Universities / University of British Columbia (Vancouver)
Economics at UBC, six ways
UBC degrees are 120 credits, and a typical one-term course is 3 credits. Most one-term courses are 3 credits; some math and computer science courses are 4. Every figure below is given in UBC's own credits so it matches the calendar, and as a percent of the degree so it can be compared with other schools.
Where the credits go
Select a program to load it into the comparison below. Unit counts assume the most common course choice where there are options; categories are The Visible Hand's grouping, not the university's.
Side by side
Pick any two programs. Select a course to see what it covers and which programs require it.
Select any course above to see its title, what it covers, and which programs require it.
The differences in one table
| Attribute | Economics Major (BA) | Economics Honours (BA) | Economics and Political Science Combined Major (BA) | Economics and Mathematics Combined Major (BA) | Mathematics and Economics Combined Major (BSc) | Bachelor of International Economics (BIE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree | BA | BA (Honours) | BA | BA | BSc | BIE |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts (Vancouver School of Economics) | Faculty of Arts (Vancouver School of Economics) | Faculty of Arts (Vancouver School of Economics and Political Science) | Faculty of Arts (Vancouver School of Economics and Mathematics) | Faculty of Science (Mathematics and Vancouver School of Economics) | Vancouver School of Economics |
| Total credits | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| How you get in | Apply for Year 2 entry after at least 27 credits, including ECON 101 and 102, differential calculus, a writing course and 3 credits from an approved list (for example integral calculus, or a course in ECON, POLI, PHIL, MATH, STAT, DSCI or CPSC). Applications open in mid-March and close May 5. Admission is competitive and not automatic, and the program takes at least two Winter sessions once admitted. (The VSE admissions page lists new rules pending Senate approval that would require integral calculus plus 3 other credits separately.) | Apply for Year 3 entry after 54 credits (applications close May 5). Admission is highly selective and based on the whole record; applicants should have completed ECON 304, 306 and 325 and integral calculus, with at least an 80% average in their non-honours economics courses, a 75% average on all credits attempted, and 78% in their best 12 credits of economics. The School advises joining an economics major after 24 credits and applying to Honours later. | As for the Economics Major. Students entering after 2025 should declare a Political Science major before or at the same time as applying to Economics. Besides the standard Political Science stream shown here, a Politics, Policy and Administration stream (POLI 220, 302, 350 and courses from the PPA list) is available. | Apply for Year 2 entry with the Economics Major admission requirements plus integral calculus (MATH 101, 103, 105, 121, 111 or 131). Students must be accepted by both the Department of Mathematics and the Vancouver School of Economics; applications close May 5. | Students first apply to the Mathematics major for second year, then near the end of second year apply in writing to the Vancouver School of Economics; the minimum economics requirements are the same as for the BA Economics Major. | Direct entry from high school through the UBC application (English 12, Math 12 or Pre-Calculus 12 and two other Grade 12 courses). Transfer into second year is very limited. |
| GPA to continue | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GPA to graduate | — By 45 credits, complete integral calculus, ECON 301 and ECON 325 with an ECON average of at least 60%, or risk discontinuation (VSE’s pending rules would instead check ECON 301 and 325 at 48 credits, with a 60% ECON average in the Winter Session) | — 78% average in 300+ ECON courses each Winter Session to continue and overall to graduate; no more than 6 credits of 300+ ECON below 68%; a 68% average in ECON 306 and 307 | — By 45 credits, complete integral calculus, ECON 301 and ECON 325 with an ECON average of at least 60%, or risk discontinuation (VSE’s pending rules would instead check ECON 301 and 325 at 48 credits, with a 60% ECON average in the Winter Session) | — By 45 credits, complete integral calculus, ECON 301 and ECON 325 with an ECON average of at least 60%, or risk discontinuation (VSE’s pending rules would instead check ECON 301 and 325 at 48 credits, with a 60% ECON average in the Winter Session) | — | — |
| Math & computing (credits, % of degree) | 6 (5%) | 6 (5%) | 6 (5%) | 39 (33%) | 43 (36%) | 6 (5%) |
| Statistics & econometrics (credits, % of degree) | 6 (5%) | 6 (5%) | 6 (5%) | 6 (5%) | 6 (5%) | 12 (10%) |
| Economic theory & topics (credits, % of degree) | 33 (28%) | 45 (38%) | 24 (20%) | 21 (18%) | 21 (18%) | 36 (30%) |
| Business & finance (credits, % of degree) | — | — | — | — | — | 15 (13%) |
| Political science (credits, % of degree) | — | — | 30 (25%) | — | — | — |
| Writing, research & breadth (credits, % of degree) | 6 (5%) | 12 (10%) | 6 (5%) | 6 (5%) | 9 (8%) | 6 (5%) |
| Other required (credits, % of degree) | — | — | — | 3 (3%) | 15 (13%) | — |
| Open credits | 69 (57%) | 51 (43%) | 48 (40%) | 45 (38%) | 26 (22%) | 45 (38%) |
| Best suited to | Law, public policy, business; room for a minor or second field. | Graduate school in economics, research and policy analysis. | Government, public policy, law, international affairs. | Economics graduate school, quantitative and analytical roles. | Quantitative finance, actuarial-adjacent work, economics graduate school. | International business, trade and finance, consulting, global policy. |
| Source | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Unconfirmed: The calendar states 33 ECON credits in total, but its listed ECON rows add up to 27. This page shows 30, adding the 3-credit "ECON at the 200 level or above" row used by the Major; the VSE combined-majors page and the BSc version both state 30 ECON credits. Confirm with VSE advising. Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error |
Getting in
Where students are admitted
Faculty of Arts (BA programs), Faculty of Science (BSc), or the Vancouver School of Economics directly from high school (BIE)
When the program is declared
Apply for Year 2 entry after 27 credits; Honours at Year 3 (54 credits)
Worth knowing
UBC grades in percentages. Entry to every Economics major is competitive, even when minimums are met.
