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Program FAQs

Major Requirements

How can I declare the Business Economics Major

The Business Economics Major (EN30) is now available to declare using the Major/Minor Tool in TritonLink.

I’m a Senior, can I still declare the Business Economics major?

Contact your College, regarding the Quarter Limitation policy. If you have 150+ units, any major change requires Department and College Approval, when submitting a Major Change Request in the Major/Minor Tool on TritonLink.

Is it OK to take Math 10ABC for the Business Economics major?

Math 10ABC will fulfill major requirements. The Department of Economics recommends the Math 20ABC for all its majors.  Some upper-division Economics elective courses require the Math 20ABC series.  The Department of Economics strictly enforces all prerequisites, so check course descriptions and prerequisites, prior to enrolling in Economics courses.

Will the new Business Economics major qualify for STEM OPT extension eligibility?

F-1 students, with an EN30 major, are eligible to apply for STEM OPT and extend the employment authorization benefits (approved March 2021). Current F-1 regulations allow for 12 months of OPT and an additional 24 months (total of 36 months) of OPT for those in STEM qualified fields. Visit the OPT webpage for details and updates.  EN30, Business Economics major is under the 521399 CIP code.

Will courses taken P/NP taken during SP20, FA20, WI21 and SP21, in response to the temporary policy due to COVID-19, be accepted for the new Business Economics major (Effective FA21)?

Both the Department of Economics and the Rady School of Management have posted temporary P/NP policy allowances for courses taken during SP20, FA20, WI21 and SP21, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If courses were taken P/NP during those quarters, they will be accepted (per each unit's posted allowances). 
Department of Economics:
https://economics.ucsd.edu/undergraduate-program/COVID-19%20Updates.html

Rady School of Management:
https://rady.ucsd.edu/programs/undergraduate-programs/Courses-Programs-and-Advising/

I’m currently a Rady Business minor, what courses from the Business Minor can apply to the Business Economics major?

Students cannot major in Business Economics and minor in Business. If you are interested in changing your major to Business Economics, you must drop the Business minor. Please see the Business Economics major requirements on this website to see what courses you can use from your minor. 

I have questions about the MGT for the Business Economics major. Who do I contact?

Please use the Virtual Advising Center (VAC.ucsd.edu) to contact the advisors in the Rady School of Management for questions about MGT courses.  Please note that some MGT courses for the Business Economics major are new. Information about the courses will be provided, as soon as Rady has it available. See Rady's website for additional contact information for advising: https://rady.ucsd.edu/programs/undergraduate-programs/Courses-Programs-and-Advising/

I want to declare the Business Economics Minor. Can any major declare a Business Economics minor?

The Business Economics minor is open to all students, except those with the following majors: Economics (EN25), Management Science (EN26), Joint Mathematics-Economics (EN28, MA33), International Studies-Economics (IS26), and Business Economics (EN30)

I’m newly admitted to UC San Diego, can I declare the Business Economics major?

Yes. Students are now able to declare the major. New students will need to enroll in courses, before being able to submit a Major Change Request, using the Major/Minor Tool in TritonLink.

Can I take ECON classes (or MGT and Math classes) P/NP for my major? See COVID-19 ADDENDUM Response for SP20, FA20, WI21 & SP21

All classes taken to meet major requirements must be taken for a letter grade. This applies to both upper and lower division requirements; all required Math classes, MGT classes and required ECON classes.

The only exception to this rule is ECON 195, 198, and 199 which are only offered with the pass/no pass grading option. No more than 12 units total of these classes may be applied towards your major; no more than eight units of ECON 195 may be applied.

We do understand that sometimes life happens and there are situations where a P/NP grading option is needed; if this is the case, we will accept a major requirement class taken for P/NP but the student must fill out an undergraduate petition asking for an exception.  As a consequence, students will need to take an additional class for each class they took P/NP (levels of classes below).

Course taken for P/NP Additional Course student must now take:
ECON 1, ECON 3, ECON 4, or ECON 5

Standard Upper-Division Elective

(EN30 ONLY: either 1 MGT OR 1 Econ upper div elective)

ECON 100A (or any UD core course)

Advanced Upper-Division Elective

(EN30 ONLY: any upper div ECON elective)

MATH A-C

Standard Upper-Division Elective

(EN30 ONLY: either 1 MGT OR 1 Econ upper div elective)

MATH 18 (20F) Advanced Upper-Division Elective

 

Can I get a D in a course and use it for my major?

Classes must be passed with a C-(C minus) or better to be applied towards major requirements. If you received a D in a course you would not be able to use the course towards your major.

I took all or part of the Math 10A-B-C sequence and now I want to be a Management Science major. What can I do?

