UBC: Economics

Gain a deep understanding of the economy and examine the social, cross-cultural, and ethical dimensions of economic decision-making. You鈥檒l learn how to choose and apply appropriate quantitative methods to a range of economic issues, and effectively communicate complex economic issues. Your studies will include courses such as 鈥淚ntroduction to Game Theory and Applications鈥� and 鈥淓conomics of Renewable Resources.鈥�

This program is also offered at UBC's Okanagan Campus

Find out more

Program information

Campus: Vancouver
Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Length 4 yrs
Co-op Yes
You can combine your studies with full-time, paid work at top local and international organizations.
Honours Yes
You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Economics offers expertise in a variety of fields including industrial organization, labour, economic measurement, economic history, macroeconomics, public policy, and international trade and finance development, as well as resource, health, and transitional economics. You may select a Minor, Major, or Honours program in Economics, as well as Combined Major programs in Economics and Political Science, Economics and Philosophy, Economics and Statistics, or Economics and Mathematics.

Campus features

The Vancouver School of Economics at 麻豆导航is ranked top in Canada, and in the top 20 such departments in the world. 麻豆导航economics alumnus, Robert Mundell won the 1999 Nobel Prize for Economics, following his groundbreaking analysis of exchange rates and monetary policy.

ECON 101 - Principles of Microeconomics
Elements of theory and of Canadian policy and institutions concerning the economics of markets and market behaviour, prices and costs, exchange and trade, competition and monopoly, distribution of income.
ECON 102 - Principles of Macroeconomics
Elements of theory and of Canadian policy and institutions concerning the economics of growth and business cycles, national income accounting, interest and exchange rates, money and banking, the balance of trade.
MATH 104 - Differential Calculus with Applications to Commerce and Social Sciences
Derivatives and rates of change, exponential and trigonometric functions, Newton's method, Taylor polynomials, maxima and minima, and graphing.

ECON 234 - Wealth and Poverty of Nations
Historical approaches to long-run economic growth; international comparisons of income growth and inequality; colonialism; evolution of world capital markets; human migrations; rise of world trading empires; instability in the international economy. May not be taken for credit by students with fourth-year standing.
ECON 204 - Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis
Mathematical and graphical models of individual, household, and firm behavior with applications to issues in international economics. Registration restricted to students in the Bachelor of International Economics Program.
ECON 210 - Microeconomic Policy
A survey of policy issues, such as regulation, taxation, environmental and resource policy, health care, education and income distribution. May not be taken for credit by students with fourth-year standing.
ECON 255 - Understanding Globalization
Social and economic implications for both rich and poor countries of lowered barriers to the international flows of information, capital, labour and goods. May not be taken for credit by students with fourth-year standing.
ECON 226 - Making Sense of Economic Data
Formulation of a testable hypothesis, identification of relevant data, use of appropriate statistical tools. May not be taken for credit by students with fourth-year standing in ECON or COMM. Not available for credit to students already having credit for either of ECON 325 or ECON 326 (or equivalent).

ECON 301 - Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis I
Consumer behaviour, producer theory, exchange, monopoly, oligopoly, externalities, public goods, general equilibrium and welfare economics.
ECON 325 - Introduction to Empirical Economics
Essentials of probability and statistics for applied work in economics. Topics include descriptive statistics, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing, and analysis of variance.
ECON 326 - Methods of Empirical Research in Economics
Techniques of empirical economic research. Topics include simple and multiple regression, time series analysis, and simultaneous equation estimation. Students will be required to undertake applied work.
ECON 335 - Fertility, Families and Human Migration
Traditional fertility and mortality patterns, demographic transition, catastrophes, well-being and nutrition, international and internal migration, epidemics and growth spurts.
ECON 370 - Benefit-Cost Analysis and the Economics of Project Evaluation
Techniques and problems in benefit-cost analysis of public projects. Examination of alternative approaches to public decision-making such as cost-effectiveness analysis and multiple-objective frameworks. Case studies of projects in the areas of natural resources, the environment, human resources, public services, and transportation.

ECON 490 - Seminar in Applied Economics
Selected problems and issues in the theory and practice of Economics. Each section will focus on a different field. Restricted to Economics Majors, and Combined Majors in Economics their final academic session.
ECON 421 - Introduction to Game Theory and Applications
Principles of rational behaviour in strategic situations and various notions of equilibrium useful in predicting outcomes. Applications from economics, business, politics, law and biology.
ECON 472 - Economics of Renewable Resources
Application of economic analysis to the management of renewable resources. Special attention is given to criteria for the optimal use of depleting resources such as forests and water. Other topics include public policy with regard to environmental quality, conservation, and outdoor recreation.
ECON 493 - Advanced Empirical Methods for International Economics
Econometric methodologies necessary to conduct applied research, including time series analysis and panel data methods; review of empirical work in international economics. Registration restricted to students in the Bachelor of International Economics Program.
ECON 482 - The Economic Consequences of Religion
Analysis of the economic aspects of religious behaviour, the structure of religious organizations, the effects of competition in the religious marketplace, the economic benefits of religion, and some of the ill-effects of religion (such as religious strife and terrorism).

Your future

Your career opportunities will vary widely across a range of fields including finance, insurance, business, public policy and administration, statistics, mathematics, law, education, and others.

There are many career paths that can combine your academics, skills, and experience with your different interests, including:

Economic analyst
Economic development officer
Financial auditor
Financial controller
Inventory analyst
Investment analyst
Labour policy analyst
Labour relations officer
Pollster
Real estate development
Social policy advisor

Program requirements

Canadian high schools
International high schools
International baccalaureate

English-language requirements

English is the language of instruction at UBC. All prospective students must demonstrate English-language competency prior to admission. There are numerous ways to meet the聽.

General admission requirements

IB Diploma Programme

Completed IB Diploma, including at least three Higher Level courses.

IB Certificate Courses

IB Certificate courses (Standard and Higher Level) may be used in an admissions average if you are graduating from a recognized high school curriculum that can be used as your basis of admission.
IB Math Applications and Interpretations SL, or IB Math Studies, do not satisfy the math requirement for admission to UBC’s science-based programs, the Faculty of Management, the 麻豆导航Sauder School of Business, or the Vancouver School of Economics.

Degree-specific requirements: Arts

No specific courses required beyond those needed for general admission

Related courses

The following subject categories are particularly relevant for this degree. Consider taking courses in these areas in your junior year and senior year.

Language Arts
Mathematics and Computation
Second Languages
Social Studies
Visual and Performing Arts

麻豆导航

This program is also offered at UBC's Okanagan Campus

Campus features

Related links

Your future

Related programs

Program requirements

English-language requirements

General admission requirements

Degree-specific requirements: Arts

Related courses

You’ll find these pages helpful

Deep dive into 麻豆导航programs and get a taste of campus life on Snapchat

Meet Logan, an entrepreneurial Economics major, scholarship winner, and recent Rhodes Scholar

Ready to choose your degree?