Bachelor of Arts

Introduction

The Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Economics provides an excellent preparation for employment in the private and public sectors, and for graduate study in a variety of fields, such as law and MBA programs.

The importance of economics among the social sciences, and its appeal to many students who choose it as a major, reflects its deep intellectual roots, its rigorous analytical methods, and its powerful ability to explain social phenomena. An economics major trains students not only in deductive methods of logic, but also in inductive methods of reasoning using statistical methods and a variety of social and economic data. A firm foundation in economics is essential to a meaningful training in business administration, public administration, or social science.

**Starting Autumn 2020, both the BA and BS in Economics are designated as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors. 

Courses Required for Application

1. A minimum of 45 college or university credits completed including:
   • ECON 200 Introduction to Microeconomics
   • ECON 201 Introduction to Macroeconomics
   • STAT 311 Elements of Statistical Methods (formerly ECON 311)
     • Acceptable substitutes for STAT 311: Q SCI 381, STAT 340, STAT 341, STAT 390.
     • IND E 315 is acceptable, for students also pursuing College of Engineering disciplines.
     • PSYCH 317 & 318 are acceptable, if both are completed, for students also pursuing Psychology.
     • Not acceptable: BIOST 310, STAT 220, STAT 290, STAT 321, STAT 394, PSYCH 315, Q METH 201.
   • MATH 124 Calculus with Analytic Geometry I
     • Acceptable substitute for MATH 124: MATH 134
     • Not acceptable: MATH 112, Q SCI 291, Q SCI 292
   • One English Composition course 
   • Completion of the RTW assessment 
2. Achieve a minimum GPA of 2.5 for the four prerequisite courses above (ECON 200, ECON 201, MATH 124, STAT 311), with no less than 2.0 in each course.
3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 for all prior college work including transfer credits, and a minimum GPA of 2.5 for coursework taken at UW.
4. A final grade must be recorded for all of the courses above prior to application. Each of these prerequisite courses can only be repeated once. We will take into account the better of the two grades. Academic credits earned from AP, IB, and A-Level exams are acceptable.

Application for Admission

See the How to Apply page for application instructions and details.

Courses Required to Graduate

1. Admission to the Economics major
2. ECON 300* Intermediate Microeconomics. Grade of 2.0 or higher required.
3. ECON 301* Intermediate Macroeconomics. Grade of 2.0 or higher required.
4. ECON 382* Introduction to Econometrics (Note: A higher-level econometrics course -- ECON 424, 482, 483, or 484 -- may be used to fulfill this requirement. To reach 50 ECON credits, an additional ECON course may be required. See chart below. Contact econadv@uw.edu for a Degree Audit adjustment if pursuing this substitution.) 
5. Five ECON courses at the 400 level (25 credits not including ECON 496, 497, or 499.) A minimum of 15 credits of 400-level ECON courses must be taken at UW.
6. At least 50 credits in ECON courses with an average GPA of 2.0 or higher. Individual courses may have grades below 2.0 as long as the average ECON GPA is still above 2.0. 
7. ECON 300, 301, and 382 must be completed at UW Seattle. These courses may not be transferred from other institutions.
8. All University and College of Arts and Sciences requirements and 180 credits total must be completed for the undergraduate degree.
9. You must apply to graduate no later than the end of the third week of the quarter in which you wish to graduate. Graduation applications can be done through email; you don't need to schedule an appointment with an advisor. To receive Graduating Senior Priority (GSP) registration, apply 2½ quarters before graduation.

Both the General Catalog and the Quarterly Time Schedules are available online in the Student Guide Section of the UW home page.

S/NS Grading Option Note

In general, courses graded with the Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory grading option do not count towards application or graduation requirements. Courses with S grades apply only towards the 180 (or 225) credits needed to graduate.

The only exception is for courses taken during designated by the Office of the University Registrar as “Extraordinary Circumstances Quarters”.  These quarters were those most heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The last ECQ was Winter 2022, so this exception does not apply to most students currently at UW.