Transfers between the Math 10 and Math 20 sequences are possible, but such transfers should be carefully discussed with a Math advisor. Students who begin the Math 10 sequence and who wish to transfer to the Math 20 sequence may follow one of three paths:

  1. Follow Math 10A with Math 20A, with two units of credit given for Math 20A. This option is not available if the student has credit for Math 10B or Math 10C.
  2. Follow Math 10B with Math 20B, receiving two units of credit for Math 20B.
  3. Follow Math 10C with Math 20B, receiving two units of credit for Math 20B and two units of credit for Math 20C (if taken).

Credit is not given for courses taken simultaneously from the Math 10 and the Math 20 sequence. If you have any questions about these paths, please contact the Math Advising Office.

How do I declare or change my major to Economics, or Management Science, or Joint Mathematics-Economics?

Effective FA19 all majors in the Department of Economics are no longer capped.  To become one of our majors, students simply need to select the major using the Major/Minor Tool on TritonLink.

If I already have a B.A. or B.S. can I earn a second bachelor's degree at UC San Diego?

Students with a bachelor's degree should consider applying to graduate programs. Please contact the Office of Graduate Studies for information on graduate programs offered at UC San Diego.

Can I take classes after receiving my undergraduate degree?
No. Once you have received your degree, your undergraduate record is officially closed. You can take UC San Diego Summer Session courses, but these appear on a separate record and are not included with your undergraduate work. You can also take UC San Diego Extension courses because they maintain their own student records.

If I still have requirements that I'll be taking in summer, can I participate in commencement?

You will need to speak with your college academic advisor.

Is there a limit to the number of upper division courses I can transfer in?

Yes. The Department of Economics has residency requirements for each major.

To receive a bachelor of arts degree in Economics (EN25), no more than four upper-division courses taken externally from UC San Diego can be counted toward the major.

To receive a bachelor of science degree in Management Science (EN26), no more than six upper-division courses taken externally from UC San Diego can be counted toward the major.

To receive a bachelor of science degree in Joint Mathematics-Economics (EN28), no more than three upper-division courses taken externally from UC San Diego can be counted toward the major. 

To receive a bachelor of science degree in Business Economics (EN30), no more than one upper division Economics course and one upper division Rady School course may be taken externally from UC San Diego and be counted toward the major.

Can I take a course online for my major?

The Department of Economics traditionally reviewed online courses by exception only, but in response to COVID-19, beginning in SP20, the Department will accept online courses, as long as the content is appropriate and equivalent to UC San Diego Economics courses.

If the course(s) does not appear in an articulation agreement with the California Community College system, please file an undergraduate petition, with supporting documentation (syllabus, list of texts, notes, exams, if available) for review by the Department of Economics. Submit it to one of the Economics advisors in via our online platform. You must be logged in to your UCSD Google Account.

Can I take courses through Concurrent Enrollment for my major. minor or as a prerequisite?

No. The Department of Economics does not accept courses taken through Concurrent Enrollment to satisfy major requirements, minor requirements, or as prerequisites for subsequent Economics courses at UC San Diego.

Minors Requirements

How do I declare a minor in Economics, Business Economics or Management Science?

If you want to declare a minor, see Triton Link .

Can I be both a major and minor within the Department?

You would not be able to major and minor within the Department. You are also not able to declare an Economics or Management Science minor if you are a Joint Mathematics-Economics major through the Math Department (MA33) or an International Studies-Economics (IS26) major.

Can I overlap classes to fulfill both my major and minor requirements?

Lower-division classes can apply to both your major and your minor. Per University policy, two upper-division courses can apply to both your major and your minor.

Is the Business minor or the Accounting minor offered from the Department of Economics?

Both minors are offered by the Rady School of Management. Please see their website for more information on these minor programs or for any questions you may have regarding the requirements for their minors.

Can I take ECON classes Pass/No Pass for my minor? If I take classes for a letter grade, can I get a D in a course?

You are able to take classes for our two minors pass/no pass. There are some things to be aware of when choosing your grading option:

  • If there is any chance (however slim) that you would eventually declare one of the majors within the Department of Economics, you should take the classes for a letter grade as all classes taken to meet major requirements must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a C- (C minus) or better.
  • No more than 25% of your total UC San Diego courses may be taken pass/no pass.
  • If courses are taken for a letter grade, passing is considered a C- (C minus) or better. Grades of D or F are not accepted for the minor.
  • A grade of pass is awarded for work which otherwise would receive a grade of C- (C minus) or better. If you took a class pass/no pass and received a D for the course, you would be given a "no pass" and the class would not be accepted for your minor requirements.
  • If you are looking at using the class to fulfill some other requirement, graduate school, job requirements, etc. pass/no pass grades may not be accepted.
  • If your college requires that you complete a minor (program of concentration, etc.) or you are using these classes to also complete college requirements, you will need to check with your college academic advising office to ensure that they do not have rules about the grading options for those classes.

