The Bachelor of Economics program allows students to develop understand institutional structures and processes supporting global commerce and disciplinary skills and perspectives relevant to commerce. Students will also develop professional competences and ethical perspectives relevant to practice in global contexts.

The objectives of the Bachelor of Economics are:

The structure for the degree of Bachelor of Economics:

1. For the Pass degree, a student must complete and pass 144 units of credit, which shall include:

2. 36 units of common Level 1 core courses as follows:

Students in this program must complete 12 units of credit in General Education courses or their equivalent (unless otherwise entitled to exemption). For further information, please refer to General Education Requirements.

Please note that students enrolled in programs within the Faculty of Business cannot take General Education courses offered by the Faculty of Business.

Students enrolled in programs within the Faculty of Business are not permitted to undertake the following General Education courses:

If students are unsure of their General Education Requirements they should contact the Faculty Student Centre

Upon completion of first or second years of a full-time program or the corresponding stages of a part-time program, a candidate may make a written application to the Head of School concerned for permission to enrol for an Honours degree. When such permission is granted but a candidate's later performance is unsatisfactory, permission to continue as an Honours student may be withdrawn and the student may proceed to an appropriate Pass degree.

A person on whom the Pass degree of Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Economics has been conferred shall not be admitted to candidature for the Honours degree of Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Economics, except with special permission on the recommendation of the Head of the School.

For rules relating to programs which are no longer offered to new students, please refer to earlier Faculty Handbooks. Copies of these rules are also available from the Faculty of Business Student Centre.

Rule 1 - Pass and Honours Degrees
The degree of Bachelor of Economics may be conferred as a Pass degree or as an Honours degree. There shall be three classes of Honours, namely Class 1, Class 2 in two Divisions and Class 3. In cases of superior academic performance throughout the program, the Pass degree will be conferred with Distinction.

Rule 2 - Disciplinary Minors
All students satisfying the requirements of the Bachelor of Economics degree automatically satisfy 'disciplinary minor' requirements. A 'disciplinary minor' is defined as four approved session courses, or equivalent value for courses taught outside the Faculty, of which no more than 12 units of credit may be first year courses.

Rule 3 - Transfer Between Degrees
Candidates are admitted to the Bachelor of Commerce, the Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, Tourism and Hospitality Management, the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science or the Bachelor of Economics program. There is no automatic transfer between these programs. Candidates who wish to transfer between these programs must reapply through UAC if they are a Local student or Undergraduate Admisissions if they are International students.

Rule 4 - Assessable Hours
Normal workload expectations for each degree are a minimum of 25 hours per session per unit of credit, including class contact hours, preparation and time spent on all assessable work.

Rule 5 - Passing in a Course
Where, in the following rules, reference is made to the requirement that a candidate shall pass a course, the requirement shall be construed as meaning that the candidate shall complete assignments, laboratory work, other set work and an examination or examinations by the prescribed dates to the satisfaction of the Head of the School concerned.

Rule 6 - Normal Program
The program leading to the award of the degree of Bachelor of Economics normally consist of 144 units of credit to be completed over a period of three academic years or six 14-week sessions. Except in exceptional circumstances, a student must enrol in a minimum of 12 units per session and will not be permitted to enrol in more than 24 units.

Rule 7 - Minimum Time for Completion
(a) The minimum time for completing the requirements for the degrees of Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Economics at Pass level is normally six sessions full-time or 12 sessions part-time, unless the student is enrolled in a Co-op program in which case the minimum time for completion is eight sessions full-time.

(b) For the Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing, Tourism and Hospitality Management program at Pass level, the minimum time for completion is eight sessions full-time.

Rule 8 - Nomination of Plan
A student must nominate on the enrolment form the specialisation intended when enrolling for the first year. A candidate may change from one plan to another but not more than once per year. The change requires the approval of the program authority and unless it is a transfer between a Pass and an Honours program, the change must be completed before enrolment is finalised for the particular year.

