Universities / University of Waterloo
Economics at Waterloo, six ways
Waterloo degrees are 20 units, and a typical one-term course is 0.5 units. Most one-term courses are 0.5 units; an Honours degree is 20.0. Every figure below is given in Waterloo's own units so it matches the calendar, and as a percent of the degree so it can be compared with other schools.
Where the units 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
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Select any course above to see its title, what it covers, and which programs require it.
The differences in one table
| Attribute | Honours Economics (BA) | Honours Economics with Intensive Economics Specialization (BA) | Honours Economics with Finance Specialization (BA) | Honours Mathematical Economics (BA) | Honours Mathematical Economics (BMath) | Honours Arts and Business, Economics major (BA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Degree | BA (Honours) | BA (Honours) | BA (Honours) | BA (Honours) | BMath (Honours) | BA (Honours) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts | Faculty of Arts | Faculty of Arts | Faculty of Arts | Faculty of Mathematics | Faculty of Arts |
| Total units | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| How you get in | Admitted directly from high school to the Faculty of Arts; Grade 12 math is recommended, preferably Advanced Functions with Introductory Calculus or Calculus and Vectors (otherwise MATH 103/104 in first year). | Admitted directly from high school to the Faculty of Arts; Grade 12 math is recommended, preferably Advanced Functions with Introductory Calculus or Calculus and Vectors (otherwise MATH 103/104 in first year). The specialization needs a 75% Economics major average. | Admitted directly from high school to the Faculty of Arts; Grade 12 math is recommended, preferably Advanced Functions with Introductory Calculus or Calculus and Vectors (otherwise MATH 103/104 in first year). | Admitted directly from high school to the Faculty of Arts; the department’s suggested sequence starts with MATH 127 in the first term. | Admitted directly from high school to the Faculty of Mathematics. | Admitted from high school to Honours Arts and Business. A 70% average in Arts and Business courses is needed after 1A (co-op) or first year (regular) to stay in the plan; the major is declared before Year Two. |
| GPA to continue | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| GPA to graduate | — 60% cumulative overall average and 70% cumulative Economics major average; 65–70% earns a 4-year General degree instead | — 60% overall and 75% Economics major average; students below 75% who still meet Honours standing continue without the specialization | — 60% cumulative overall average and 70% cumulative Economics major average; 65–70% earns a 4-year General degree instead | — 60% overall, 60% Mathematics average and 70% Economics average; no more than two Faculty of Mathematics courses may have failing grades | — 60% overall, 60% Mathematics average and 70% Economics average | — 60% overall, 70% in Arts and Business courses, and 70% Economics major average |
| Math & computing (units, % of degree) | 0.5 (3%) | 0.5 (3%) | 0.5 (3%) | 5 (25%) | 9 (45%) | 0.5 (3%) |
| Statistics & econometrics (units, % of degree) | 1.5 (8%) | 2 (10%) | 1.5 (8%) | 1.5 (8%) | 2 (10%) | 1.5 (8%) |
| Economic theory & topics (units, % of degree) | 6 (30%) | 7.5 (38%) | 4 (20%) | 7.5 (38%) | 6.5 (33%) | 6 (30%) |
| Business & finance (units, % of degree) | — | — | 2 (10%) | — | — | 4.5 (23%) |
| Writing, research & breadth (units, % of degree) | 0.5 (3%) | 1 (5%) | 0.5 (3%) | 1 (5%) | 1.5 (8%) | 1.5 (8%) |
| Other required (units, % of degree) | — | — | — | — | — | 0.5 (3%) |
| Open units | 11.5 (57%) | 9 (45%) | 11.5 (57%) | 5 (25%) | 1 (5%) | 5.5 (28%) |
| Best suited to | Government and private-sector analysis; a base for professional or graduate programs. | Graduate school in economics; research careers. | Banking, investment and financial analysis. | Economics graduate school, quantitative economics and analytics. | Quantitative finance, econometrics, economics PhD programs. | Business careers with an economics major; co-op strongly integrated. |
| Source | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Report an error | Academic calendar Unconfirmed: ECON 101 and ECON 221 are shown counting toward both Arts and Business and the Economics major. Both lists name them and nothing forbids it, but the calendar does not say so explicitly. Report an error |
Getting in
Where students are admitted
Faculty of Arts (BA programs and Arts and Business) or Faculty of Mathematics (BMath), directly from high school
When the program is declared
Honours Arts and Arts and Business students declare their major before Year Two
Worth knowing
Waterloo grades in percentages. Co-op is available for Economics, Mathematical Economics and Arts and Business.
Things worth knowing before choosing
You apply to the faculty, not later to the major
Waterloo admits students straight from high school into Arts, Arts and Business, or Mathematics. Staying in Honours depends on averages: 60% overall and 70% in Economics courses.
Mathematical Economics comes in two degrees
The BA version is housed in Arts and needs 6.5 units of math; the BMath version also requires the 10-course Bachelor of Mathematics core and 11.0 math units in total. Transfers between the two faculties are not automatic.
The Intensive specialization raises the bar to 75%
It adds ECON 392, 421, 472 (an honours essay), 491 and 496. Students who drop below a 75% Economics average can usually stay in Honours Economics without it.
ECON 201 does not count
Microeconomic Theory for Business and Policy (ECON 201) cannot be used toward Honours Economics or the BA in Mathematical Economics. Mathematical Economics (BA) also excludes ECON 211 and 221, using math and statistics courses instead.
Only 1.0 unit of ECON counts for breadth
The BA breadth requirement asks for 2.0 units of social sciences, but no more than 1.0 unit from one discipline, so economics students still need another social science.
Arts and Business has an early checkpoint
Students need a 70% average in Arts and Business courses after their first term (co-op) or first year (regular) to stay in the plan.
Economics + another subject: 4 ways to combine them
Waterloo also offers Economics specializations in Econometrics and Public Policy, Economics minors, and economics specializations attached to other majors.
| Attribute | Honours Economics + a topic specialization | Honours Arts and Business (Economics) | Mathematical Economics (BA or BMath) | Another major + an Economics minor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economics side | Major: 8.0 units | Major: 8.0 units | 7.0–8.0 units | A minor such as Economics, Economic Theory, Econometrics and Data Analysis, Business Economics or Economic Policy |
| Other side | Econometrics, Finance or Public Policy specialization | 7.0 units of Arts and Business courses | 6.5 (BA) to 11.0 (BMath) units of math | An honours major outside Economics (the minors are not open to Economics majors) |
| Room left | About 11.5 units | About 5.5 units | Very little in the BMath | Depends on the major |
| Entry hurdle | 70% Economics average | 70% in Arts and Business courses | 70% Economics, 60% Mathematics averages | The other plan’s |
| Best for | Focusing electives on one field | Business careers with co-op | Quantitative economics and graduate school | Economics as a complement |
In the BA co-op plans (Economics, Mathematical Economics, Arts and Business) the first work term comes after 2A; the BMath co-op sequences usually start work terms after 1B and need five work terms.
Arts students are expected to complete ARTS 160 or 160E by the end of 1B; an enrolment hold follows if it is not done by the end of 2B.
Sources
- Waterloo Undergraduate Calendar 2026-2027 (program and course catalogue)
- Waterloo Department of Economics: Honours and 4-Year General
- Course titles are from the calendar; course summaries are paraphrased. Unit tallies are planning estimates, and open units also have to cover Waterloo's breadth and writing requirements.