Economics (Associate Degree)

Curriculum Guideline

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Program code
AAECON
Discontinued
No
Program
AAECON
Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Department
Economics
Credential type
Associate Degree
Transcript title
Arts/ECON - Associate Degree
Date of first offering
Start term
200210
End term
Not Specified
Credential
Associate Degree in Arts
Length of program
Four semesters
Credits
60.00
Admissions requirements

Applicants must meet the admission requirements listed below:

Curriculum framework

Graduation Requirements:

  • Successful completion of 60 credits as listed below
  • Require a minimum program GPA of 2.00
  • 50% (30 credits) of all coursework must be completed at Douglas College
  • Time limit to complete program graduation requirements: seven (7) years

(Specializations will be noted on the transcript and will not be noted on the credential)

Course Requirements:

To complete an Associate of Arts Degree with a Specialization in Economics, students must complete:

  • 18 or more credits (of the 60 credits required for their associate degree) in Economics
  • nine of those 18 credits must be considered second-year courses. To qualify as a second-year course, a course must transfer to one of the research universities (SFU, UBC, UBC-O, UVic, or UNBC) at the second-year level.
  • These include such courses as:
  • The suggested plan of study is that students include ECON 1150 Principles of Microeconomics, and ECON 1250 Principles of Macroeconomics, and FOUR additional ECON courses of which at least three are second-year university transferable economics courses to acquire the “Specialization in Economics” designation and to be prepared for completing a degree. Students wishing to transfer to third-year at a BC university to complete a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) degree are expected to have satisfied the “Flexible Pre-Major” requirements.  The Associate of Arts (Economics) degree is designed to satisfy these requirements.
    • The Flexible Pre-Major in Economics requires that students take:
      • Principles of Microeconomics
      • Principles of Macroeconomics
      • Two Post-Principles Economics courses (i.e. courses for which Principles of Microeconomics and/or Principles of Macroeconomics are pre-requisite)
      • One Calculus course (Calculus I or equivalent)
      • One Statistics course (or for UBC, Calculus II or equivalent)
      • In total, the Flexible Pre-Major consists of six courses (18 credits or 9 units)

The following are the general requirements for an Associate of Arts Degree at any B.C. college:

  • 6 credits (2 courses) first-year English* electives
  • 6 credits (2 courses) first-year Humanities electives
  • 6 credits (2 courses) first-year Social Sciences electives
  • 6 credits (2 courses) first-year Arts** electives
  • 18 credits (6 courses) second-year Arts** electives in 2 or more subject areas
  • 3 credits (1 course) first-year Lab Science elective
  • 3 credits (1 course) first-year Math, Statistics or Computing Science elective
  • 3 credits (1 course) first-year Math, Statistics or Science elective
  • 9 credits (3 courses) other University Transfer electives

* English courses include courses in Communications, Creative Writing and Print Futures that transfer to one of the B.C. research universities (SFU, UBC, UBC-O, UVic or UNBC) as English credit.

** Arts courses are available in the Faculty of Languages, Literature, and Performing Arts, and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. They are designated as "humanities" or "social sciences" in the Associate of Arts Course Classifications table below. Courses in Economics and Mathematics also may be used as Arts electives toward an Associate of Arts Degree. Please see the Associate of Arts Course Classifications table below for further information. 

Definitions:

A course is defined by the subject for which it is granted transfer credit at one of the research universities (SFU, UBC, UBC-O, UNBC, or UVic).

  • An Arts course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts Degree at one of the research universities.
  • A Science course is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science Degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science Degree at one of the research universities. 
  • The requirements specified above are intended to provide breadth of exposure to a variety of disciplines in both Arts and Sciences. In some instances there may be some ambiguity as to whether a course is in the Humanities or Social Sciences and is an Arts course or a Science course. Most Physical Geography and Mathematics would be designated as Science courses.
  • A course in an "other" area is defined as any course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate Degree other than in Arts, Science or Applied Science at one of the research universities.
  • A first-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 100-level at one of the research universities.
  • A second-year course is defined as a course that has assigned or unassigned transfer credit at the 200-level or higher level at one of the research universities.
  • A laboratory science course is one in which a substantial component of instruction involves the study of natural phenomena, either in the laboratory or in the field.

For detailed information you should meet with an Academic Advisor.

Co-operative Education Option:

Students enrolled in this program may be eligible for a Co-operative Education designation. Co-operative Education involves alternating full-time academic and work terms. For information contact the Co-operative Education Office.