Rule 9 - Academic Program Requirements: BEc 3543
To complete the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Economics:

1. For the Pass degree, a student must complete and pass 144 units of credit, which shall include:

2. 36 units of common Level 1 core courses as follows:

3. (a) satisfactory completion of a minimum of 12 units of credit in General Education courses or their equivalent (unless otherwise entitled to exemption). Combined undergraduate degrees offered with another faculty and leading to the award of two degrees satisfy this requirement (12 units of credit in General Education) within the program.

(b) undertake an additional 56 hours of study which examines the purposes and consequences of their university education and which fosters socially, ethically and professionally responsible behaviour. The Bachelor of Economics fulfills this requirement as part of the normal program curriculum.

4. count more than 60 units of Level 1 core and electives courses towards their degree unless in exceptional circumstances.

4.1 substitute more than 6 units of mainstream courses offered by other faculties towards General Education requirements.

4.2 count a mainstream course offered by faculties other than Faculty of Business both as a substitute for a Commerce and Economics option and as a substitute for a General Education elective.

5. Each student must include the following in their degree program:

5.1 either a major of at least 60 units in the Economics, Econometrics, Financial Economics or Economic History disciplinary streams (including units taken as core studies where applicable);

5.2 or a double major of 90 units, with at least 48 units in one of the Economics, Econometrics, Financial Economics or Economic History disciplinary streams, and at least 42 units in another approved disciplinary stream.

6. In addition to the Pass degree requirements the award of a degree with Honours requires:

6.1 the completion of at least 60 units (single major) or 48 units (double major) in the Economics, Econometrics, Financial Economics or Economic History disciplinary streams specified as necessary preparation for fourth year studies, and

6.2 the completion of four specified courses in fourth year and a thesis that is the equivalent of two courses. Honours studies may proceed in more than one disciplinary stream prior to fourth year. In the fourth year, Honours may be taken in the Economics, Econometrics or Economic History disciplinary streams only, or a combined Honours program in Economics and Econometrics may be taken.

7. Approved disciplinary streams are listed hereafter:

Approved Disciplinary Streams (Pass)

Not available as a single major, but as a co-major only

Approved Disciplinary Streams (Honours)
To the end of fourth year:

Rule 10 - Honours Degree
Upon completion of first or second years of a full-time program or the corresponding stages of a part-time program, a candidate may make a written application to the Head of School concerned for permission to enrol for an Honours degree. When such permission is granted but a candidate's later performance is unsatisfactory, permission to continue as an Honours student may be withdrawn and the student may proceed to an appropriate Pass degree.

A person on whom the Pass degree of Bachelor of Economics has been conferred shall not be admitted to candidature for the Honours degree of Bachelor of Economics, except with special permission on the recommendation of the Head of the School.

Rule 11 - Credit for Courses Passed at Another University
Subject to the University rules governing admission with advanced standing, courses passed at another university may be counted towards fulfilling the requirements of the degree but, in general, not more than four courses studied for a year or equivalent which are already counted for another degree may be counted towards the requirements for the Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Economics. Advanced standing will not normally be granted for courses completed more than 7 years before the date of admission of the applicant, except with the approval of the Head of the School.

Rule 12 - Options
Subject to the requirements of the individual programs, students may choose a maximum of 2 options from any approved course taught by any other UNSW faculties. Approval must be sought from the program authority to count courses as options. Apart from service courses for other faculties, all courses taught by the Faculty of Business will be automatically approved as options, but no course can be counted both as an option and as a prescribed course. Heads of the Schools may, in exceptional circumstances, vary courses in prescribed programs.

Rule 13 - Order of Progression of Courses
It is expected students shall undertake core courses in the equivalent of their first year. It is expected failed courses will be repeated in the first session in which they are next offered.

Rule 14 - Prerequisite and Corequisite Requirements
Except in exceptional circumstances, a candidate shall not enrol in any course without having satisfied the prescribed prerequisite or corequisite requirements.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html