Majors & Minors

The Bachelor of Science in Economics (EN 31) is our most comprehensive degree as it provides the highest level of combined technical and applied training of all our major programs. 

The major builds the core toolkits of economics, how individuals, firms, organizations, and governments make choices, with emphasis on economic incentives and strategic interactions. The core courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics teach students how economies function and how to extract insights from data; full-year sequences in microeconomics and econometrics provide advanced quantitative and analytical training. The wide range of elective courses in the Economics major apply the 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.

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

The Bachelor of Arts in Economics (EN 25), similarly to the Bachelor of Science, focuses on the study of human behavior explained by economic incentives, the emphasis on strategic interactions, and the implications for policy choices at the local, national, and international levels, but it is tailored for students who do not necessarily seek the more advanced analytical training.

The B.A. degree features lighter lower division requirements and a shorter intermediate microeconomic sequence. The same wide range of elective courses as in the B.Sc. degree 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 Bachelor of Science in Business Economics (EN 30), offered in collaboration with the Rady School of Management, combines training in core economics - in a format of reduced depth compared to the Economics BS and BA - as well as in core business disciplines. Training in core economics consists of two quarters of microeconomics and econometrics and one quarter of macroeconomics. Training in core business - accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations, and strategy -  teaches students how to perform various functions inside businesses. Three electives deepen students' skillsets after core training is complete.

Our Bachelor of Science in Math-Econ is a program designed for students who aspire to graduate study in economics or business. It follows the same core sequence as the Economics B.S., but delves deeper into the underlying mathematical foundations of microeconomics and econometrics. Compared to the Economics B.S., it requires more (you guessed it) math, mostly calculus.

The BA/MPP 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 a Bachelor of Arts in Economics-Public Policy. 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 an expertise in at least one area of public policy.