Welcome Week at the start of fall quarter.