Program Description

Economics is the study of how society allocates scarce resources such as land, labor, and capital, in an attempt to satisfy unlimited wants. It is broadly divided into two branches: macroeconomics and microeconomics. Macroeconomics is concerned with the workings of the economy as a whole. It is the study of broad measures of economic performance: Gross Domestic Product, unemployment, and inflation. Microeconomics focuses on the role of individual decision-makers—consumers and firms—and analyzes the efficiencies and failures of a market system. The two branches approach the fundamental questions of resource allocation from opposite sides: one from the perspective of the economy as a whole and one from the perspective of the individual agents in the economy.

The Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer degree prepares students for transfer to California State Universities (CSUs). Students who complete the Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer degree will be ensured preferential transfer status to CSUs for economics majors and majors in related disciplines. The Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer degree requirements will fulfill the lower division major requirements at many CSUs. Students are advised, however, to meet with a counselor to assess the course requirements for specific CSUs.

Learn more about the program on the Economics website.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students will have a working understanding of the role of prices in a market economy, the benefits of trade, economic growth and stability, market structures and competition, market failures, and the economic role of government.
• Students will be able to employ economic reasoning to explain the world around them and make objective decisions based on assessments of costs and benefits.

Units Required

• Major: 28.5-45

Associate Degree Requirements

Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer requires completion of a minimum of 90 units to include:

• CSU General Education Breadth Requirements or the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)¹ (49-58 units) (full certification is required)
• Core and support courses (28.5-45 units, of which 15 units may satisfy the GE requirement)
• Transferable electives necessary to meet the 90-unit minimum requirement

¹

Important Note: Although it is possible to fulfill the requirements for the Associate Degree for Transfer by completing the IGETC for UC pattern, admission to CSU requires completion of an Oral Communication course (IGETC Area 1C; CSU GE Area A-1); therefore, students who plan to transfer to CSU should complete this course as part of their GE or elective units.

Note: All courses pertaining to the major must be completed with a grade of "C" (or "P") or better. In addition, the student must obtain a minimum GPA of 2.0.

Core and Support Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Core Courses
ECON 1A	PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS	5
ECON 1B	PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS	5
MATH 10	ELEMENTARY STATISTICS	5
or MATH 17	INTEGRATED STATISTICS II
or PSYC 7	STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
or SOC 7	STATISTICS FOR THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Select one of the following:		5-10
MATH 12	CALCULUS FOR BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
MATH 1A & MATH 1B	CALCULUS and CALCULUS 1
MATH 1A & MATH 1BH	CALCULUS and HONORS CALCULUS II 1
MATH 1AH & MATH 1B	HONORS CALCULUS I and CALCULUS 1
MATH 1AH & MATH 1BH	HONORS CALCULUS I and HONORS CALCULUS II 1
Support Courses
List A
Complete one course from List A:		4.5-10
ACTG 1A & ACTG 1B	FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING I and FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING II 1
or ACTG 1A & ACTG 1BH	FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING I and HONORS FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING II
ACTG 1C	MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING
or ACTG 1CH	HONORS MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING
BUSI 18	BUSINESS LAW I
BUSI 22	PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS
or BUSI 22H	HONORS PRINCIPLES OF BUSINESS
C S 1A	OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGIES IN JAVA
C S 2A	OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGIES IN C++
C S 3A	OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGIES IN PYTHON
MATH 1B & MATH 1C	CALCULUS and CALCULUS 1
or MATH 1BH & MATH 1C	HONORS CALCULUS II and CALCULUS
POLI 1	POLITICAL SCIENCE: INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
List B
And complete one course from List B:		4-10
Any course not used in List A, or any of the following:
ECON 9	INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
or POLI 9	INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
or ECON 9H	HONORS INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
or POLI 9H	HONORS INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY
ECON 25	THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
MATH 1C & MATH 1D	CALCULUS and CALCULUS 1
MATH 2B	LINEAR ALGEBRA
Total Units		28.5-45

¹

Both courses must be completed to fulfill the requirement.