Economics

Economics Overview

The Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer (AA-T) at San José City College meets the lower-division course requirements for the California State University (CSU) system. The 60-unit degree includes 18 to 24 units in the major, with required courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, statistics, and calculus. Economics is the study of how people choose to use scarce resources to produce goods and services and how they make allocation decisions to satisfy their wants. Students build skills in analyzing problems using sound reasoning, along with critical thinking, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication.

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Do you ever wonder why food costs rise when gas prices spike?

Have you ever questioned why U.S. politicians worry when other countries talk of going bankrupt?

Did you ever wonder why you can’t get a good interest rate on your savings account?

All of these phenomena can be explained through economics. Economics is the study of the production and consumption of goods and the transfer of wealth to produce and obtain those goods. Economics explains how people interact within markets to get what they want or accomplish certain goals. Since economics is a driving force of human interaction, studying it often reveals why people and governments behave in particular ways.

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Economics Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

  • Apply macroeconomic models to describe the economy based on the laws of supply and demand.
  • Explain the concepts of economic resources, scarcity, opportunity cost, rational behavior, and elasticity.
  • Describe the mixed capitalist system and the national output (GDP) of the United States.
  • Analyze how monetary and fiscal policy impacts the economy.
  • Explain how markets function and the role of government in the economy.
  • Describe how consumers try to maximize utilities and firms attempt to maximize profit within the context of the market structure in the United States.

Frequently Asked Questions

San José City College offers an Associate in Arts in Economics for Transfer (AA-T). The 60-unit degree meets the lower-division course requirements for the California State University (CSU) system. Students develop skills in analyzing problems using sound reasoning to make decisions, along with critical thinking, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills.

Students complete 60 semester units that are eligible for transfer to the CSU system, including the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) requirements and 18 to 24 units in the major. Students must earn a minimum 2.0 GPA and a grade of C or better (or P) in every course required for the major. Some majors may require a higher GPA, so students should meet with a counselor.

The required core includes ECON C2001 Principles of Microeconomics, ECON C2002 Principles of Macroeconomics, STAT C1000 Introduction to Statistics, and either MATH 062 Calculus for Business and the Social Sciences or MATH 071 Calculus I With Analytic Geometry. Students also complete two courses from approved lists that include accounting, computer information systems, finite mathematics, calculus, and linear algebra.

Economics majors have learning opportunities relevant to many types of careers, including public policy, government agencies and government-related organizations (for example, the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Labor Statistics), business, data analysis, accounting, and education.

Prospective students should complete the SJCC application process, which includes submitting an online application, providing transcripts, and meeting with a counselor to develop an educational plan tailored to their goals in economics.

For more information, contact the Business and Workforce Development Division. Administrative Secretary: Cairah Lee, 408-288-3141, Cairah.Lee@sjcc.edu.