Business Economics Bachelor of Arts Degree | UCLA Economics

The Business Economics BA program offers a major for students seeking a business orientation in their study of economics. It does not replicate the traditional undergraduate business school curriculum. Instead, it offers a more tightly focused curriculum that is guided by the rigorous logic and integrative perspective of economics. It is designed to prepare students for graduate education in business, economics, and law. The program requires students to include specific courses offered by the department and the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the Business Economics major, students will have achieved the following learning objectives:

• Understanding, through application of microeconomics, of the interaction of individuals and organizations in markets; and of the role of public policy in shaping those interactions
• Understanding, through application of macroeconomics, of the functioning of market economies at regional, national, and global levels; and of the role of public policy in shaping those interactions
• Understanding and application of accounting principles to analysis of business problems
• Acquisition and use of data to evaluate hypotheses with tables, charts, and statistical analyses
• Use of appropriate analytical perspectives and approaches to frame problems involving the interaction of people, organizations, markets, and society; identify effective strategic approaches to problem solving; and gather and organize key information to facilitate problem solving

Major Requirements

Courses

• Prerequisite Course Guide (PDF)
• Course Descriptions

New Econometrics Course (Econ 104/104L)

Course Description: In-depth discussion of multivariate regression. Introduction to estimation of multivariate regression, and confidence intervals and hypothesis tests in context of multivariate regression. Discussion of instrumental variables and binary choice models. Emphasis on hands-on experience on data analytics and real data applications.

This new statistics/econometrics sequence includes the following courses:  Economics 41, 103/103L, and 104/104L.  The sequence will incorporate active learning, including but not limited to, extensive empirical examples and exercises.  Students who have completed this sequence will ultimately be expected to have learned how to program in R. The knowledge and skills to analyze data are becoming increasingly important, and considered highly desirable by graduate schools and potential employers. This new sequence will give students a competitive edge in the era of the big data.

Please click here for FAQs about this new course.

Additional Information

All students interested in the Economics and the Business Economics major should be on the Econ Counseling Listserv.

To declare the Pre-Major in Business Economics, please complete the Change of Major Request Form and submit the form to the Economics Undergraduate Counseling Office online via the MyUCLA Message Center. The subject title of the message should be: Change of Major Request Form.

To apply for the Business Economics major, you must have completed the Pre-Major Courses and you must be on the Econ Counseling Listserv.  An email notice about the application is sent out in the form of an Econ Alert during the first three weeks of each regular quarter and during the first three weeks of Summer Session A.  Notification of acceptance into the Business Economics major will be provided approximately two weeks after the week three deadline — also in the form of an Econ Alert.  Students are asked to submit an application only if they meet all the application criteria.  Please note that there are specific applications for non-transfer and transfer students, so be sure to complete the appropriate application.

Please Note: The Bachelor of Arts in Economics is now classified as a STEM major (CIP Code 45.0603: Econometrics and Quantitative Economics). This change is in effect for students with a Degree Expected Term of Fall Quarter 2019 or later. It does not apply retroactively. Also note that the degree designation remains a “Bachelor of Arts”.