Economics BA
Total Units Required: 120
The Bachelor of Arts in Economics provides a background for graduate programs in economics, business, law, and urban planning. The economics major is also attractive to students who seek a broad liberal arts background.
A BA in economics provides a range of exciting career prospects in the private and public sectors. Graduates with economics degrees are highly marketable because they learn an analytic approach to solving problems.
Economics majors have the opportunity to pursue semester or year-long study-abroad programs.
Grading Requirement
All courses taken to fulfill program course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as credit/no credit grading only.
Course Requirements for the Major: 51-54 units
Completion of the following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, is required of all candidates for this degree. Courses in this program may complete more than one graduation requirement.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | ||
| ECON 102 | Principles of Macroeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 103 | Principles of Microeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 301 | Microeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 302 | Macroeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 380 | Economic Statistics | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Statistics of Business and Economics | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Capstone in Economics (W) | ||
| Honors Independent Study in Economics (W) | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Programming and Algorithms I | ||
| Corporate Technology Integration | ||
| Data Interpretation and Communication for the Social Sciences | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Survey of Calculus | ||
| Analytic Geometry and Calculus | ||
Any upper-division Economics (ECON) course that is not taken to satisfy any other requirement for the economics major. | ||
| Economics Area Electives | ||
| Select two of the following areas. Select two courses from each of the two areas: | 12-13 | |
| International Economics Electives | ||
| The Developing Countries | ||
| International Economics | ||
| Open-Economy Macroeconomics | ||
| Environmental Economics and Public Policy Electives | ||
| The Economics of Government Regulations | ||
| Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (W) | ||
| Issues in Global Environment and Development | ||
| Financial Economics Electives | ||
| Money and Credit | ||
| Theory of Money (W) | ||
| Investments | ||
| Quantitative Economics Electives | ||
| Introductory Econometrics | ||
| Econometrics II | ||
| Analytic Geometry and Calculus | ||
| Economics Upper Division Electives | ||
| Select any four 300-400 level elective Economics (ECON) courses not used to satisfy the discipline electives requirement. At least one course must be a 400 level course. | 12 | |
| Total Units | 51-54 | |
Double Majors
Please contact the Economics Department for advising regarding the use of economics courses to complete a second major.
Electives Requirement
To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. You should consult with an advisor regarding the selection of courses which will provide breadth to your University experience and possibly apply to a supportive second major or minor.
Honors in the Major
Honors in the Major is a program of independent work in your major. It requires six units of honors coursework completed over two semesters.
The Honors in the Major program allows you to work closely with a faculty mentor in your area of interest on an original performance or research project. This year-long collaboration allows you to work in your field at a professional level and culminates in a public presentation of your work. Students sometimes take their projects beyond the University for submission in professional journals, presentation at conferences, or academic competition. Such experience is valuable for graduate school and professional life. Your honors work will be recognized at your graduation, on your permanent transcripts, and on your diploma. It is often accompanied by letters of commendation from your mentor in the department or the department chair.
Some common features of Honors in the Major program are:
- You must take six units of Honors in the Major coursework. All six units are honors courses (marked by a suffix of H), and at least three of these units are independent study (399H, 499H, 599H) as specified by your department. You must complete each course with a minimum grade of B.
- You must have completed 9 units of upper-division coursework or 21 overall units in your major before you can be admitted to Honors in the Major. Check the requirements for your major carefully, as there may be specific courses that must be included in these units.
- Your cumulative GPA should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
- Your GPA in your major should be at least 3.5 or within the top 5% of majors in your department.
- Most students apply for or are invited to participate in Honors in the Major during the second semester of their junior year. Then they complete the six units of coursework over the two semesters of their senior year.
- Your honors work culminates with a public presentation of your honors project.
Honors in the Major is not part of the Honors Program. Each department administers its own program. Please contact your major department or major advisor to apply.
In addition to the common requirements for the Honors in the Major program given above, the Honors in Economics program includes the following:
- The professor of ECON 499HW must recommend you.
- You must submit an application for this program. Please contact the Economics Department.
- Students who are admitted to the department's Honors in the Major program must complete three units of ECON 431W, ECON 466W, ECON 470, ECON 481, or ECON 483 with a grade of B or higher. Unless other arrangements are made, the professor instructing the above course becomes your faculty mentor for that semester. In this course, you will define a research problem or performance area and develop an Honors Research Project/Thesis proposal in preparation for work in ECON 499HW. Additional mentoring by the instructor assigned to ECON 499HW will take place during the spring semester only. Note that you will not need to take ECON 495W if you take ECON 499HW. Thus Honors in the Major does not increase the total units required for the Economics major.
- You must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in your senior year.
See Bachelor's Degree Requirements for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.
General Education Requirements: 48 units
See General Education and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education Requirements and course offerings.
Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units
You must complete a minimum of two courses that focus primarily on cultural diversity. At least one course must be in US Diversity (USD) and at least one in Global Cultures (GC). See Diversity Requirements for a full list of courses. Most courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) is a graduation requirement and may be demonstrated through satisfactory completion of four Writing (W) courses, two of which are designated by the major department. See Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning and Writing Requirements for more details on the four courses. The first of the major designated Writing (W) courses is listed below.
- ECON 340W Work, Wealth, and Income Distribution (W)
- ECON 431W Theory of Money (W)
- ECON 466W Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (W)
The second major-designated Writing course is the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) (EO 665). Students must earn a C- or higher to receive GW credit. The GE Written Communication (A2) requirement must be completed before a student is permitted to register for a GW course.