184 • ECONOMICS
Economics
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Economics
Bachelor of Arts
General Economics Concentration
Quantitative Economics Concentration
Minor
Faculty
Rodney Freed, Department Chair
Frank V. Billes, James G. Harris, Abraham Kidane
Ineki Codd, Administrative Support Assistant
Department Office: SBS A-326, (310) 243-3448 or 243-3045,
FAX (310) 516-3446
Program Description
The Economics Program at CSU Dominguez Hills offers both
the Bachelor of Arts and the Minor in Economics. Issues studied
include the determination of income, employment, prices, interest
rates, and output of goods and services. In addition students will
examine foreign trade, economic development, and the impact of
government policies upon the economy.
The program has three broad objectives:
1. To provide the student with the analytical tools that are
needed to deal with economic problems.
2. To develop skills and techniques at the upper division level
in the student’s main area of interest.
3. To provide a good background for graduate study or career
in business or government.
Students may choose from two concentrations in the major,
selected in consultation with a faculty advisor. The General
Economics Concentration, recommended for most students,
is carefully designed to offer students adequate exposure to standard
theory so that upon completion of the program they can effectively
analyze contemporary economic problems and exercise sound
judgement in evaluating public policy issues. The Quantitative
Economics Concentration enables the student to develop skills
necessary for analyzing and forecasting changes in economic
activity, interest rates, prices, income and exchange rates. This
concentration is recommended for those who possess special interest
in mathematical and statistical methods.
where vital resources are diminishing while our wants keep increasing, it becomes imperative that individuals, groups, private organizations and public agencies fully appreciate the prevailing circumstances in order to make optimal decisions. Activities at the Center
for Economic Education include workshops, public lectures,
publication and dissemination of economic analyses of current
policy issues. One of 20 in the California State University, the center
was established in response to the expressed needs of the general
public for greater and more reliable information on how the United
States economy functions. In the area of research, the center
facilitates faculty and student research activities while at the same
time providing opportunities for greater computer literacy. At the
center, availability of microcomputers and relevant software enables
the faculty to conduct research, to train students in research
techniques, and to utilize the computer as a teaching aid.
The Economics faculty is an interesting and diverse group of
scholars. Its members were trained at some of the outstanding
universities in the United States and abroad. All are engaged
actively in research and other scholarly activities. All are used as
consultants by both private and government agencies, here and
overseas. The core faculty is enriched further by the services of a
select number of part-time lecturers who hold significant positions
of responsibility in both the public and private sectors of the
economy. Their experiences outside the confines of academia bring
greater relevance to what students learn in the classroom.
Students graduating from the CSU Dominguez Hills Economics
Program benefit from a wide range of employment opportunities,
both in government and the private sector. Former students are
now working at all levels of government and in many private
enterprises such as banks, health maintenance organizations and
manufacturing corporations. Some have joined the teaching
profession while others have continued their studies toward the
doctoral degree at such institutions as UCLA, UC Berkeley, University of Southern California, and the University of Oregon.
Academic Advisement
Students are expected to seek faculty advisement when they first
join the program and routinely thereafter. They may elect a
particular member of the faculty to be their advisor or they may
request one through the chair of the department. The program
allows flexibility with respect to course sequence and configuration.
Advisement by a faculty member will help students to complete the
requirements of the concentration of their choice in a timely and
effective manner. Faculty members also are helpful in planning for
career as well as for graduate study. Students are strongly encouraged to seek advisement routinely.
Preparation
Features
High school students are encouraged to take social science
courses including economics, as well as mathematics courses.
Although a foreign language is not required for the baccalaureate
in economics, graduate schools may require one or two foreign
languages, especially for the doctoral degree. Accordingly, those
who wish to pursue further study in economics at the graduate level
are encouraged to take courses in at least one appropriate foreign
language.
The Center for Economic Education and Research is an integral
part of the Economics Department. As a center for economic
education, its purpose is to increase economic literacy among the
general public, particularly among university students, employees of
business and government, high school and elementary school pupils,
and teacher education students. In our complex economic society,
Students transferring from community colleges can request to
obtain credit for appropriate lower division economics courses.
Economic principles (micro- and macroeconomics) courses taken
at a community college commonly are acceptable to satisfy the lower
division economics requirement for both the major and the minor
in economics.
A Minor in Economics may be useful especially to students
majoring in business or public administration, health services
management or law. The Economics Minor is attractive to many
students, often effectively supplementing their majors or enhancing
overall undergraduate education. Employers and graduate professional schools view the minor in economics favorably.
