Undergraduate Admissions

UCSD’s Admissions Office handles undergraduate admissions for both freshmen and transfer students. Any undergraduate student can declare Economics, Management Science, or the Joint Mathematics/Economics major. For further information on university resources visit our prospective students page.

Why take a major from the Department of Economics?

The American Economic Association (AEA) is an excellent resource for students who are considering majoring in Economics and for students who are already enrolled in undergraduate Economics programs. The AEA site is designed to provide an overview of the skills, the literature, and the issues found in modern economics. It also provides information about careers, graduate study, and other opportunities for undergraduates.

Freshman Preparation

Modern economics is mathematical and calculus is a standard working tool. You can prepare for our majors with high school courses and community college courses in Economics and Math.

Economics Courses

  • Receiving a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics Exam will give you credit for ECON 1.
  • Receiving a score of 5 on the AP Macroeconomics Exam will give you credit for ECON 3.

Math Courses

Many community colleges offer courses equivalent to lower division Econ and Math courses.

  • Check ASSIST for community college transfer course equivalencies

Transfer Student Preparation

We highly recommend that the courses listed below are completed before transferring to UCSD. Economics upper division courses will use these courses as prerequisites; not having these courses completed may delay graduation.

  • Economics Majors: ECON 1, 3, Math 10A-B-C (Math 20A-B-C is recommended)
  • Management Science Majors: ECON 1, 3, 4, and Math 20A-B-C and 20F
  • Joint Math-Econ Majors: ECON 1, 3, and Math 20A-B-C-D and 20F

Check ASSIST for community college transfer course equivalencies.

Changing your major

The Department of Economics does not require departmental approval to declare any of the three majors we offer. If you want to declare or change your major, see Triton Link.