The B.B.A. in economics links a broad grasp of business knowledge and skills with a deep understanding of the economic environment of business. The major trains students to have strong technical skills and be well-versed in policy analysis and implementation. Throughout the curriculum, students will learn how to manage and allocate scarce natural, human, and financial resources. Students will also analyze environmental policies and determinants of sustainable economic growth. Students may choose to focus their major with one of the following concentrations: environmental economics and policy, international economics, or public policy and social justice.
University Core Curriculum Requirements — 40 credit hours
All University of Portland students progress through a set of shared course options as part of the University’s liberal arts Core Curriculum. This curriculum offers a foundation of multiple lenses to address enduring questions of human concern, integrating the liberal arts, the University mission, and the knowledge, skills, and values needed in a diverse society and in the workplace.
See Core Curriculum Requirements
Two of the three core requirements in the Scientific and Quantitative Literacy and Problem Solving Habit are satisfied by ECN 120 and the mathematics requirements within the major.
BUS 250 and ECN 425 are the designated Writing in the Discipline courses for the B.B.A. in Economics.
Business Requirements — 59 credit hours
Non-Business Courses - 15 credit hours
P4 Professional Development Requirements - 3 credit hours
| BUS 202 | Professional Development | 1 |
| BUS 302 | Internship Preparation | 1 |
| BUS 397 | Professional Development Internship | 1 |
Global Acumen Requirements - 7 credit hours
| BUS 360 | Cross Cultural Organizational Behavior and Ethics | 3 |
| BUS 496 | Meaningful International Experience | 1 |
| | Any 300-400 level course with international focus | 3 |
Business Foundation Lower Division - 28 credit hours
| BUS 100 | Introduction to Leadership Skills | 3 |
| BUS 101 | Software Applications Workshop | 1 |
| ECN 120 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECN 121 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| BUS 200 | Principles of Marketing | 3 |
| BUS 205 | Foundations of Finance | 3 |
| BUS 209 | Financial Accounting | 3 |
| BUS 210 | Managerial Accounting | 3 |
| BUS 250 | Legal and Social Responsibility in Business | 3 |
| BUS 255 | Introduction to Operations & Technology Management | 3 |
Business Foundation Upper Division - 6 credit hours
Major Requirements — 24 credit hours
Required Courses — 12 credit hours
Major Electives (with no concentration) - 12 credit hours
Select four courses from the following. Three of the four must be in Economics.
Major Electives (with a concentration)
Select one of the following electives and three concentration electives as listed in the concentrations below.
Students may choose one concentration from the following
Environmental Economics and Policy Concentration
This concentration provides a rigorous foundation for majors interested in the role that societies play in affecting environmental outcomes and how to improve those outcomes. The concentration is excellent for those pursuing careers in the growing environmental sector of the economy, including in business, government, nonprofits, and environmental consulting.
Select two courses from the following:
| ECN 322 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ECN 325/ENV 325 | Metrics for Sustainability | 3 |
| ECN 326 | Climate Change Economics and Policy: A Global Perspective | 3 |
Select one course from the following:
International Economics Concentration
This concentration provides a rigorous foundation for majors interested in the economic institutions and practices associated with international trade, finance, and development. The concentration is particularly appropriate for those pursuing careers in global business, as well as for those seeking international work in government or non-governmental organizations.
Select two courses from the following:
Select one course from the following:
| ECN 326 | Climate Change Economics and Policy: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| ECN 426 | Comparative Economics | 3 |
| ECN 429 | Development Economics | 3 |
| ECN 440 | International Economics | 3 |
| POL 371 | Politics of Central Europe | 3 |
| POL 372 | Politics of the EU and Contemporary Europe | 3 |
| POL 376 | Politics of Africa | 3 |
| POL 377 | Politics of the Middle East | 3 |
| POL 457 | The Rise of China | 3 |
| POL 462 | Globalization and its Discontents | 3 |
| POL 470 | Global Migration and Displacement | 3 |
Public Policy and Social Justice Concentration
For students who choose courses that emphasize public policy, this provides a rigorous foundation for majors interested in positively influencing the laws and regulations that constitute the rules of the game for organizations, cities, states, and the nation. Students are well positioned for excellent analyst positions in government, public policy research firms, public health, and other organizations. For students who choose courses that emphasize social justice, the concentration instills an understanding of how economics in an interdisciplinary context can promote social integrity, sustainability, and universal human rights. It is excellent preparation for careers in the nonprofit, non-governmental, and governmental sectors, particularly careers centering on environmental justice and sustainability, marginalized populations, and labor rights.
Select two courses from the following:
Select one course from the following:
| ECN 325/ENV 325 | Metrics for Sustainability | 3 |
| ECN 326 | Climate Change Economics and Policy: A Global Perspective | 3 |
| ECN 327 | Market Power: Origins, Structures and Consequences | 3 |
| ECN 424 | Income Inequality | 3 |
| ECN 426 | Comparative Economics | 3 |
| ECN 429 | Development Economics | 3 |
| ECN 430 | Psychology & Economics | 3 |
| ECN 431 | Health Economics | 3 |
| CST 432 | The Global Commons: Gendered Storytelling, Feminist Futures, and Liberation | 3 |
| HST 316 | US in Depression and War, 1920-1945 | 3 |
| HST 322 | American Protest and Reform | 3 |
| PHL 313 | Socio-Political Philosophy | 3 |
| POL 302 | Perspectives on Social Justice | 3 |
| POL 335 | American Public Policy | 3 |
| POL 462 | Globalization and its Discontents | 3 |
| SOC 333 | Social Class and Inequality | 3 |
| SW 313 | Social Policy, Action, and Advocacy for Change | 3 |
Any additional credit hours required to complete a minimum of 120 credit hours