The Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree is normally completed in three years
A BSc requires a minimum of 360 credit points. At least 180 of these points must be for papers above 100 level, and at least 72 of these 180 points must be for 300-level papers.
Students may choose papers worth up to 90 points from outside Sciences. Students must choose sufficient papers (usually 162 points worth) to meet the major subject requirements for at least one Science subject.
Read more details about the change to the BSc major in Economics introduced in 2016.
Major subject requirement (BSc)
In order to fulfil the requirements of the Economics major in the BSc, you will need to complete the following papers:
100-level papers required
BSNS113 Economic Principles and Policy: (18 points)
Introduction to concepts central to understanding market economies, including allocation of scarce resources, consumer and business reactions to changing market conditions, and the application of economic principles to personal and business decision-making.
Have you ever stopped to wonder at how easy it is, given you have the cash or credit, to go out and buy almost anything you want? How is it that such a wide range of goods and services are produced in roughly the right amounts, often at surprisingly low cost, and then distributed to the people who want them? This paper builds an understanding of how, and how well, our market-oriented economy gets this done. We use a variety of simple yet revealing graphical models to study the mechanics of markets and the market system and to evaluate market outcomes. We identify factors that can inhibit markets functioning and evaluate public policies used to counteract these inhibitors, both in individual markets and in the macro economy. In particular, we study issues around international trade, business strategy, competition policy, the environment, taxation, and cycles in exchange, interest, unemployment and growth rates.
ECON112 Principles of Economics 2: (18 points)
Continues on from BSNS113, and extends the analysis of predominantly market economies and how they work as a whole, both in New Zealand and international contexts. Topics include: economic growth, business cycles, monetary policy and the role of the Reserve Bank, the global financial crisis (GFC), and fiscal policy and the appropriate role of government.
Specific questions analysed will include:
• Why are living standards higher in some countries than others?
• What causes economic booms and recessions?
• How and why does the Reserve Bank control interest rates?
• What can be done about inflation and unemployment?
• What caused the GFC?
• Did governments respond appropriately to the GFC?
MATH130 Mathematics 1 (18 points)
STAT110 Statistical Methods (18 points)
Take a look at the complete list of Economics 100-level papers.
200-level papers required
ECON271 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory: (18 points)
Presents an analytic approach to intermediate microeconomics. The emphasis is on the fundamental conceptual foundations of microeconomics, illustrating their application with concrete examples.
ECON202 Macroeconomics: (18 points)
Provides a working knowledge of macroeconomic theory and policy.
ECON210 Introduction to Econometrics: (18 points)*
Statistical and econometric techniques widely used in empirical work in economics and finance, including distribution theory and least squares regression. Computer-based tutorials emphasise practical applications of the techniques examined.
(*Students who have passed ECON270 prior to 2016 are not required to take ECON210.)
Take a look at the complete list of Economics 200-level papers.
300-level papers required
Any four ECON 300-level papers (72 points)
Take a look at the complete list of Economics 300-level papers.
Find out more about studying for a major in Economics.
If you have any questions about the Economics major or would like course advice on how to structure your BSc degree in Economics, please email economics@otago.ac.nz