Majors & Minors

The Bachelor of Science in Economics (ECON-BS-004. Formerly EN31) is our most comprehensive degree as it provides the highest level of combined technical and applied training of all our majors. It requires 19 courses.

The Economics B.S. teaches students to use the tools of economics to understand how individuals, firms, organizations, and governments make choices, with an emphasis on economic incentives and strategic interactions. Core courses in macroeconomics, microeconomics, and econometrics—including full-year sequences with advanced quantitative and analytical training in the last two areas—teach students how economies function and how to extract insights from data. A wide range of electives applies these tools to topics in finance; strategic management; business operations; trade; labor markets; energy, climate, and the environment; taxation; government; inequality; international development; and more. The major requires students to choose at least two advanced electives, which provide strong analytical training in students’ preferred fields.

The Economics B.S. is STEM-certified and highly valued by employers. With the Economics B.S., students have access to a broad range of careers in business, finance, government, health, law, energy, technology, education, non-profits, international organizations, and many more. The degree also provides a solid foundation for students who are thinking about graduate study.

The current requirements have been in place since Fall 2024, when the Economics Department reorganized its longstanding Economics major into two separate majors: one offering somewhat more technical training (B.S.), the other offering somewhat more flexibility (B.A.). Prior to Fall 2024, the requirements for the Economics B.A. were extremely similar to those for the current Economics B.S.

Learn more about the Economics B.S. curriculum and requirements here.

The Bachelor of Arts in Economics (ECON-BA-001. Formerly EN25) is our more flexible degree, tailored for students who want to combine economics with other fields of study and do not necessarily seek the most advanced analytical training. It requires 17 courses.

Similar to the B.S., the Economics B.A. teaches students to understand human and firm behavior through the lens of economic incentives, strategic interactions, and data, with attention to implications for policy choices at the local, national, and international levels. The B.A. features lighter lower division requirements and a shorter intermediate microeconomic sequence. The same wide range of elective courses as in the B.S. are available for students to choose from, but with no requirement on the number of advanced electives. The lighter requirements of the Economics B.A. facilitate the pairing of the degree with a second major for students who are interested in a double major degree or in adding a minor to their undergraduate curriculum. 

The current requirements for the Economics B.A. have been in place since Fall 2024, when the Economics Department reorganized its longstanding Economics major into two separate majors: one offering somewhat more technical training (B.S.), the other offering somewhat more flexibility (B.A.). Prior to Fall 2024, the requirements for the Economics B.A. were extremely similar to those for the current Economics B.S.

Learn more about the Economics B.A. curriculum and requirements here.

The Bachelor of Science in Business Economics (ECON-BS-003. Formerly EN30), offered with the Rady School of Management, consists of two halves, one consisting of Economics courses on economic and econometric theory, the other consisting of Management courses that do not build on the Economics courses. It requires 22 courses, more than any other Economics major. 

The University will stop accepting new students into the current Business Economics B.S. starting in Fall 2028. Students who enroll in the major before then will be able to complete it as currently structured. The Economics Department is actively working on developing a successor major that trains students in the application of economics to business and offers continued access to Rady School classes. In the meantime, the Economics Department encourages current students with interests in economics and business to pursue one of the Economics Department’s other majors combined with a specialized Rady School minor (e.g., Accounting or Finance). With this combination, students learn how to apply the tools of economics to business and develop marketable expertise in a specific business field.

Learn more about the Business Economics B.S. major curriculum and requirements here.

The Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics (ECON-BS-002. Formerly EN28), a joint major with the Mathematics Department, is designed for students who aspire to graduate study in economics, business, or finance. It requires at least 20 courses.

The Math-Econ B.S. combines Economics courses on economic and econometric theory with Mathematics courses that go beyond the calculus requirements of the Economics Department’s other majors. Additional math topics include proof writing, linear algebra, real analysis, and differential equations. Students take the same full-year microeconomics sequence as in the Economics B.S. but have the options to substitute (i) mathematical statistics courses for part of the econometrics sequence and (ii) numerical optimization courses for the intermediate macroeconomics sequence. Electives may be taken in either department.

Learn more about the Math-Econ B.S. curriculum and requirements here.

The BS/MPP (ECON-BS-007. Formerly EN32) is a five-year joint program with the Department of Economics and the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. The program incorporates graduate-level coursework into the final undergraduate year of study for the Economics B.S. The Master of Public Policy is awarded upon completion of an additional year of coursework as a matriculated graduate student at the school.

The curriculum is built around micro- and macro-economics and econometrics, economic policy analysis, public finance and taxation, the study of the politics of policymaking and implementation, law and regulation, institutional processes, the opportunity for the development of advanced training in hard skills such as GIS and remote sensing, and a full year of developing expertise in at least one area of public policy.

Learn more about the BS/MPP at the program website or watch this info session. Applications are accepted during the spring quarter each year.

The BA/MPP (ECON-BA-005. Formerly EN29) is a five-year joint program with the Department of Economics and the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. The program incorporates graduate-level coursework into the final undergraduate year of study for the Economics B.A. The Master of Public Policy is awarded upon completion of an additional year of coursework as a matriculated graduate student at the school.

The curriculum is built around micro– and macro-economics and econometrics, economic policy analysis, public finance and taxation, the study of the politics of policymaking and implementation, law and regulation, institutional processes, the opportunity for the development of advanced training in hard skills such as GIS and remote sensing, and a full year of developing expertise in at least one area of public policy.

Learn more about the BA/MPP at the program website or watch this info session. Applications are accepted during the spring quarter each year.

We offer two minors, one in Economics (ECON-MN-001. Formerly EN25) and one in Business Economics (ECON-MN-005. Formerly EN30). The University will discontinue the Business Economics minor starting in Fall 2028. See the Minors page for more information.