California State University, Fresno
Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Fresno, USA
BA
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* students outside the U.S; August 1 - students in the U.S.
Key Summary
Economics is the social science that studies the way in which societies are organized to produce the goods and services that sustain and enhance the life processes of the community. As a fundamental scientific discipline, economics employs systematic analysis in the study of the production and distribution of income within and among nations. Since all social policy issues in modern societies have an economic dimension, the study of economics offers the student an opportunity to investigate the most important and exciting problems of the political economy facing the world today.
Such topics as inflation, unemployment, business cycles, international trade, finance, and development have long been within the province of economics. More recently, the economic way of thinking has been extended to other areas. Economic theories have been used to explain crime rates, birth rates, class conflict, pollution, marriage decisions, migration, and many other topics involving human behavior.
Economics majors acquire skills in critical and analytical thinking that contribute to an individual's intellectual independence and self-confidence in problem-solving processes. In addition, economics majors confront the necessity of developing a broad view of the options facing humankind in organizing the production and distribution of income. The literature of economics presents widely diverse systems of political economic philosophy. The department offers a well-developed and balanced curriculum.
The program in economics is designed to give the student maximum flexibility. A typical economics major might take courses in intermediate macroeconomic theory and statistics while also learning about global corporations in the third world, or the regional economy, or pursuing an independent study project on the foundations of supply-side economics. The economics major is designed to permit the student to pursue a broad liberal arts undergraduate degree, integrating the study of economics with other social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and business administration.
What You Can Learn
- Economic effects of military expenditures from a historical perspective
- The social and economic forces shaping the economic status of women in the U.S.
- The monetary and banking system of the United States
- Evolution of economics as a science
ECON 40 and 50 are prerequisites for most upper-division courses in economics. Any student planning graduate work is advised to take additional mathematics.
1. Major requirements (39 units)
Core (18 units)
Lower-Division: ECON 40 and ECON 50
Upper-Division: ECON 100A, ECON 100B, ECON 123, ECON 192
Upper-Division Breadth and Application Course Selections (21 units)
Students must select one upper-division economics course from each of Categories I, II, and III to be exposed to the breadth of fields of study in economics (9 units).
In addition, students must select four upper-division economics courses from the remaining courses in Categories I, II, III, IV, and V. (12 units).
Category I. Macroeconomics and International Economics Courses (3 units minimum)
ECON 103, ECON 114, ECON 135, ECON 178, ECON 188T
Category II. Microeconomics Courses (3 units minimum)
ECON 117, ECON 119, ECON 131, ECON 144, ECON 150, ECON 162, ECON 189T
Category III. Historical and Political Economics Courses (3 units minimum)
ECON 101, ECON 110, ECON 111, ECON 179, ECON 181, ECON 183, ECON 115T
Category IV. Cross-cutting Economics Courses
ECON 102W, ECON 120, ECON 125, ECON 146, ECON 152, ECON 167, ECON 176
Category V. Special Courses (3 units maximum)
ECON 185, ECON 190 and ECON 191i
2. General Education requirements (48 units)
3. Other requirements (9 units)
American Government and Institutions (PLSI 2), Multicultural and International (MI), and Upper-division writing
4. Sufficient elective units to meet required total units (varies)
5. Total units (120)*
* G.E. and MI courses can be double-counted with major requirements. See advisor for details.
Graduates of the department pursue a variety of challenging careers in industry, finance, education, government, and international organizations. Students completing our major have found opportunities in local and state businesses, multinational corporations, and government agencies. The B.A. in Economics is also an excellent foundation for graduate school in public policy, public administration, business, law, and economics. An increasing number of Economics majors and minors are attending graduate school. Some recent placements include the University of Wisconsin Madison (Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics), the University of Nebraska (Ph.D. in Economics), USC (Ph.D. in Health Economics), Harvard University (Ph.D. Public Policy), University of Denver (M.A. in Economics), UC Santa Cruz (M.A. in Applied Economics), London School of Economics (M.A. in International Relations).
Careers for professional economists
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Handbook, as of 2019, the largest employers of economists were as follows:
- Federal government
- Scientific research and development services
- Management, scientific, and technical consulting services
- State and local government, excluding education and hospitals
- Finance and insurance
There are also a significant number of jobs in education at the state and local levels.