Students should always follow the program requirements according to the year they started their degree. For more information please visit Previous UNSW Online Handbooks.
The Bachelor of Economics / Bachelor of Science (Adv Sc) program enables students to complete a depth of study in advanced science from the Faculty of Science which complements the economics program offered by the School of Economics in the Australian School of Business.

For admission to the program, students must satisfy the entry requirements to both the Bachelor of Science (Advanced Science) and the Bachelor of Economics programs.

The typical duration of this program is 5 years full-time, including (subject to academic performance) an Honours year in the BSc (Advanced Science). With approval, students with an excellent academic record may also enrol in an additional Honours year in the Bachelor of Economics degree.

For questions regarding the Bachelor of Economics requirements for the program, students should consult staff in the Australian School of Business Student Centre or the School of Economics. For questions relating to the Bachelor of Science component of the program, students should consult the Science Student Centre.

Please refer to the program objectives as listed for the 3970 Bachelor of Science program and the 3543 Bachelor of Economics program.

A total of 240 units of credit are required to complete this dual degree program. Students must satisfy the following requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) and Bachelor of Economics components. Where the requirements for the two programs are completed in less than 240 units of credit due to overlapping courses, students may satisfy the remaining units of credit from those offered by the Faculty of Science, Australian School of Business or other Faculties within UNSW.

Requirements of the BEc in dual mode (96UOC):

84 UOC of Economics courses consisting of:

And 12 UOC of Free electives.

Please note: ACCT1501 is treated as an Economics course.

Compulsory core courses:

Please note: Bachelor of Science (Advanced Science) students should note that they are, in most, instances required to complete two Level 1 MATH courses and these meet the requirements for the BEc core quantitative courses ECON1202 and ECON1203.

Students should do the MATH courses which are required in the Bachelor of Science specialisations they choose – for example, the mathematics and statistics specialisations specify MATH1131/MATH1231 or MATH1141/MATH1241 rather than MATH1031/MATH1041. With a few of the BSc specialisations only one MATH course is required, in which case students will be required to complete one of either ECON1202 or ECON1203

For ECON1202, the substitute courses are: MATH1031 or MATH1131 or MATH1141.

For ECON1203, the substitute courses are: MATH 1041 or MATH1231 or MATH1241.

The ECON courses are not substitutes for these MATH courses. No credit will be given if students also complete the ECON courses.

Students have the option of counting the MATH courses towards the BSc and doing additional electives offered by the School of Economics OR counting the MATH courses towards the BEc and doing additional electives offered by the Faculty of Science.

Major requirements

Economics electives – students are required to complete an additional two Economics courses (12 UOC) to complete the requirement for 84 UOC of Economics courses.

Free electives account for the balance of the BEc degree requirements. These courses may be taken from those offered by the Australian School of Business or other Faculties within UNSW.

Area(s) of Economcs Specialisation:

• Econometrics
• Economics
• Financial Economics

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) in dual degree mode (144 UOC):

• An approved major from the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) program;
• SCIF1121 or SCIF1131 (6UOC);
• Honours Year (48UOC);
• Science elective courses.

Approved Majors in Advanced Science:

Please refer to the table of approved majors listed on the 3972 program page for more information on approved Science majors.

Honours in the BEc

Eligible students may do an additional Honours year in the Bachelor of Economics. For further information relating to Honours, please see the School of Economics Honours program website.

BEc Progression Rules

1. A minimum of 24 UOC of courses must be completed before enrolling in Level 2 courses.
2. A minimum of 48 UOC of courses must be completed before enrolling in Level 3 courses.

Students must declare their economics major before commencing Year 2.

