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Economists study how society can best use scarce resourcessuch as land, raw materials, capital, and labor. They analyze the relationships between the supply of goods and services and the demand for them, as well as how these goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed. Some economists work on public issues such as the control of inflation, business cycles, unemployment, wage, tax, and tariff policies. Economics is widely recognized as a solid background for a career in business, government, law, teaching and research.

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Economics, Associate Degree for Transfer

The Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer (AA-T) involves the study of how society can best use scarce resources such as land, raw materials, capital, and labor. The course of study analyzes the relationships between the supply of goods and services and the demand for them, as well as how these goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed. Some economists work on public issues such as the control of inflation, business cycles, unemployment, wage, tax, and tariff policies. Economics is widely recognized as a solid background for a career in business, government, law, teaching and research.

Upon successful completion of the Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer (AA-T), students will have a strong academic foundation in the field and be prepared for upperdivision baccalaureate study. Completion of the degree indicates that the student will have satisfied the lowerdivision requirements for transfer into economics or similar majors for many campuses in the California State University system.

Program Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate, through written and oral academic work, an understanding of how the market economy fundamentally operates. Specifically, students will develop the quantitative reasoning and critical analytic/ graphical skills necessary to comprehend and explain basic microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and functions, including, but not limited to, supply and demand, pricing decision, firm’s production decisions and profit maximization decision under various market structures, contending perspectives of economic thought, and the impacts of government policies (fiscal and monetary policies) on gross domestic product, unemployment, inflation, budget deficits, national debt, foreign currency, and the international economy.

Area of Emphasis: (18 units)

Required Courses: (9 units minimum)

ECON 1,Principles of Microeconomics(3)
ECON 2,Principles of Macroeconomics(3)
MATH 54,Elementary Statistics (4)

Required Calculus Courses: (3 units minimum)

MATH 7,Calculus 1(5)
or
LIST A: Select 1 course from the following: (3 units minimum)
ACCTG 1,Introduction to Financial Accounting (5)
ACCTG 3,Corporate Financial and Managerial Accounting(5)
ARABIC 1,Elementary Arabic 1(5)
BUS 5,Business Law and the Legal Environment(3)
BUS 6,Advanced Business Law (formerly same as ACCTG 26)(3)
BUS 32,Business Communications(3)
CHNESE 1,Elementary Chinese 1(5)
CHNESE 2,Elementary Chinese 2(5)
ENGL 2,Critical Analysis and Intermediate Composition(3)
ENGL 70,Technical Communication(3)
HIST 47,The Practice of History(3)
MATH 2,Precalculus (5)
MATH 8,Calculus 2(5)
MATH 29,Calculus 2 for Business and Social Science (3)
SPAN 1,Elementary Spanish I (5)
SPAN 2,Elementary Spanish II(5)
SPAN 3,Intermediate Spanish I(5)
SPAN 4,Intermediate Spanish II(5)
SPAN 11,Spanish for Heritage Speakers I (5)
SPAN 12,Spanish for Heritage Speakers II(5)
CS 79F,Machine Learning on AWS(3)
Other SMC Modern Language courses may be substituted
LIST B: Select 1 course from the following: (3 units minimum) 
Any course not used in List A
ECON 5,International Political Economy: Intro. to Global Studies (same as POL SC 5 and GLOBAL 5)(3)
ECON 6,Contemporary Economic Problems(3)
ECON 15,Economic History of the U.S. (same as HIST 15)(3)
GLOBAL 5,International Political Economy: Intro. to Global Studies (same as ECON 5 and POL SC 5)(3)
HIST 15,Economic History of the U.S. (same as ECON 15)(3)
MATH 11,Multivariable Calculus(5)
MATH 13,Linear Algebra(3)
POL SC 5,International Political Economy: Intro. to Global Studies (same as ECON 5 and GLOBAL 5)(3)