Economics
B.A. Department of Economics · UC Irvine · 2026-2027 Catalog
This major is designed for students seeking a broad education applicable to occupations in business, law, and government or as preparation for graduate school in the social sciences.
The Honors Program in Economics is open to high-achieving students in all Economics majors.
NOTE: Students may complete only one of the three Economics majors.
Admission
Freshmen: Preference will be given to those who rank among the highest using the selection criteria as stated in the Undergraduate Admissions section of this Catalogue.
Transfer Student Applicants: Transfer applicants with the highest grades overall who satisfactorily complete course prerequisites will be given preference for admission. All applicants must complete one course in microeconomics, one course in macroeconomics, and two semesters/two quarters of approved first-year calculus. Applicants interested in the major of Quantitative Economics must also complete one quarter/one semester of approved linear algebra.
Change of Major: Information about change-of-major requirements, procedures, and policies is available in the School of Social Sciences Undergraduate Student Affairs Office and at the UCI Change of Major Criteria website.
Requirements
All students must meet the University Requirements.
All students must meet the School Requirements.
Departmental Requirements for the Major in Economics
This major is designed for students seeking a broad education applicable to occupations in business, law, and government or as preparation for graduate school in the social sciences. University and School requirements must be met and must include 16 courses as specified below.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| A. Lower-division: | ||
| ECON 20A & ECON 20B | Basic Economics Iand Basic Economics II | |
| ECON 15 | Probability and Statistics for Economics 1 | |
| MATH 2A & MATH 2B | Single-Variable Calculus Iand Single-Variable Calculus II | |
| B. Upper-division: | ||
| ECON 100A & ECON 100B & ECON 100C | Intermediate Economics Iand Intermediate Economic IIand Intermediate Economics III | |
| ECON 122A | Applied Econometrics I | |
| ECON 122B | Applied Econometrics II | |
| C. Six additional ECON courses, one of which may be lower-division. | ||
| D. A maximum of three four-unit courses selected from ECON 190–199 may be counted toward the major. | ||
- Must be taken at UC Irvine.
Honors Program
Undergraduates in any of the three Economics majors may complete the Honors Program in Economics. Entry into the program requires a 3.4 GPA or better in upper-division Economics courses and an overall GPA of 3.2 or better. Undergraduates hoping to enter the program must apply no later than the spring quarter of their junior year. Students in the Honors Program must complete an honors thesis and the two-quarter Economics Honors Colloquium (ECON H190A-ECON 190BW; satisfies the upper-division writing requirement).
Sample Program
Freshman
| Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 20A | ECON 20B | Intro. Soc. Sci. course |
| MATH 2A | MATH 2B | General Education |
| Lower-Division Writing | Lower-Division Writing | General Education |
| General Education |
Sophomore
| Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 15A | ECON 15B | ECON 100C |
| ECON 100A | ECON 100B | ECON 122A |
| SOC SCI 3A | Intro. Soc. Sci. course | General Education |
| General Education | General Education | General Education |
Junior
| Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| U-D Econ. course | U-D Econ. course | U-D Econ. course |
| U-D Econ. course | General Education | U-D Econ. course |
| General Education | Electives | Electives |
| Electives | Electives | Electives |
Senior
| Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|
| U-D Econ. course | U-D Econ. course | U-D Econ. course |
| Electives | Electives | Electives |
| Electives | Electives | Electives |
| Electives | Electives | Electives |