Minor

Complement your degree with a Minor in Economics, and develop analytical skills and a deeper understanding of economic issues.

A minor is a formal designation for an area of concentration in your degree, separate from your major. It can be closely related to your major, or totally different – but it recognizes on your transcript, and diploma, that you have gained a specialization in a particular field.

The VSE offers a minor in economics to students who complete between 30 and 42 credits (10-14 courses) in Economics, with at least 18 of those credits (6 courses) at the 300-level or above (with a couple exceptions; see below). Within these guidelines, you may choose a wide variety of courses – allowing you to tailor your minor to your interest and areas of focus.

Admission to the minor is non-competitive but is subject to certain procedures, outlined below.

If you are in a Major other than Economics, you may complete a Minor in Economics if you complete the following classes as part of the credits required for your degree:

  • At least 30 credits (10 standard 3.0 credit courses) but no more than 42 credits in Economics
  • At least 18 of these 30 credits (6 standard 3.0 credit courses) must be at the 300-level or above.
    • with the exception that ECON 310 and ECON 311 (or equivalent) do not satisfy the 300-level requirement

These credits have the following requirements in order to count towards the minor:

  1. Courses must require 6 credits of principles (ECON 101 and 102 or equivalent) in order to allowed
  2. Courses cannot be taken on a CR/D/F basis
  3. Courses cannot be granted unassigned transfer credit
    • This means that a transfer course must be articulated on your transcript to a specific UBC economics course (e.g. ECON 325), not as generic economics credit (e.g. ECON 3rd)

The procedure to be admitted to the minor program is non-competitive, but depends on which Faculty you are enrolled in.

  • If you are in the Faculty of Arts there is no formal application required for the Minor Program in Economics. However, at least 24 of the 120 credits required for a BA must be in subjects or fields other than those of your minor or major; you may wish to consult to Arts Academic Advising to confirm this requirement.
    • As long as you have a major declared, to add a minor, you can use the SSC to enter the appropriate code.
    • The minor code for Arts students to add an economics minor is: 3006.
  • If you are in the Sauder School of BusinessFaculty of Applied Science (Engineering), or the Faculty of Science, you must complete a minor application form; there are separate forms for each Faculty. In order to do this, you should follow these steps:
    1. Meet with your Undergraduate Advising office to obtain a copy of the appropriate form
    2. Complete the form as per the instructions, including your (proposed) course of study
    3. Submit the form to the VSE for approval (vse.undergrad@ubc.ca)
    4. Send the completed form to your Advising office to have the minor entered for you
  • For all other Faculties, consult with your Faculty advising office about the appropriate course of action.


Course Planning


Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, it is possible to do a Minor in Economics without taking Econ 301 (Econ 201) and Econ 302 (Econ 202).

Econ 310 and 311 are introductory courses similar to Econ 101 and 102 and do not count towards the 18 upper level (300+) courses required for the Minor. These courses count towards the 12 lower level (100-299) credit courses for the Minor in Economics.

No. Economics courses which do not have Econ 101 and Econ 102 or the equivalent as a prerequisite, for which unassigned transfer credit may have been granted (e.g. Econ 1st), may not be included in the 30 credits required for a Minor in Economics.

The minor code can be entered by you (Faculty of Arts Students only) on the Student Services Centre as long as you have a major. The Minor code for Economics is: 3006.

It is recommended that students check their program of study to ensure that they complete (i) all requirements for their Economics Minor program; (ii) all requirements for their intended major; and (iii) all Faculty of Arts/Faculty of Sciences/Sauder Business School/Faculty Applied Science requirements for graduation.

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