Being that it is that time of year when many UCLA students will be declaring their majors and incoming students are are curious about the program, knowing the differences between the three majors offered by the Department of Economics will be helpful.
Economics is the shortest and most general premajor and major offered by the department. Students are required to complete:
- Math 31A
- Math 31B
- Econ 1
- Econ 2
- Econ 41 (other statistics courses taken at UCLA or eslewhere will NOT satisfy this requirement)
- Econ 11
- and a Writing 2 course before being admitted to the major.
Once students have finished premajor coursework with a 2.5 GPA, they are required to take Econ 101, Econ 102 and 7 (seven) Econ electives (Econ courses in the 100s). This major is ideal for students who want a general understanding of economics as they are able to take a wide range of courses or tailor their course loads in a specific direction. Being that it is the shortest major, it is also convenient for students wishing to double major. A 2.0 GPA is required to graduate with an Economics degree.
Economics International/Area Studies is a major that allows students to gain in-depth knowledge of the economics of a particular region. Students are required to complete:
- Math 31A
- Math 31B
- Econ 1
- Econ 2
- Econ 41
- Econ 11
- Econ 101
- Econ 102
- and at least three quarters of a single language that is spoken in their region of study before being admitted to the major.
Once students have finished premajor coursework with a 3.0 GPA, they are required to take Econ 103, Econ 121, Econ 122, Econ 199B, 4 (four) Econ electives, and 4 (four) approved social science electives. This program is for students who want to tailor their coursework in order to gain a full understanding of the economics of a specific region of the world through interdisciplinary study. Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to graduate with the degree.
Business Economics is a major that requires students to take courses in economics, accounting and finance. Students are required to complete:
- ALL courses that are required for the Economics degree
- MGMT 1A
- MGMT 1B
- and Econ 101 before being admitted to the major.
Transfer students: must earn a 3.5 in Econ 11 and 101 OR have a 3.3 in Econ 11 and 101 and a 3.5 in Econ 11, 101 and ALL Econ courses taken at the time of applying.
Non-transfer students: must have a 3.3 primary score and a 3.0 GPA in the premajor. http://www.econ.ucla.edu/undergraduate/primaryscore/primaryscore-1.cfm (calculator link)
Once admitted to the major, students are required to complete Econ 102, Econ 103, 3 (three) economics electives, two courses from the 106 series and 4 (four) accounting courses. The Business Economics major is not a traditional Business major. Students interested in management, marketing and administration should be advised that the degree focuses on grounding student knowledge in economic principles.
Filed under: applying to major, general dept info
