BA Economics at University of California, Santa Barbara

Programme overview

Economics is the study of how scarce resources are used by societies to produce valuable commodities and distribute them amongst different people. As a student in this major, you’ll be learning about various core approaches and methods such as theoretical economics, calculus, and statistics.

Faculty: College of Letters and Science | Department: Department of Economics | Study mode: full-time | Location: Santa Barbara, CA, United States

What you will study

Major requirements are organised as Pre-Major: ECON 1, ECON 2, ECON 10A; Preparation For The Major: ECON 5, PSTAT 120A, MATH 2A, MATH 2B, MATH 3A, MATH 3B, MATH 34A, MATH 34B; Uupper-Division Major: ECON 100B, ECON 101, ECON 140A, ECON 100C, ECON 106, ECON 107A, ECON 107B, ECON 112A, ECON 112B, ECON 113A, ECON 113B, ECON 114A, ECON 114B, ECON 115. In order to qualify for admission into the Economics major, students must complete Economics 1, 2, and 10A with a UC grade-point average of 2.85 or above.

Career pathways

Graduate and professional pathways include Finance and banking; Consulting; Research (data analysis); Economics. Top employers include Amazon, Federal Reserve, Appfolio.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission to UCSB is to the university and a college (College of Letters and Science, College of Engineering, College of Creative Studies), not to the individual major; applicants must meet the University of California subject requirements for first-year or transfer applicants and apply through the UC Application. Selective-major and second-choice-major rules are described by UCSB Undergraduate Admissions.

Entry term: fall. First-year and transfer applicants apply for fall 2027 through the UC Application.

First-year and transfer applications for fall 2027: UC Application filing period October 1 - November 30, 2026 (opens August 1). Application fee: $80 per campus for U.S. residents, $95 per campus for international students. Transfer applicants also submit the UCSB TAG Application September 1-30. First-year decisions mid-March; transfer decisions mid-April; Statement of Intent to Register May 1 (first-year) and June 1 (transfer).

SAT and ACT scores are not used in admission selection or scholarships; submission is optional and may be used for course placement. Students applying to College of Creative Studies majors submit a supplemental application; Dance and Music B.M. applicants complete an audition.

Graduate applicants apply through the UCSB online graduate application; the deadline is set by each department. Application fee: $135 for US citizens and permanent residents, $155 for all others, payable by credit card, check or money order. GRE required only by some programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/

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