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ECONOMICS • 185
Graduation with Honors
General Economics Concentration (36 units)
An undergraduate student may be a candidate for graduation with
Honors in Economics provided the student meets the following
criteria:
A. Common Core Requirements (18 units)
B. Lower Division Required Courses (3 units)
1. A minimum of 36 units in residence at CSU Dominguez
Hills;
2. A minimum GPA of at least 3.5 in all courses used to satisfy
the upper-division requirements in the major;
3. Recommendation by the faculty of the Economics Department.
Bachelor of Arts in Economics
Total Course Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree
See the "Requirements for the Bachelor's Degree" in the University
Catalog for complete details on general degree requirements. A
minimum of 40 units, including those required for the major, must
be upper division.
Elective Requirements
Completion of elective courses (beyond the requirements listed
below) to reach a total of a minimum of 120 units.
Financial Accounting (3) or
Calculus I (3)
ACC 230.
MAT 191.
C. Upper Division Requirements (15 units)
1. Select three courses from the following (9 units):
ECO 322.
ECO 327.
ECO 330.
ECO 340.
ECO 341.
ECO 345.
2. Select two additional upper division courses in Economics
(6 units).
Quantitative Economics Concentration (40 units)
A. Common Core Requirements (18 units)
B. Lower Division Required Courses (7 units)
CIS 270.
Introduction to Computers & Data Processing (3)
or
Introduction to Computers and
Basic Programming I (3)
Survey of Calculus for Management
and Life Sciences I (4)
CSC 111.
General Education Requirements (54-60 units)
See the "General Education" requirements in the University
Catalog or the Class Schedule for the most current information on
General Education requirements and course offerings.
United States History, Constitution
and American Ideals Requirement (6 units)
See the "United States History, Constitution, and American Ideals"
requirements in the University Catalog. Courses used to satisfy this
requirement do not apply to General Education .
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement
See the "Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement" in the
University Catalog.
Minor Requirements
Student completing this major will need to complete a minor in
another field.
Money and Banking (3)
Public Finance (3)
Labor Economics (3)
International Trade Theory (3)
International Finance (3)
Economic Development (3)
MAT 171.
C. Upper Division Requirements (15 units)
1. Required Course (3 units)
ECO 351.
Introduction to Econometrics (3)
2. Select two courses from the following (6 units):
ECO 322.
ECO 327.
ECO 330.
ECO 340.
ECO 341.
ECO 345.
Money and Banking (3)
Public Finance (3)
Labor Economics (3)
International Trade Theory (3)
International Finance (3)
Economic Development (3)
3. Select two additional upper division courses in Economics
(6 units).
Major Requirements (36-40 units)
Students must select one of the concentrations listed. The
following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are
required of all candidates for this degree.
Common Core Requirements (18 units)
A. Lower Division Required Courses (9 units)
ECO 210.
ECO 211.
ECO 230.
Economic Theory 1A (Microeconomics) (3)
Economic Theory 1B (Macroeconomics) (3)
Statistics for Economists (3)
B. Upper Division Required Courses (9 units)
ECO 310.
ECO 311.
ECO 350.
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (3)
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (3)
Quantitative Economic Analysis (3)
Each student must select one of the concentrations listed below.
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185
Minor in Economics (18 units)
A. Lower Division Requirements (6 units)
ECO 210.
ECO 211.
Economic Theory 1A (Microeconomics) (3)
Economic Theory 1B (Macroeconomics) (3)
B. Upper Division Requirements (12 units)
1. Required Courses (6 units)
ECO 310.
ECO 311.
Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (3)
Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (3)
2. Select one course from the following (3 units):
ECO 322.
ECO 327.
ECO 340.
ECO 341.
ECO 345.
Money and Banking (3)
Public Finance (3)
International Trade Theory (3)
International Finance (3)
Economic Development (3)
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186 • ECONOMICS
3. Select one course from the following (3 units):
ECO 315.
ECO 330.
ECO 350.
American Economic History (3)
Labor Economics (3)
Quantitative Economic Analysis (3)
ECO 351.
ECO 375.
Introduction to Econometrics (3)
Industrial Organization
and the American Economy (3) [I]
The Economics of Urban Areas (3)
Economics of Health (3) [I]
ECO 380.
ECO 384.
[I] = course is infrequently offered
Course Offerings
The credit value for each course in
semester units is indicated for each term by
a number in parentheses following the title.
Departments may indicate the term in
which they expect to offer the course by the
use of: “F” (fall), “S” (spring) or “EOY”
(every other year).
Lower Division
ECO 200 Contemporary Economic Issues
and Problems (3) FS.
An examination of contemporary economic
institutions, issues, and problems as they
affect various groups in our society.
