Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Declaring the Major and Undergraduate Advising
Students can declare economics as a major by submitting an online request. The department requires that all majors meet with an Economics advisor each fall. Advisors counsel students on the selection of Economics courses. It is recommended that students also meet an undergraduate advisor in the Student Success center to review their GE and other university requirements. Students who do not complete mandatory advising will not be able to register for the spring semester.
Program Learning Outcomes
- In the program, students will acquire knowledge of current economic theory and thought needed to examine a particular economic issue or event. They will also develop an understanding of the role played by economic institutions, as well as how public policy can affect economic and social outcomes.
- In the program, students will master the ability to collect, process, interpret, analyze, and draw conclusions from economic information and economic data using appropriate quantitative methods.
- In the program, students will develop and expand on skills necessary to effectively communicate economic ideas both orally and in writing to a wide audience.
Economics (B.A.) — 42 Units Minimum
- Majors must take the core courses for a letter grade and earn a minimum grade of C- in each. (CR/NC grading is not allowed for core courses.)
- ECON 690GW is the capstone course and must be taken in the senior year.
Core Courses (24-27 Units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 101 | Introduction to Microeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 102 | Introduction to Macroeconomic Analysis (formerly ECON 100) | 3 |
| ECON 301 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 302 | Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory | 3 |
| Select One: | 3 | |
| Statistical Methods and Interpretation | ||
| Business Statistics | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| ECON 312 | Introduction to Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 690GW | Senior Seminar: Economic Inquiry and Analysis - GWAR | 3 |
| Select One: 1 | 3-6 | |
| Calculus with Business Applications | ||
| Mathematics for Business Calculus I and Mathematics for Business Calculus II | ||
| Business Calculus | ||
| Calculus I 1 | ||
- 1
We strongly recommend taking MATH 226 for students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in economics or related fields.
Upper-Division Electives (18 Units)
Economics majors are required to take six upper-division elective courses in economics. There are over 20 elective courses, including some cross-listed courses with other programs, offered each year. These elective courses can be taken in any order as long as the prerequisites are met.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 400 | Economic and Social History of the United States | 3 |
| ECON 450 | Health Economics | 3 |
| ECON/HIST/LABR 474 | History of Labor in the United States | 3 |
| ECON 500 | Money and Banking | 3 |
| ECON 505 | Public Economics | 3 |
| ECON/LABR 510 | Labor Economics | 3 |
| ECON/LABR 511 | Collective Bargaining | 3 |
| ECON 520 | Industrial Organization | 3 |
| ECON 540 | Economics of Gender | 3 |
| ECON 541 | Economics of LGBTQ Issues | 3 |
| ECON 550 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ECON 560 | Economics of Growth | 3 |
| ECON 605 | Seminar: History of Economic Thought | 3 |
| ECON 611 | International Trade Theory and Policy | 3 |
| ECON 612 | International Finance and Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 616 | Experimental Economics and Game Theory | 3 |
| ECON 618 | Economic Inference: Methods and Applications | 3 |
| ECON 620 | Economic Development | 3 |
| ECON/I R 635 | Economics of Globalization | 3 |
| ECON 640 | Health Economics Analysis and Research | 3 |
| ECON/ENVS/FIN 651 | Student Managed Fund in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investments | 3 |
| ECON 675 | Natural Resource Economics | 3 |
| ECON 680 | Applied Economics and Data Analysis with R | 3 |
| ECON 699 | Independent Study | 3 |
Upon prior advisement, students may apply a maximum of two courses taken outside the Economics department to the elective requirement. Non-Economics courses approved by the department are included in the list of elective options below. Students should keep in mind that non-Economics courses may require additional prerequisites that are not met in the Economics degree or consent of the instructor.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 301 | Intermediate Financial Accounting I | 3 |
| DS 311 | Technologies in Data Analytics | 3 |
| DS 312 | Data Analysis with Computer Applications | 3 |
| DS 408 | Computer Simulation | 3 |
| DS 412 | Operations Management | 3 |
| DS 612 | Data Mining with Business Applications | 3 |
| DS 624 | Quality Management | 3 |
| FIN 350 | Business Finance | 3 |
| FIN 536 | International Finance | 3 |
| GEOG 603 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| GEOG 604 | Environmental Data Science | 3 |
| I R 312 | Introduction to International Political Economy | 4 |
| ISYS 363 | Information Systems for Management | 3 |
| MATH 227 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 228 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 245 | Elementary Differential Equations and Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 324 | Probability and Statistics with Computing | 3 |
| MATH 325 | Linear Algebra | 4 |
| MATH 338 | Introduction to SAS | 3 |
| MATH 376 | Ordinary Differential Equations I | 3 |
| MATH 400 | Numerical Analysis | 3 |
| MATH 424 | Introduction to Linear Models | 3 |
| MATH 440 | Probability and Statistics I | 3 |
| MATH 441 | Probability and Statistics II | 3 |
| MATH 448 | Introduction to Statistical Learning and Data Mining | 3 |
Complementary Studies
Bachelor of Arts students must complete at least 12 units of Complementary Studies outside of the primary prefix for the major. (Note: Students may not use an alternate prefix that is cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.)
Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the Complementary Studies requirement. Alternatively, students in the Economics major can meet with a major advisor to determine which courses will satisfy the Complementary Studies requirement. Consult with your major advisor for assistance.
Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1 |
| Written English Communication | LD | 3 | A2 |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1 |
| Life Science | LD | 3 | B2 |
| Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3 |
| Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | C1 |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | C2 |
| Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2 |
| Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1 |
| Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2 |
| Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E |
| Ethnic Studies | LD | 3 | F |
| Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B |
| Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C |
| Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
SF State Scholars
The San Francisco State Scholars program provides undergraduate students with an accelerated pathway to a graduate degree. Students in this program pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree simultaneously. This program allows students to earn graduate credit while in their junior and/or senior year, reducing the number of semesters required for completion of a master’s degree.
Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)
For Students with an AA-T in Economics.
ECON ADT Roadmap
This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in Economics
California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).
Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.
An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area C and 3 units in lower-division GE area D until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.
Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.
Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.
A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:
- How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.
Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.