Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Economics

The Associate in Arts (AA), Emphasis in Economics provides the first two years of a four-year curriculum for students who wish to pursue a liberal arts degree in Economics from a four-year institution. With a bachelor`s degree, students may pursue a number of careers, including but not limited to, budget analysts, market research analysts, and marketing specialists. With a graduate degree, students may pursue a number of careers, including but not limited to economists, environmental economists, treasurers, controllers, urban and regional planners, economics teachers, and lawyers.

Details

Field of Interest
Culture and Society
Degree Type
Associate in Arts (AA)
Academic Plan
Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Economics (DEG)
Academic Plan Code
8111
Total credits required
60-64
Catalog Year
2023-2024
Effective Term
Fall 2022
Notes

Students must earn a grade of C or better in each course in the program.

Students who plan to major in economics at a college of business should consider following the Associate in Business-General Requirements (ABUS-GR) pathway instead of this award. Consult with a faculty advisor, program director, and/or academic advisor to identify the associate degree that best aligns with your academic and professional goals.

Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.

What You'll Learn

This pathway map will help you gain the expertise needed to:

  1. Analyze and interpret domestic and global economic data.
  2. Use marginal analysis to evaluate decisions in a wide variety of contexts.
  3. Apply models to interpret and predict economic outcomes and relationships.
  4. Describe the limitations of economic models.
  5. Recommend solutions to improve economic outcomes.
  6. Communicate economic ideas and arguments to varied audiences.
  7. Apply relevant knowledge, skills, and habits of mind to seek career opportunities in the field.

Successful completion of this degree may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Maricopa County-based annual median wages* for this degree. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.

Budget Analysts

$67,199

Economists

$81,715

Environmental Economists

$81,715

Lawyers

$108,800

Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists

$57,999

Postsecondary Economics Teachers

$63,340

Regulatory Affairs Managers

$76,349

Treasurers and Controllers

$119,009

Urban and Regional Planners

$73,035

* Career and wage information provided by Lightcast using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources and Lightcast’s proprietary analytical processes. Lightcast’s data covers multiple classes of workers including QCEW, non-QCEW, and those who are self-employed. Disclaimer

Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

  • Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Pathway Planner tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
  • The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
  • Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
  • Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Pathway Map Options

There are multiple options available for this pathway map. These options vary depending on the available transfer institutions and what degrees you may be able to transfer into.

These pathway map options may share some common coursework. To explore what additional coursework may be required, select your desired option from the list below. Once selected, the list of courses and any associated details will be automatically updated in the course sequence below. The differences between individual pathway map options may only be a few courses.

Pathway Map Option Details

No pathway map option has been selected. Please select from the pathway map options listed above.

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL Critical course FYC 3
MAT212 or
MAT213 or
MAT220 or
MAT221		 Brief Calculus or Brief Calculus or Calculus with Analytic Geometry I or Calculus with Analytic Geometry I Critical course OR Higher approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area for which MAT22+ is a prerequisite. MA 3–5
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5
FYE101 or
FYE103		 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ECN211 or
ECN212		 Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles Critical course Gateway course SB 3
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM225 or
COM230		 Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication SB or L 0–3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ECN211 or
ECN212		 Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles SB 3
GBS221 or
MAT206 or
SWU225		 Business Statistics or Elements of Statistics or Statistics for Social Research/Justice and Government CS 3
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative SQ 4
L Literacy & Critical Inquiry Select a course with the L value if COM225 or CRE101 not selected L 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
SG or
SQ		 Natural Sciences General or Natural Sciences Quantitative SG or SQ 4
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–3

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

A list of additional requirements for this pathway map
Awareness Areas
  • In addition to the requirements identified in the sequence below, students must complete the following awareness areas if not otherwise met by other program requirements:
    • Cultural [C] and
    • Global [G] or Historical [H]
  • Students are strongly encouraged to visit with an academic advisor to ensure completion of all graduation requirements.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG101 or
ENG107		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
MAT212 or
MAT213 or
MAT220 or
MAT221		 Brief Calculus or Brief Calculus or Calculus with Analytic Geometry I or Calculus with Analytic Geometry I OR Higher approved general education course in the Mathematical Applications [MA] area for which MAT22+ is a prerequisite. MA 3–5
FYE101 or
FYE103		 Introduction to College, Career and Personal Success or Exploration of College, Career and Personal Success 1–3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ENG102 or
ENG108		 First-Year Composition or First-Year Composition for ESL FYC 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
CRE101 College Critical Reading and Critical Thinking OR Equivalent as indicated by assessment L 0–3
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
COM100 or
COM110 or
COM225 or
COM230		 Introduction to Human Communication or Interpersonal Communication or Public Speaking or Small Group Communication SB or L 0–3
ECN211 or
ECN212		 Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles SB 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5

Term 5

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 5
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
GBS221 or
MAT206 or
SWU225		 Business Statistics or Elements of Statistics or Statistics for Social Research/Justice and Government CS 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 3–5

Term 6

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 6
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
HU Humanities, Fine Arts & Design HU 3
SG or
SQ		 Natural Sciences General or Natural Sciences Quantitative SG or SQ 4

Term 7

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 7
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
L Literacy & Critical Inquiry Select a course with the L value if COM225 or CRE101 not selected in previous term. L 3
SQ Natural Sciences Quantitative SQ 4

Term 8

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 8
Course Number Course Name Requisites Notes Area Credits
ECN211 or
ECN212		 Macroeconomic Principles or Microeconomic Principles SB 3
Transfer Option Transfer Option 0–3
Course Area Key

Gateway Course = Generally the first major-specific course in a pathway.

Critical Course = A course that is highly predictive of future success in a pathway.

  • C = Cultural Diversity in the US
  • CS = Computer/Statistics/Quantitative Application
  • FYC = First Year Composition
  • G = Global Awareness
  • H = Historical Awareness
  • HU = Humanities, Fine Arts, and Design
  • L = Literacy & Critical Inquiry
  • MA = Mathematics
  • SB = Social-Behavioral Sciences
  • SG = Natural Sciences General
  • SQ = Natural Sciences Quantitative
Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses required within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

View MCCCD’s official curriculum documentation for additional details regarding the requirements of this award (https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm10?id=176459).

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

Previous Catalog Years

The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. All previous catalog years for this pathway map are available at the link below.

Previous catalog years for Associate in Arts (AA) in Associate in Arts, Emphasis in Economics