Major Overview
- Description
Economics is a core subject in the world of commerce. Most business disciplines draw on basic principles from economics. This Business Economics major is, therefore, a complement to other majors in the Bachelor of Commerce. Students completing this major will understand how developments in areas such as technology, consumer behaviour, market structures, competition policy, trade and globalisation relate to real-world business problems. Upon graduation students are positioned to apply for generalist career opportunities in the public and private sectors or for specialist positions depending on your second major. Students majoring in economics and finance, for example, may consider pursuing a career as a financial economist. Similarly students majoring in economics and law may pursue a career in fields such as economic regulation.
- Outcomes
Students are able to:
- demonstrate comprehensive theoretical and applied economic knowledge
- apply sound economic reasoning to analyse key economic information used to inform effective decision-making
- be effective and perceptive communicators of economic information to specialist and non-specialist audiences
- be effective team members and work effectively and collaboratively with others
- apply reflective and critical thinking skills to economic problems with responsibility and accountability
- demonstrate awareness of ethical, cultural, social and sustainability issues relevant to the discipline.
- Broadening guidelines
All students studying towards a Bachelor Degree at UWA are required to broaden their studies by completing a minimum of four units (24 points) of study outside their degree specific major. Broadening is your opportunity to explore other areas of interest, investigate new disciplines and knowledge paradigms and to shape your degree to suit your own aspirations and interests.
- Courses
Business Economics can be taken as a degree-specific major in the following degree courses:
Example Study Plan
See study plans for more information.
Units
Key to availability of units:
- S1
- Semester 1
- S2
- Semester 2
- N/A
- not available in 2025 – may be available in 2026 or 2027
Bachelor of Commerce students completing a second major in Engineering Science are not required to complete STAT1520 (as MATH1011 and MATH1012 meet this requirement). In addition, students should substitute CITS2401 Computer Analysis and Visualisation as the Level 2 option to meet the requirements of the commerce major.
Level 1
Degree-specific major units
Take all units (12 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1, S2 | ECON1101 | Microeconomics: Prices and Markets |
|
| S1, S2 | ECON1102 | Macroeconomics: Money and Finance | None |
Bridging units
Students who have not achieved a scaled mark of at least 50 in Mathematics Methods ATAR or equivalent or higher are required to complete
ECON1111.
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | ECON1111 | Quantitative Methods for Business and Economics |
|
Level 2
Degree-specific major units
Take all units (12 points):
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | ECON2233 | Microeconomics: Policy and Applications | |
| S2 | ECON2234 | Macroeconomics: Policy and Applications |
Degree-specific major units
Take unit(s) to the value of 6 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | ECON2105 | Rise of the Global Economy | |
| N/A | ECON2106 | Asia in the World Economy | |
| N/A | ECON2210 | Monetary Economics |
|
| S2 | ECON2245 | Business Economics |
|
| S1 | ECON2271 | Introductory Econometrics | |
| S2 | ECON2272 | Intermediate Mathematics for Economists |
|
Level 3
Degree-specific major units
Take unit(s) to the value of 18 points:
| Availability | Unit code | Unit name | unit requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2 | ECON3205 | Health Economics |
|
| S1 | ECON3220 | Development Economics |
|
| S2 | ECON3235 | International Trade |
|
| S1 | ECON3236 | International Finance |
|
| S2 | ECON3301 | Game Theory and Strategic Thinking |
|
| S1 | ECON3302 | Applied Microeconomics |
|
| S2 | ECON3303 | Applied Macroeconomics |
|
| S1 | ECON3310 | History of Economic Ideas |
|
| S1 | ECON3350 | Money, Banking and Financial Markets | |
| S1 | ECON3371 | Applied Econometric Methods and Data Analysis |
|
| S2 | ECON3395 | Economic Policy |
|