Familiarization with basic analytical tools
and techniques necessary for studying
current issues.
ECO 210 Economic Theory 1A
Microeconomics (3) FS.
Introductory microeconomic theory;
resource allocation, output determination;
production theory, income distribution.
ECO 211 Economic Theory 1B Macroeconomics (3) FS.
Introductory macroeconomic theory;
national income accounting, national
income determination, monetary and fiscal
policy.
ECO 230 Statistics for Economics
(3) S.
Prerequisite: MAT 009 or fulfillment of ELM
requirement.
Introduction to probability theory,
estimation of population proportions,
means, variances, hypothesis tests, statistical
inference and decision-making using
multivariate analysis, basic regression
analysis, and Bayesean techniques; computer
assisted workshops/studies.
Upper Division
ECO 310 Intermediate Microeconomic
Theory (3) FS.
Prerequisite: ECO 210.
Role of prices in product and factor
markets, principles of production and costs,
business behavior under various types of
market structure, general equilibrium and
welfare economics.
ECO 311 Intermediate Macroeconomic
Theory (3) FS.
Prerequisite: ECO 211.
Measurements and analysis of the determinants of national income, employment and
the general price level. Theoretical
foundations of contemporary monetary and
fiscal policies.
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ECO 315 American Economic History
(3) F.
Development of the American economy,
organizational patterns and institutions,
from settlement to the present, with
emphasis on the interaction of social,
political, and economic phenomena.
ECO 350 Quantitative Economic
Analysis (3) F.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 310.
ECO 322 Money and Banking (3) S.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 211.
Nature and functions of money and its
relation to prices; the monetary system of
the United States; the functions of banks,
bank-credit, foreign exchange and monetary
control.
ECO 327 Public Finance (3) F.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 211.
Economic principles underlying public
administration. Concepts of socially
efficient resource allocation and provision
of public goods. Emphasis on fiscal
functions of federal, state and local
governments, the allocation of resources
between government and private use.
Prerequisite: ECO 210 or consent of instructor.
Analysis of supply and demand for labor,
wage determination, investment in human
capital, minimum wage laws and the
economics of collective bargaining. Taught
with either general focus or special focus;
e.g., women, disadvantaged groups and
unions.
ECO 341 International Finance (3) S.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 211.
Analysis of international financial transactions, capital movements, international
financial organizations, balance of payments, key currencies and exchange rates.
Comparison of alternative international
monetary systems.
ECO 345 Economic Development
(3) S.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 211.
Theories of economic development.
Contemporary economic structure of low
income countries. Causes of limited
economic growth. Policy alternatives.
Prerequisites: MAT 009 and ECO 230.
Application of statistical techniques to the
problem of testing the validity of behavioral
relationships suggested by economic theory.
Topics include regression analysis, time
series models, forecasting, and decision
making. Applications performed on the
computer. Two hours of lecture and two
hours of technical activity.
ECO 494 Independent Study (2-3) FS.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 211, and
consent of instructor are recommended.
ECO 340 International Trade Theory (3) F.
Classical and modern theories of international trade, theory and practice of
protection, commercial policies, balance
of payment adjustments and regional trade
organizations.
ECO 351 Introduction to
Econometrics (3) S.
ECO 380 The Economics of Urban
Areas (3) EOY.
Economic factors underlying and following
from the urbanization of modern societies.
Current problems such as urban decay, air
and water pollution, transportation
construction, education, racial concentration,
and city-state and city-federal relationships.
ECO 330 Labor Economics (3) F.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 211.
Construction and application of mathematical models to economic and business
decision-making. Modeling techniques
including the Lagrange multiplier technique,
optimal control theory, and differential
game theory. Two hours of lecture and
two hours of technical activity.
Individual study of some topic or problem
under the supervision of a member of the
Economics Department. Repeatable course.
ECO 495 Special Topics in Economics (3).
A course focusing on selected topics in
economics, such as economics of inflation,
health, education, ecology, oil spills, and risk
and insurance. Repeatable course.
Infrequently Offered Courses
The following courses are scheduled on a
"demand" basis. Students should consult
the department office for information about
the next schedule offering.
ECO 375 Industrial Organization and
the American Economy (3) S.
Prerequisites: ECO 210 and ECO 211.
Current issues of industrial organization,
concentration, and diversification. Anti-trust
policy.
ECO 384 Economics of Health (3) EOY.
Prerequisite: ECO 210 or consent of instructor.
Deals with topics such as supply and
demand for health services, prices and cost
of health care, fiscal resources and allocations, health insurance and methods of
reimbursement, and influences of Medicaid
and Medicare and health care consumption
and delivery.
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