Academic rules relating to the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) in dual degree mode are as follows:

1. Students must complete a minimum of 144 units of credit for the Bachelor of Science (Advanced);

2. Students must complete at least one approved Bachelor of Science (Advanced) major, and this must be declared before enrolling in level II courses. Details of approved Bachelor of Science (Advanced) majors and how to declare a major can be found on the 3972 Bachelor of Science (Advanced) program page;

3. SCIF1121 Advanced Science: Professional Perspective and Practice (6 units of credit) or SCIF1131 Science: Technological & Professional Perspectives (6 units of credit) must be completed in first year;

4. An Honours Year of 48 units of credit must be completed. For information regarding the admission requirements and application process for honours, please see the information under 'Honours' on the 3972 Bachelor of Science (Advanced) program page;

5. In addition to the courses required for a student's chosen major, SCIF1121/1131, and honours, students must take 'science' courses so that the major plus SCIF1121/1131, plus Honours year plus 'science' courses total 144 units of credit. Details of what courses constitute 'science' courses can be found in Table 1 on the 3972 Bachelor of Science (Advanced) program page;

6. Students must complete at least 24 units of credit of 'science' level I courses;

Most majors in the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) already satisfy this requirement, for example, the Microbiology major requires BIOS1101, BABS1201, CHEM1011, CHEM1021 and 6 units of credit of Mathematics. This is a total of 30 units of credit of science level I courses, therefore, no more level I science courses are required. Where a major does not include at least 24 units of credit of science level I courses, students will need to choose additional level I science courses to bring the total to 24 units of credit. For example, Psychology requires PSYC1001 and PSYC1011, therefore, students will need to choose an additional 12 units of credit of science level I courses. These science level I courses also count towards the 144 units of credit requirement at rule number 5.

7. A minimum of 30 units of credit of level III courses must be completed;

Typically Advanced Science majors contain 18 -30 units of credit of level III courses. Therefore students may be required to take an additional 0-12 units of credit of level III courses which must be 'science' courses such that a total of 30 units of credit at level III is completed. These additional level III courses should be completed in a student's major area of study, or a complementary area that will be beneficial for a student's chosen honours area. Students completing a double major will typically meet this requirement through completion of level III courses for the second major. These additional level III science courses count towards the 144 units of credit requirement at rule number 6 above.

8. Where offered in a particular major students must take higher versions of courses. Any variation to this must be approved by the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) or nominee.

This rule only applies to courses typically at level II and III in a major (or in some cases level I courses considered to be core for the major). It does not apply to fundamental knowledge building level I courses in a major. Not all Bachelor of Science (Advanced) majors have advanced level courses, but where a major does, Advanced Science students must take these higher level courses. Please refer to the Advanced Science plan entries in this Handbook which indicate where higher courses must be taken.

9. No student may commence level II courses until 30 units of credit of level I courses have been successfully completed. (This is 30 units of credit of courses taken towards the entire dual degree program and not just courses for the Science component);

10. Students may commence level III courses upon successful completion of 72 units of credit. (This is 72 units of credit of courses taken towards the entire dual degree program and not just courses for the Science component);

11. Progression to stages 2, 3, and 4 is subject to academic performance. Students will be required to attain a weighted average mark (WAM) of 70 in each semester. Where students do not maintain this minimum level of academic performance, they will be transferred to the Bachelor of Science program.

Students wishing to complete a double major in the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) when taken as part of a dual degree at UNSW, should be aware that it will be very difficult to complete two majors within 144 units of credit. Therefore where a dual degree student would like to undertake a double major, they should be aware that it may involve extra time and cost to complete, and may have visa implications for international students.

For information on Honours and applying for Honours, students should refer to the 3972 Bachelor of Science (Advanced) program page. Students may not enrol in the Honours Year in this dual degree program until they have satisfied all requirements for a 3 year single degree. That is, 144 UOC. In the case of the Bachelor of Science (Advanced) / Bachelor of Economics program, this means students must have completed at least 96 UOC from the BSc (Adv) plus 48 UOC from the BEc before commencing Honours for the BSc (Adv).

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

For further information, refer to the Professional Recognition of Programs in the UNSW Online Handbook.

Please note that these requirements may be subject to change. Students should always follow the program requirements according to the year they started their degree. For more information please visit Previous UNSW Online Handbooks

Contact the Australian School of Business Student Centre for advice.
tel: + 61 2 9385 3189
location: Level 1, room 1028, Quadrangle Building
Forms, policies and procedures
Frequently asked questions

Contact the Science Student Centre for advice on the BSc(Adv Sc) component:
Robert Webster Building, Room 128
Phone: +61 2 9385 6125
Email: sso@unsw.edu.au