Can I take courses through Concurrent Enrollment?

No. The Department of Economics does not accept courses taken through Concurrent Enrollment to satisfy major requirements, minor requirements, or as prerequisites for subsequent Economics courses at UC San Diego.

Economics Courses

I have questions about the grade that was assigned in my course, what can I do?

Begin by consulting with your professor and Teaching Assistant(s). If you need further assistance, consult with the Vice Chair of Undergraduate Studies, Professor Melissa Famulari.

I haven't completed the prerequisites for a class. Can I still enroll in it? Can I take the prerequisite class at the same time?

All prerequisites for Economics classes must be complete before you will be allowed to take the class. Unless stated in the prerequisite listing, you cannot take a prerequisite course concurrently with the course that requires it as a prerequisite. For the most recent list of course prerequisites, please see: Course Descriptions and Prerequisites.

I'm having problems registering for an ECON class because of prerequisites, but I know I have completed them. What can I do?

If you've been with the Department for a quarter or two, you may recognize the infamous "transfer credit"; problem. For example, there may be problems with the system recognizing Math AP exams. If you are having problems with prerequisites when registering for classes we may be able to help. You can come in and meet with an advisor during our advising hours, or send an EASy request.

Can I take courses through Concurrent Enrollment?

No. The Department of Economics does not accept courses taken through Concurrent Enrollment to satisfy major requirements, minor requirements, or as prerequisites for subsequent Economics courses at UC San Diego.

What is Econ 1A-1B?

Econ 1A-1B (last offered in 2004) is the older version of our lower division Economics sequence Econ 1-2-3. Unless you took your lower division courses before Fall of 2004, or you completed Econ 1-2-3, you would not have credit for Econ 1A-1B.

Exceptions/Petitions

How do I get transfer credits from another school for my major or minor?

  1. Have an official transcript for the transfer course sent to UCSD Admissions.
  2. Check your academic history to see if the course is posted to UCSD.
  3. When the class is posted, complete an Undergraduate Student Petition.
    1. Include all supporting course materials such as: the syllabus and course description.
    2. Submit a separate petition for each course if you are petitioning more than one class.
  4. Submit the completed petition, and supporting documentation via: https://forms.gle/6BBkrrHuDDvHfYrn8 (must be logged into Google with your ucsd.edu email). We will forward the petition to our Vice Chair of Undergraduate Education for review.
  5. Check your UCSD email account for VAC notification confirming that your petition has been reviewed and processed and that outcome has been provided. (Process takes approximately 10 business days. May be longer during peak periods).

    NOTE: Online courses reviewed by exception only

    The Department of Economics reviews online courses by exception only. The course syllabus must provide the following details, in order for the course to be reviewed:

    1) Exams must be proctored
    2) The method for proctoring must be clearly specified (taken on-campus or the proctoring center is identified)
    3) The final exam must count for a large fraction of the course grade

View a sample filled out petition (PDF).

How do I request exceptions to University deadlines (late add, late/retroactive withdrawal with or without a ‘W’, change of grading option, etc) to adjust my schedule after the deadline?

Complete an Undergraduate Student Petition and submit it to our office. Please note that exceptions to the published University deadlines are usually granted only in circumstances beyond your control (computer error, hospitalization, etc). Documentation is strongly recommended.

Discontinued Majors

What was the QEDS major?

The Quantitative Economics and Decision Sciences (QEDS) Major was offered by the UCSD Economics Department beginning in 1987 and ending with the 1994 entering class.  It was a variant of the Economics Major that stressed microeconomic decisionmaking.  The required coursework focused on the theory of the firm and the mathematical and statistical tools used for economic decisionmaking.   Differences between the Economics and QEDS Majors are listed below.

  1. The QEDS Major required the calculus sequence taken by Engineering and Mathematics majors (Math 20A-B-C) as well as linear algebra (Math 20F), whereas the Economics Major allowed the general calculus sequence (Math 10A-B-C) and did not require linear algebra.
  2. The QEDS Major required the calculus-based introductory economics sequence (Econ 2A-B), whereas the Economics Major allowed the non-calculus-based sequence (Econ 1A-B).
  3. The intermediate microeconomics sequence for QEDS Majors (170A-B) stressed management applications.
  4. QEDS Majors were required to take courses on choice under uncertainty (Econ 171) and operations research (Econ 172A-B-C).
  5. QEDS Majors were required to take seven upper-division Economics courses as electives, of which two were to be business-related.   In contrast, the upper-division elective requirement for Economics Majors was six courses.
  6. QEDS Majors were not required to take the intermediate macroeconomics sequence.