Economics Major

The Bachelor of Arts in Economics helps students examine how society produces and consumes goods, and it analyzes many real-world issues such as international trade, poverty, taxes, crime, and education. The curriculum provides students with thorough training in both theoretical and empirical approaches to real world problems, and it provides a framework in which to analyze human behavior. In doing so, students graduate with the skills needed for successful careers in a wide range of fields including finance, consulting, accounting, and government.

Learning Objectives

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

• Application of economic analyses to everyday life, and visualization of economics in real-world situations
• Application of learning to policy-relevant issues
• Ability to understand current events
• Ability to assess the likely impact of specific policies put forth by government entities
• Evaluation of the role played by assumptions in arguments made for and against economic and policy issues
• Use of quantitative evidence and economic models to assess the validity of economic and policy-relevant arguments
• Understanding of statistical methodology and interpretation of statistical evidence
• Use of data to construct quantitative economics arguments, and to understand the statistical problems associated with interpreting the results
• Understanding of the role of sample selection/endogeneity in affecting results, and how to correct for these issues
• Formulation of written arguments that state assumptions and hypotheses, and evaluation of their pros and cons based on evidence
• Oral presentation of a carefully reasoned economic argument, and response to related questions
• Graphic presentation of a carefully reasoned economic argument by means of graphs, figures, charts, and presentation software
• Working knowledge of information databases, and knowledge of how to use the Web in gathering reliable information
• Location and use of primary data sources such as surveys
• Use of knowledge gained to understand and evaluate current economic events and new economic ideas

Major Requirements

• Students admitted to UCLA in Fall 2023 and beyond (PDF)
• Students admitted to UCLA Fall 2020-Fall 2022 (PDF)
• Official Requirements in UCLA Catalog