Things worth knowing before choosing
The major is an application, not a declaration
BA students apply for Year 2 entry after 27 credits, including ECON 101/102, differential calculus and a writing course. Meeting the minimums does not guarantee a place, and admission requirements cannot be taken Credit/D/Fail.
There is a checkpoint at 45 credits
By 45 credits, majors need integral calculus, ECON 301 and ECON 325, and a 60% ECON average. Students who fall short can be asked to leave the major.
Honours is a third-year decision
Students apply to Honours after 54 credits, usually from an economics major, having taken ECON 304, 306 and 325 and kept at least an 80% average in economics. Staying in Honours needs a 78% average in 300+ ECON every year; otherwise students finish with the Major.
The BIE is chosen from high school
The Bachelor of International Economics is a separate degree with direct entry from Grade 12. Its core courses (ECON 315, 316, 327, 328) are restricted to BIE students, and transfer in is very limited.
ECON 490 has a long prerequisite chain
The final-year seminar requires ECON 301, 302, 325 and 326 first, so falling behind on intermediate theory or econometrics can delay graduation.
Political Science now goes first
Students entering after 2025 should declare the Political Science major before, or at the same time as, applying for the Economics and Political Science combined major.
Economics + another subject: 4 ways to combine them
Besides the programs above, the Vancouver School of Economics offers two more combined majors, and any major can add a minor.
| Attribute | Economics and Philosophy Combined Major (BA) | Economics and Statistics Combined Major (BA) | Economics Major + a minor | Another major + Economics Minor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economics side | 33 ECON credits including 301/304, 302/305, 326 and 490 | 33 ECON credits | Full major: 42 ECON credits | Minor: 30–42 ECON credits, 18 at the 300 level or above |
| Other side | 24 PHIL credits plus 6 cross-listed ECON/PHIL credits (ECON 318/319) | About 30 STAT/MATH credits: MATH 200/226, 220 and 221/223, STAT 301 or 306, then 18 upper-level credits including MATH 303 or 307, STAT 302 (or MATH 302) and STAT 305 | A minor in another subject | A full major outside Economics |
| Room left | About 48 credits | Limited | About 69 credits before the minor | Depends on the major |
| Entry hurdle | As for the Economics Major | As for the Economics Major | Lowest | The other program’s |
| Best for | Law, ethics and policy, political economy | Data science, econometrics, analytics | Adding psychology, data science or commerce to economics | Economics as a complement |
Upper-year principles courses (ECON 310, 311) do not count toward the Minor’s 18 upper-level credits.
ECON 457 does not count toward 400-level ECON electives in the combined majors.
Sources
- UBC Vancouver Calendar 2026/27: Bachelor of Arts in Economics
- UBC Vancouver Calendar: Bachelor of International Economics, degree requirements (2024/25 entry or later)
- UBC Vancouver Calendar: BSc Mathematics programs (Combined Major in Mathematics and Economics)
- UBC Vancouver Calendar: BA degree requirements (2024/25 entry or later)
- Vancouver School of Economics: Honours program
- Vancouver School of Economics: BA program FAQs (application dates)
- UBC: Mathematics and Economics program overview (co-op available)
- Course titles are from the calendar; course summaries are paraphrased. Unit tallies are planning estimates, and open units also have to cover UBC's breadth and writing requirements.