Major Requirements

For the Economics major, all students must complete the following courses:

For further information regarding admission to the Economics major, please visit https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad/prospective.

For Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 students may elect the P/NP grading option for Economics major and prerequisite courses. Please visit Fall 2020 through Summer 2021: Economics P/NP Grading Option Policy Modifications for further details.

Students completing double majors or simultaneous degrees are only allowed to overlap a maximum of TWO upper division courses. This includes micro and/or macro economics.

Students can take no more than TWO courses from outside the Economics Department at Berkeley to count towards the upper division requirements of the Economics major.

The Economics major GPA includes the 3 upper division core courses (ECON 100A/101A, ECON 100B/101, and ECON 140/141) and 5 upper division electives. If ECON H195B is taken, it must count as one of the five electives. If more than 5 upper division electives are completed, the department will automatically count the 5 highest grades. See FAQ for further details on major GPA calculation.

REQUIRED CORE COURSES

ECON 100A Microeconomics or ECON 101A Microeconomics (Math Intensive)
ECON 100B Macroeconomics or ECON 101B Macroeconomics (Math Intensive) or UGBA 101B** Macroeconomic Analysis for Business Decisions
ECON 140 Econometrics or ECON 141 Econometrics (Math Intensive)

NOTE: The math intensive courses require the completion of higher level math prerequisites prior to enrollment. See Course Catalog for prerequisite information.

APPROVED ELECTIVES AT UC BERKELEY (last updated: 8/16/24)

COURSES IN THE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT: (if a course is "cross-listed" in this list, it counts as an "Economics Department" course)

Economics C102 (also listed as ENVECON C102) Natural Resource Economics
Economics C103 (also listed as Math C103) Introduction to Mathematical Economics
Economics 104 Advanced Microeconomic Theory
Economics 105 History of Economic Thought

Economics 106 Advanced Macroeconomics
Economics C110 (also listed as Political Science C135, Political Science W135, or Economics N110) Game Theory in the Social Sciences --Students will receive no credit for Econ c110/PS c135 after taking Econ 104.

Economics 111 Applied Mechanism Design
Economics 113 U.S. Economic History
Economics 115 The World Economy in the Twentieth Century -- Economics 115 and History 160 are credit exclusive. Students will not receive credit for both courses
Economics 119 Psychology and Economics
Economics 121 Industrial Organization and Public Policy
Economics 122 Industrial Organization Seminar
Economics 123 Government Regulation of Industry
Economics 124 Special Topics in Industrial Organization
Economics C125 (also listed as ENVECON C101) Environmental Economics

Economics 130 Using Economics for Public Policy (new course starting Fall 2021)
Economics 131 Public Economics
Economics 132 Seminar in Public Sector Economics
Economics 133 Global Inequality and Growth
Economics 134 Macroeconomic Policy from the Great Depression to Today

Economics 135 Economic Growth in Historical Perspective
Economics 136 Financial Economics (Students will receive no unit credit for ECON 136 after taking UGBA 103. Students may earn unit credit for UGBA 103 after taking ECON 136, but note that UGBA 103 does not count as an elective for the Economics major, see "Shuttered upper division electives" below). --Effective summer 2013, students who take ECON 136 and/or ENGIN 120 will receive Economic elective credit only for the first course completed.
Economics 137 Aggregate Economics Seminar
Economics 138 Financial and Behavioral Economics
Economics 139 Asset Pricing and Portfolio Choice
Economics C142 (also listed as Pub Pol C142 & PoliSci C131A) Applied Econometrics and Public Policy

Economics 148 Data Science for Economists
Economics 151 Labor Economics
Economics 152 Wage Theory and Policy
Economics 153 Labor Economics Seminar
Economics 154 Economics of Discrimination
Economics 155 Urban Economics
Economics 155A Cities and Public Policy
Economics 157 Health Economics
Economics 161 Economics of Transition: Eastern Europe
Economics 162 The Chinese Economy

