Frequently Asked Questions | UCLA Economics (2024)

We encourage current students to contact us via the MyUCLA Message Centerfor quick and general questions requiring short answers. Sign in by using your UCLA Logon, click on “Message Center” in the top right corner, then submit your question to the Academic Counseling Unit called “Economics.”

Please note that the counselors do not check messages during non-business hours, including on the weekends or on university holidays. During busy periods such as enrollment times, before sending a follow-up request, please know that it may take the counselors extra time to respond to your message. In the meantime, you can attend drop-in hours or schedule an appointment. For further contact information, click here.

Our office hours are 9:30 am – 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday, unless otherwise noted on our Contact Us page.

We are located in 2263 Bunche Hall, however, at this time, the counselors are not meeting with students in-person.

The Economics undergraduate academic counselors are available to meet with students remotely through Virtual Drop-In via Zoom on select days and Appointments via Zoom. Appointments are limited to 15 minutes in length.

The undergraduate counselors are busiest during the first two to three weeks of every quarter and during enrollment times.

For additional information, please visit our Contact Us page.

For Departmental Announcements, and to receive updates on the Business Economics major application, subscribe to Econ-Alert by adding yourself to the Undergraduate Economics Counseling Bruin Learn website.

For internships or any career-related information, please clickhere.

You may also wish to contact the UCLA Career Center.

Go to ourfaculty directory linkto get their email addresses and office locations.

You can find information about the Economics major requirements here: https://economics.ucla.edu/undergraduate/current-students/majors-and-minors/economics

You can find information about the Business Economics major requirements here: https://economics.ucla.edu/undergraduate/current-students/majors-and-minors/business-economics

As long as you are in good academic standing, have sufficient grades in each pre-major course, and show that you can complete our pre-major within 135 units (excluding AP/IB/pre-UCLA units), you can request to declare our pre-major here.

Only students that enter UCLA as first years may declare the Pre-Economics or Pre-Business Economics majors.

Transfer students cannot declare thePre-Economics or Pre-Business Economics majors if they were admitted to UCLA as a NON-Economics major. Transfer studentsalso cannot add one of our majors as a double major.

We do not change any major or pre-major statuses after Friday of Week 9 of each quarter. At that point, you will be asked to resubmit your request in the following quarter once all of your grades in the current quarter have been processed and posted to your Degree Audit Report. We recommend waiting until Week 3 or Week 4 to declare the pre-major, as the undergraduate counseling office is typically very busy during the first two weeks of each quarter.

Please complete the Pre-Major Request Form through MyUCLA.

First year admit students must complete the pre-major within 135 units, excluding AP units, IB units, or other units earned prior to entering UCLA. Once the pre-major is complete, you must apply for the major.

Transfer students must declare the major no later than after completing three regular quarters at UCLA (which is typically Fall, Winter, and Spring). These students’ third quarter grades must appear on their Degree Audit Report before they can declare the major. Once the pre-major is complete, you must apply for the major.

You must have successfully completed the pre-major and all of your pre-major grades must be posted to your Degree Audit Report before applying. A minimum 2.5 pre-major GPA is required, excluding the WII course, and a “C” or better in each course is needed to qualify.

Please complete the Economics Major Request Form. Please note that we will not process change of major requests during Week 10 or Finals Week of any given term.

First year admit students must complete the pre-major within 135 units, excluding AP units, IB units, or other units earned prior to entering UCLA.

Transfer students must declare the major no later than after completing three regular quarters at UCLA (which is typically Fall, Winter, and Spring). These students’ third quarter grades must appear on their Degree Audit Report before they can declare the major.

Applications for the Business Economics major are available via the Econ-Alert, the Undergraduate Economics Counseling Bruin Learn website and are accepted during the first three weeks of each quarter.

Please clickhere for eligibility criteria and requirements for admission into the Business Economics major.

In order to petition the College for a double major, you must first complete all of the pre-major course requirements for both majors, as well as two upper-division courses in each major.

The steps for petitioning a double major are explainedhere. When you submit the forms to an Economics counselor viathe MyUCLA Message Center, the subject title of the message should be: Double Major Request.

