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:
- Courses must require 6 credits of principles (ECON 101 and 102 or equivalent) in order to allowed
- Courses cannot be taken on a CR/D/F basis
- 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 Business, Faculty 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:
- Meet with your Undergraduate Advising office to obtain a copy of the appropriate form
- Complete the form as per the instructions, including your (proposed) course of study
- Submit the form to the VSE for approval (vse.undergrad@ubc.ca)
- 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.
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