Congratulations on your Admission to UC Berkeley!

This page will explain important guidelines to prepare the Berkeley Economics major as a new transfer student. It is important to know that you are not officially admitted to the Economics major yet; all new transfer students must apply to the major during their first semester on the Berkeley campus. This means completing all prerequisite courses (or their equivalent) and enrolling in any remaining courses immediately during the first semester at Berkeley. 
 

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Preparation for the Major

Transfer students should have the following courses COMPLETED before their first semester at Berkeley:

  • Full year of calculus (equivalent to MATH 1A and 1B or MATH 16A and MATH 16B at Berkeley).
  • Introduction to Micro- and Macroeconomics (equivalent to ECON 1 at Berkeley). (This can be a combination of an exam score and equivalent transfer credit)

To find equivalent coursework at a California Community College, use https://assist.org/.  Click here to learn more about transferring Economics credit to the major.

To be Admitted to the Economics Major, Transfer Students Must:

  1. Apply to the major in their first semester.
  2. Earn a minimum of a C (2.0) grade in each prerequisite courses taken at Berkeley. 

Applying to the Economics Major as a Transfer Student

All new transfer students are required to apply to the Economics Major during their first semester. Fill out the online application by the listed deadline. See deadlines here. Transfer students will be denied from the economics major if they apply after completing their first semester at Berkeley. 

Please review the Sample Transfer Student Plan.

Prerequisites

There are five prerequisite courses for the Economics Major. All five classes (or their equivalent) must be completed prior to acceptance to the major and all must be taken for a letter grade. For a detailed explanation of the Economics admission process, please review our Prospective Student Page.  If you are transferring from a California community college, check your courses on assist.org to ensure that they are equivalent to the Berkeley courses. 

Introduction to Economics: ONE course or equivalent required. 

  • ECON 1 or 2. ​At Berkeley, these courses include both micro and macro economics in one course.

*Calculus:You must take both A and B of either sequence. TWO courses or equivalent required.

  • MATH 1A or 16A (or equivalent) and
  • MATH 1B or 16B (or equivalent)

*Introduction to Statistics: ONE course or equivalent required. 

  • STAT 20, STAT 21, STAT W21, or STAT 88/DATA C88S; or
  • An upper division statistics course (STAT 131A, STAT 135, or STAT/DATA C140)

* At least one math or stat prerequisite course must be taken at UC Berkeley. For most transfer students, this is typically the statistics course. Please note: For students choosing STAT 88 to fulfill the statistics requirement, STAT/COMPSCI/INFO C8 must be completed before or at the same time as STAT 88.

**Intermediate Economic Theory: ONE course required to apply for the major.

  • ECON 100A or 101A: Microeconomics 
  • ECON 100B or 101B: Macroeconomics or UGBA 101B
  • ECON 140 or 141 (effective Fall 2019)

** The prerequisite intermediate theory course must be taken at UC Berkeley. UGBA 101A cannot be used as a prerequisite for the major. No exceptions. UGBA 101B is considered outside the department. Economics majors are allowed to complete up to two courses from outside the department to count towards major requirements

Please view our  Sample Transfer Student Plan for details on your first semester schedule and information on how to plan for your next four semesters at Berkeley. 

Students with Transfer Credit From 4-year or Out-of-State Institutions

Students transferring economics prerequisite credit from another UC campus, other 4-year, or out-of-state institution are encouraged to consult with an economics advisor to determine acceptable alternative prerequsite coursework. An upper division Economics course and one of our quantitative prerequisites must be taken in the first semester. Students should follow petition procedures below. Contact an economics advisor at ugrad@econ.berkeley.edu if you have any questions. 

  • ECONOMICS COURSES: ALL Economics transfer courses from 4 year or out-of-state institutions must always be formally petitioned online through the COURSE EQUIVALENCY REQUEST FORM. A maximum of TWO approved, upper-division courses can be transferred from another institution or taken outside of the economics department to fulfill graduation requirements for the major. 
    • Click here for more information about transferring Economics credit to the major.
  • MATH COURSES: Math 1A/16A and 1B/16B transfer credit must be evaluated by the MATH DEPARTMENT. Visit https://math.berkeley.edu/courses/course-equivalency for math course evaluations.
    • Once obtained, please email math equivalency to ugrad@econ.berkeley.edu.
  • STATISTICS COURSES: Statistics 20 transfer credit (or higher) must be evaluated by the STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. Complete a Request for Evaluation of a Non-UC Berkeley Statistics course.
    • Once obtained, please email statistics equivalency to ugrad@econn.berkeley.edu.

What courses should I take my first semester at Berkeley?

Enroll in any remaining prerequisite courses you did not fulfill with transfer credit.  Remember, you need at least a total of 13 units to be considered full-time in L&S. We recommend a balanced course load of 13-16 units in your first semester to help with your transition to Berkeley. For most transfer students, your first semester schedule might look similar to this:

This schedule assumes that the equivalent of a year of calculus and ECON 1 were completed prior to the student's first semester at Berkeley. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact an advisor at ugrad@econ.berkeley.edu.