Since you must apply for the Economics or Business Economics major on time, you will most likely need to apply to the major before you officially declare the double major. To “unofficially” declare the Economics major, please submit your Economics Major Request Form. Be sure to indicate that you are double majoring. To apply for the Business Economics major, you will need to submit an application, which can be found via Econ-Alert during the first three weeks of each quarter and Summer Session A.

If you experienced extenuating circ*mstances beyond your control that inhibited your ability to meet a particular eligibility requirement for the Economics major, you may have the option to petition. Please contact the undergraduate counseling office if you think this may apply to you.

Please note that petitions are rarely approved, and documentation may be required for consideration.

Economics 106 courses are open to enrollment for students officially in Business Economics on First Pass. Officially declared Economics and Mathematics/Economics majors are permitted to enroll in these courses during Second Pass, space permitting.

Many upper division Management courses are restricted to students officially in Business Economics and/or the Minor in Accounting or the Minor in Entrepreneurship on First Pass. Students with at least junior standing can enroll on Second Pass, space permitting. The Department of Economics does not administer Management courses, so we do not have control over enrollment in these courses.

Summer Sessions courses are not restricted to Business Economics majors, so any students who meet the prerequisites can enroll.

Yes, Economics 106 courses can count towards the major for both Economics and Business Economics majors. Please keep in mind that these courses are initially restricted to Business Economics majors during First Pass of enrollment.

Remember that if the Economics 106 course you enroll into has a lab offered in the same term that you are enrolled in, you are required to take the lab in that same term.

Any course you want to count towards the major must be completed for a letter grade.

No, a drop does not count as a repeated course. Note that students cannot drop an “Impacted” course after Friday of Week 2 except by petition and due to extenuating circ*mstances. Students with such a situation should meet with a counselor in their respective academic counseling office (AAP, CAC, etc.) to discuss if it is likely that a drop petition will be granted by the College.

You may repeat a course only if you earn a “C-” or lower. Please refer to the University’s repeat policy.

For the pre-major repeat policy, please refer to our Overview of Majors page.

If your internship involves economic and/or financial analysis, you may consider reaching out to the undergraduate counseling office to determine your eligibility to enroll in Economics 195A. This course is worth two units, is graded on a P/NP basis, and does not apply toward the Economics or the Business Economics major. For more info, click here.

Please note that you must be officially declared in one of our majors (Economics, Business Economics, Mathematics/Economics) in order to be considered for enrollment in Economics 195A.

The first thing we would suggest that you do is consult with the UCLA International Education Office about available programs.

Most EAP application deadlines are 6 – 9 months in advance of departure. Students are encouraged to meet with an EAP counselor early in their college career to plan and prepare for a summer, semester, or year abroad.

Students majoring in Economics or Business Economics that would like to receive major credit would need to consult with a Department of Economics counselor before studying abroad. For more information, click here.

Business Economics and Economics majors may take a total of three upper division pre-approved economics courses abroad or at another university to count towards the major. Students cannot take these courses at the same time that they are enrolled as regular students at UCLA during a regular quarter.

To ensure that the classes taken elsewhere will count toward the major, students must submit course syllabi to the undergraduate counselors for pre-approval by the faculty. Note that the Department approves courses for content only. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that each course transfers back to UCLA as a minimum of four upper division units.

If you want to take a lower division pre-major course at a California community college in the summer, you may useassist.orgfor articulation agreements to check for equivalency. You may also use the website calledTransferology,which includes courses from community colleges outside of California or other four-year universities.

Please check the course(s) with a Department of Economics undergraduate counselor beforehand. Ultimately, to be accepted into the major, you will need to make sure that the course in question is posted on your UCLA Degree Audit. The counselor will verify that your grade in the class is acceptable for you to be accepted into the major (C or higher). Approved pre-major courses taken outside of UCLA will be manually calculated into your pre-major GPA for major qualification purposes.

Please note that the only pre-major courses that can be completed at a community college are the equivalents of Econ 1, Econ 2, Math 31A, Math 31B, Management 1A, and Management 1B.