Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics

Bachelor of Arts Major in Economics In order to earn the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in economics, students must complete a minimum of 124 units with a Pacific cumulative and major/program grade point average of 2.0. Economics is a social science which, at its root, is the study of behavior--of individuals, firms, organizations and governments. Economics studies how these groups make choices and the implications of their choices for themselves, for markets, and for the local, national and global economies. Economics is not a collection of information to be learned, rather, it’s a way of thinking and a set of analytical tools that helps better understand everything from banking to baseball. The world is changing rapidly, jobs that students aspire to today may not exist tomorrow; but an understanding of the core concepts of economics will continue to provide students with the ability to conduct meaningful, valuable analytical work across a wide variety of occupations, even those that do not yet exist. All Economics majors will take the same core classes, providing them with a solid foundation in the concepts, tools and analytical methods of economics. Students can then choose to pursue a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree, both of which are structured to give students a greater depth of understanding in a few areas of Economics and experience applying their analytical skills and economic knowledge to real-world issues and problems. The Bachelor of Arts degree is designed to allow students to tailor their upper division Economics curriculum based on their interests, taking advantage of the wide variety of fields with which the study of Economics is compatible. Faculty advisers can help students create plans of study (e.g. International Economics, Political Economy, Monetary Economics, Economics and Law) that fit best with the students’ academic and career goals. This degree is exceptionally well-suited for students who want to double-major or minor in another discipline. The Department of Economics, in collaboration with the Economics Department at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, offers students the opportunity to pursue a Master of Science degree in Applied Economics (MSAE) at Marquette with specializations ranging from Business, Financial, International, and Real Estate Economics to Marketing Research or a general economics track. this accelerated degree is designed to be completed within 5 years of entering Pacific, which is 1 year sooner than the usual required time to complete undergraduate and masters degrees. Interested students would earn their BA or BS degree in economics at Pacific while following the typical 4-year plan. During this time, in consultation with academic advisers, they would also successfully complete At least one calculus course, ECON 190, and Two upper division economics courses (with a grade of "B" or better) specially tailored to satisfy 2 of the 10 courses required to complete the MSAE. Students must inform their academic advisers of their interest in the program by the time they achieve junior standing or they may not be able to complete both degrees in 5 years. Students would apply to the MSAE program at Marquette during the first semester of their final year at Pacific. Marquette requires all applicants to take either the GRE or GMAT exam and to have an overall GPA of 3.0 or better. Admission to the MSAE program is at the sole discretion of Marquette and is not guaranteed.