The Economics (BA) Program
Vancouver Island University has suspended the Bachelor of Arts Economics Major program effective December 14, 2023. Students wishing to declare an Economics Major have until August 14, 2024, to confirm. Economics Major students will have access to adequate upper-level electives to ensure degree completion until December 31, 2027.
Economics has been defined as the study of the way in which human beings, separately and collectively, satisfy their limitless wants with limited resources. Its methods of analysis straddle Arts and Science, theory and policy, and provide a fascinating mechanism for interpreting human behaviour.
Economic issues are concerned with many different areas of our lives, from government policies to the environment to the prices of everyday items we buy daily. In the process of studying economics, students will learn mathematics, communication, reasoning, and computer skills. Such skills will become valuable assets in any area of future employment.
On a global scale, economics also has a lot to say about the human condition. Economics is the only discipline in the broad areas of Social Sciences and Business that is awarded the Nobel Prize. One of the identifying features of economics is the efficient use of resources, leading to improvements in the living standards of ordinary people around the world.
While theoretical models provide the basis for the study of economics, the Major and Minor in Economics will focus on the application of theory to current policy issues within the domestic and international environments. Upon completion, students will possess a sound base of knowledge and skills essential to the understanding of the changes occurring in Canadian and world economies. Employment for graduates may be found in areas of public administration at all levels of government, governmental and non-governmental organizations, in export and import related businesses, and in the expanding area of financial services, both domestically and internationally.