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Economics Major
¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Requirements
Program admission is limited. Entry is via a formal department application. Students may apply for admission to a program once 30 units have been completed, ECON 201 is completed with at least a C- grade and the minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is met.
The department announces the minimum CGPA below which students will not normally be considered for admission to its programs.
Applications with appropriate documentation should be filed with the departmental advisor. Students not accepted upon initial application may reapply.
Continuation in Program
To continue in an economics program, students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
Course Information
For a course to fulfil a prerequisite, or for a required course to be accepted in a student’s economics program, a grade of C- or higher must be obtained.
BUEC courses are offered jointly by the Faculty of Business Administration and the Department of Economics. They may count for credit in either business administration or economics programs, but not for both.
Access to ECON 402, 403, 435 and 499 is restricted to students who have excelled in their studies (see ECON course descriptions). These advanced courses are recommended for students wishing to pursue more challenging work or who plan to complete an additional degree.
Program Requirements
Students complete 120 units, as specified below.
All major students must meet BA degree requirements as described in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences section.
Lower Division Requirements
Students complete the following with at least a C- grade in each course prior to program admission.
The principal elements of theory concerning utility and value, price and costs, factor analysis, productivity, labor organization, competition and monopoly, and the theory of the firm. Students with credit for ECON 200 cannot take ECON 103 for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Soc.
The principal elements of theory concerning money and income, distribution, social accounts, public finance, international trade, comparative systems, and development and growth. Students with credit for ECON 205 cannot take ECON 105 for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Soc.
Aspects of microeconomic theory involving competitive markets. Topics include the behavior of households and firms, partial equilibrium analysis of product and factor markets, and general equilibrium. Prerequisite: ECON 103 and 105; MATH 157. Students with credit for ECON 301 may not complete this course for further credit.
Designed for students specializing in business or the social sciences. Topics include: limits, growth rate and the derivative; logarithmic exponential and trigonometric functions and their application to business, economics, optimization and approximation methods; functions of several variables. Prerequisite: Pre-Calculus 12 (or equivalent) with a grade of at least B, or MATH 100 with a grade of at least C, or achieving a satisfactory grade on the ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Calculus Readiness Test. Students with credit for either MATH 150, 151 or 154 may not take MATH 157 for further credit. Quantitative.
Students must also complete
An introduction to business statistics with a heavy emphasis on applications and the use of EXCEL. Students will be required to use statistical applications to solve business problems. STAT 270, Introduction to Probability and Statistics, will be accepted in lieu of BUEC 232. Prerequisite: MATH 157 and 15 units. MATH 157 may be taken concurrently with BUEC 232. Students with credit for STAT 270 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
one additional 200 division ECON or BUEC courses
Students who earn at least an A- in ECON 201 are exempt from the requirement of one additional 200 division ECON or BUEC course. These students should see Early Access to Upper Division Courses below for additional program information.
Upper Division Requirements
Normally, majors students will include 45 upper division units in their last 60 units of work that is counted toward the degree.
At least 31 upper division units in economics is required, including
An introduction to the use and interpretation of statistical analysis in the context of data typical of economic applications. Students with a minimum grade of A- in BUEC 232 or STAT 270 can take BUEC 333 after 30 units. Students seeking permission to enrol based on their BUEC 232 or STAT 270 grade must contact the Undergraduate Advisor in Economics. Prerequisite: ECON 103 or 200; ECON 105 or 205; BUEC 232 or STAT 270; MATH 157; 60 units. Students with credit for ECON/COMM 236 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Aspects of microeconomic theory concerned with strategic behavior, imperfect information, and market failure. Topics include game theory and oligopoly; uncertainty and insurance; asymmetric information and market power, externalities and public goods, together with related issues in welfare economics. Prerequisite: ECON 201 or 301; 60 Units. Quantitative.
Concepts and methods of analysis of macroeconomic variables -- consumption, investment, government and foreign trade. Classical and Keynesian models compared; analysis of economic statics and dynamics. Prerequisite: ECON 201 or 301, 60 units. Students with a minimum grade of A- in ECON 103 and 105 at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV at their first attempt can complete ECON 305 concurrently with ECON 201 after 30 units. Students seeking permission to register on this basis must contact the undergraduate advisor in economics. Quantitative.
and at least one 400 division ECON or BUEC course (excluding ECON 402, 403, 431 and 435, BUEC 433 and 485).
Early Access to Upper Division Courses
Students normally cannot enter ECON upper division courses during the first 60 units, but for those who have the minimum ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV grade point average required to access upper division ECON/BUEC courses, the following exceptions are permitted.
Students who earn a grade of A- or better at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV on their first attempt in ECON 201 may enrol in ECON 302 and 305, and all courses for which they have satisfied the prerequisites, once 30 units is completed.
Students who earn an A- grade or better at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV on their first attempt in BUEC 232 or STAT 270 may enrol for BUEC 333 once they have completed 30 units. These upper division courses will count towards Department of Economics and ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV upper division requirements. See BUEC and ECON course descriptions for access information.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Major Requirements
For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs (except the honours program), students complete 120 units, which includes
- at least 60 units that must be completed at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV
- at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV
- at least 65 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
- satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
- an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0, and a program (major, joint major, extended minor, minor) CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See for university-wide information.
WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit
Requirement |
Units |
Notes | |
W - Writing |
6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV within the student’s major subject | |
Q - Quantitative |
6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division | |
B - Breadth |
18 |
Designated Breadth | Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division 6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc 6 units Humanities: B-Hum 6 units Sciences: B-Sci |
6 |
Additional Breadth | 6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements) |
Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit
The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 as upper division work.
Elective Courses
In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.
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