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Transfer Course Criteria for

Nutrition


Along with the general selection criteria, every major has required and recommended coursework for transfer students to have completed in order to be considered competitive during the selection process.

Required Courses

Before applying to a major, you should successfully complete or be in the process of completing the required courses to maximize (but not guarantee) your chance of selection. You must complete these units by the spring of the term before your intended fall enrollment to receive consideration during the selection process.

Desired Courses

Because the San Luis Obispo campus at Cal Poly is highly impacted and selection to all majors is very competitive, desired courses should also be successfully completed or in progress when you apply for admission.

Evaluating Your Courses

All the courses listed are Cal Poly courses. You can use www.assist.org to identify the course equivalencies between Cal Poly and the California Community Colleges. Be sure to use the corresponding academic year in which you completed the course. If you are out-of-state or a transfer student from another four-year institution, you may have to compare your catalog course descriptions with Cal Poly’s catalog to identify the equivalent courses. Cal Poly is unable to evaluate transcripts for you prior to selection.

Course Listings

Fall 2027

Required Courses

English Communication

  • Oral Communication
  • English Composition
  • Critical Thinking and Composition

Mathematics

  • MATH 1006/College Algebra

Statistics

  • STAT 1110/Applied Statistical Concepts and Methods

Chemistry

  • CHEM 1120/Fundamentals of Chemical Structure and Properties

Biology

  • BIO 1111/General Biology
    or BIO 1151/Life: Molecules and Cells

Desired Courses

Microbiology/Biology

  • MCRO 2224/General Microbiology I 
    or 
  • MCRO 2221/Microbiology
  • MCRO 2222/Microbiology Lab
  • BIO 2231/Human Anatomy and Physiology I
    and BIO 2232/Human Anatomy and Physiology II**

Major Related 

  • FSN 1121/Fundamentals of Food 
  • FSN 2202/Introduction to Human Nutrition 
  • FSN 2250/Food and Nutrition: Culture and Customs

*Both Human Anatomy and Physiology courses must be completed in order to transfer into Cal Poly as equivalent credit for the BIO 2231 (Human Anatomy and Physiology I) and BIO 2232 (Human Anatomy and Physiology II) series. Completion of these courses will strengthen your chances of graduating in a timely manner.   

Fall 2026

Required Courses

English Language Communication and Critical Thinking

  • Oral Communication
  • Written Communication/English Composition
  • Critical Thinking

Mathematics

  • MATH 118/Precalculus Algebra

Statistics

  • STAT 218/Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences
    or STAT 217/Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods
    or STAT 251/Statistical Inference for Management I

Chemistry

  • CHEM 127/General Chemistry I
    or CHEM 124/General Chemistry for Physical Science and Engineering I
  • CHEM 128/General Chemistry II
    or CHEM 125/General Chemistry for Physical Science and Engineering II
  • CHEM 212/Survey of Organic Chemistry
    or CHEM 216/Organic Chemistry I

Biology

  • BIO 161/Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology
    or BIO III/General Biology

Desired Courses

Microbiology/Biology

  • MCRO 221/Microbiology
    or MCRO 224/General Microbiology I
  • BIO 231/Human Anatomy and Physiology I and BIO 232/Human Anatomy and Physiology II*

Major Related 

  • FSN 121/Fundamentals of Food
  • FSN 202/Introduction to Human Nutrition
  • FSN 250/Food and Nutrition: Customs and Cultures

*Both Human Anatomy and Physiology courses must be completed in order to be transferred into Cal Poly as equivalent credit for the BIO 231 (Human Anatomy and Physiology I) and BIO 232 (Human Anatomy and Physiology II) series. Completion of these courses will strengthen your chances of graduating in a timely manner.

All information is subject to change without prior notice.