Economics 165 Money and Banking (new course starting Spring 2024)
Economics C171 (also listed as ENVECON C151) Economic Development
Economics 172 Case Studies in Economic Development
Economics 173 Economic Development Seminar
Economics 174 Global Poverty and Impact Evaluation
Economics C175 (also listed as Demography C175) Economic Demography
Economics C181 (also listed as ENVECON C181) International Trade -- Economics c181 and UGBA 118 are considered by the university to be equivalent courses. Students will not receive credit for both courses;
Economics 182 International Monetary Economics
Economics 183 International Economic Seminar

Economics C188 (also listed as ENVECON C188) Advanced Topics in International Economics (new course starting Fall 2024)
Economics 190 Economics Seminar (topics vary)
Economics 191 Topics in Economics Research
Economics 196 Topics in Economics

COURSES OUTSIDE THE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT: (if a course is "cross-listed" in this list, it still counts as OUTSIDE the "Economics Department")

Students can take no more than TWO courses from outside the Economics Department at Berkeley to count towards the upper division requirements of the Economics major. Courses outside the major are listed below:

City and Regional Planning 113A** Economic Analysis for Planning (approved Spring 2018)
City and Regional Planning 113B** Community and Economic Development (CYPLAN 113B has been renumbered to CYPLAN 160. Students who take CYPLAN 113B and/or CYPLAN 160 will receive Economic elective credit only for the first course completed.)

City and Regional Planning 160** The Origins and Practice of Community Development (approved Fall 2020; CYPLAN 113B has been renumbered to CYPLAN 160. Students who take CYPLAN 113B and/or CYPLAN 160 will receive Economic elective credit only for the first course completed.)

Engineering 120/Industrial Engineering 120** (Spring 2023; listed as Industrial Engineering 120) Principles of Engineering Economics --Effective summer 2013, students who take Econ 136 and/or Engin 120 will receive Economic elective credit only for the first course completed.
ENVECON 131** Globalization and the Natural Environment
ENVECON 141** Agricultural and Environmental Policy (approved Fall 2019)

ENVECON 143** Economics of Innovation and Intellectual Property
ENVECON 145** Health and Environmental Economic Policy (approved Fall 2013)
ENVECON 152** Advanced Topics in Development and International Trade (approved fall 2015)

ENVECON 153** Population, Environment, and Development (approved Fall 2020)
ENVECON 162** Economics of Water Resources (approved Fall 2015)

ENVECON C176 ** (also listed as IAS C176 and ENERES C176) Climate Change Economics (approved Spring 2018)

History 160** International Economy of the 20th Century -- Economics 115 and History 160 are credit exclusive. Students will not receive credit for both courses
Legal Studies 145** Law and Economics I
Legal Studies 147** Law and Economics II
Philosophy 141** Philosophy and Game Theory

Public Policy 141** Behavioral Economics for Public Policy (new course starting Fall 2021)
UGBA 118** International Trade -- Economics c181 and UGBA 118 are considered by the university to be equivalent courses. Students will not receive credit for both courses
UGBA 131** Corporate Finance and Financial Statement Analysis
UGBA 132** Financial Institutions and Markets
UGBA 133** Investments
UGBA 136F** Behavioral Finance (approved spring 2016)
UGBA 180** Real Estate and Urban Land Economics

Shuttered Upper Division Electives: These courses no longer count for the Economics major per the notation below.

Public Health 126** Introduction to Health Economics and Public Policy (valid elective only before Fall 2018)

Public Policy 103/c103** (also listed as L&S C180U) Wealth & Poverty (valid elective only before Fall 2019)

** Courses outside the department.

A maximum of two approved upper division courses (including the macro theory courses) may be taken outside the department towards upper division major requirements. This includes courses transferred to UC Berkeley, courses taken through EAP, at summer school elsewhere, and the pre-approved courses offered at UC Berkeley through other departments (Business, History, Legal Studies, etc.). For more information, please contact the Economics Undergraduate Advisor. Courses officially cross-listed with upper-division Economics courses do not count toward the two course maximum.

COURSES TAKEN AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES

If you have taken an Economics course at another university and wish to have it considered for major credit, please fill out the course equivalency request form. If the course is a mathematics or statistic prerequisite that has been taken at another four-year university, those courses will be evaluated by the Mathematics and Statistics Departments. A maximum of two upper-division courses offered outside of the department may be accepted.

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