Economics - transfer major
Faculty Adviser
Peter Cunningham: 503-491-7023 | Room AC2677 | Peter.Cunningham@mhcc.edu
Economics studies how wealth (or “goods and services”) is produced, consumed, and transferred. Students who take EC201 and EC202 at MHCC report that it improved their critical thinking skills.
Those who want to pursue a four year degree in economics should work with their transfer college and an MHCC adviser. These students can continue to law school, business, political science, and more.
Transfer Outcomes
The primary objective of MHCC's transfer programs is to fulfill general education requirements and prepare students for transferring to bachelor's degree programs. MHCC identifies the following core institutional outcomes as program outcomes for its transfer programs:
- Communication
- Cultural competence
- Quantitative reasoning and analysis
- Information literacy
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Skills to promote personal wellness
- Civic and social responsibility
Students interested in pursuing the Economics major can complete the following courses toward the Social Science requirement and/or electives on the AS (recommended if pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree), ASLA (recommended if pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree),AST-Business, AAOT, or AGS degrees. Students are highly encouraged to work with a university transfer adviser to choose the right courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EC201 | Principles of Economics I: Microeconomics (Course offered online) | 4 |
| EC202 | Principles of Economics II: Macroeconomics (Course offered online) | 4 |
Transfer Schools
The following examples show how a student can complete an AS degree while also taking economics courses. Students should work with their MHCC adviser, and their preferred transfer college, to pick the right classes. Not all courses are offered every term. Click on a course number to see what term(s) the course is typically offered. While students are welcome to start classes at MHCC in any term, many plans in the catalog are meant to start in fall term unless otherwise noted.
- Full time = 12 or more credits per term; takes 6 to 7 terms to complete.
- 3/4 time = 9 to 11 credits per term; takes about 8 to 10 terms to complete.
- Part time = 6 to 8 credits per term; takes about 11 to 13 terms to complete.
Sample Plan (full time)
| First Quarter | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| WR121Z | Composition I (Course offered online) | 4 |
| Oral Communication | 3-4 | |
| Electives / university requirements | 6-8 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Second Quarter | ||
| MTH111Z | Precalculus I: Functions (Course offered online) | 4 |
| WR122Z or WR227Z |
Composition II (Course offered online) or Technical Writing (Course offered online) |
4 |
| Arts & Letters | 3-4 | |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Third Quarter | ||
| MTH112Z | Precalculus II: Trigonometry | 4 |
| Health & Physical Education | 3 | |
| Electives / university requirements | 8 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Quarter | ||
| EC201 | Principles of Economics I: Microeconomics (Course offered online) (fulfills Social Science requirement) | 4 |
| MTH251 | Calculus I: Differential Calculus | 5 |
| Arts & Letters | 3-4 | |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Fifth Quarter | ||
| EC202 | Principles of Economics II: Macroeconomics (Course offered online) (fulfills Social Science requirement) | 4 |
| STAT243Z | Elementary Statistics I (Course offered online) | 4 |
| Electives / university requirements | 7-8 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Sixth Quarter | ||
| STAT244 | Elementary Statistics II | 4 |
| Electives, if needed to reach 90 credits | 10 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Total Credits | 90-91 | |
Sample Plan (part time)
| First Quarter | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| WR121Z | Composition I (Course offered online) | 4 |
| Oral Communication | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 7-8 | |
| Second Quarter | ||
| WR122Z or WR227Z |
Composition II (Course offered online) or Technical Writing (Course offered online) |
4 |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Third Quarter | ||
| Arts & Letters | 3-4 | |
| Health / Physical Education | 3 | |
| Elective / university requirement | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 10 | |
| Fourth Quarter | ||
| Electives / university requirements | 8 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Fifth Quarter | ||
| EC201 | Principles of Economics I: Microeconomics (Course offered online) (fulfills Social Science requirement) | 4 |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Sixth Quarter | ||
| EC202 | Principles of Economics II: Macroeconomics (Course offered online) (fulfills Social Science requirement) | 4 |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Seventh Quarter | ||
| MTH111Z | Precalculus I: Functions (Course offered online) | 4 |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Eighth Quarter | ||
| MTH112Z | Precalculus II: Trigonometry | 4 |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Ninth Quarter | ||
| MTH251 | Calculus I: Differential Calculus | 5 |
| Arts & Letters | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 9 | |
| Tenth Quarter | ||
| STAT243Z | Elementary Statistics I (Course offered online) | 4 |
| Elective / university requirement | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Eleventh Quarter | ||
| STAT244 | Elementary Statistics II | 4 |
| Elective / university requirement | 4 | |
| Credits | 8 | |
| Total Credits | 90-91 | |
EC115 Introduction to Economics (Course offered online)
Credits 3Fall/Winter/Spring
Registration Requirement: RD090 and WR090, or IECC201R and IECC201W; and MTH020; each with a grade of "C" or better, or placement above stated course levels.
An introduction to the basic economic activities of producing, exchanging, consuming, saving and investment for the purpose of preparing a student for the utilization of economics to real-life experiences. This course provides specific examination of the role of economics in the fields of agriculture/natural resources; mechanics and transportation; business and computer technologies; health and human services; engineering technologies; construction and design; and communication technologies. Business administration transfer students should not take the course.
This course fulfills: Human Relations; Social Science
View Course Outcomes:
- Comprehend the impact of economic events on careers, the workplace and lifelong learning
- Define and describe the economic activities (producing, exchanging, consuming, saving and investing) of individuals, companies, labor and government, along with the interdependence of these entities
- Demonstrate critical-thinking and decision-making skills on cases drawn from the workplace
- Describe the role of the market system in a global economy
- Interpret relatively commonplace economics events through the study and application of everyday economic concepts
- Students will have a better understanding of fiscal and monetary policy at the end of course.
EC201 Principles of Economics I: Microeconomics (Course offered online)
Credits 4Summer/Fall/Winter/Spring
Registration Requirement: RD090 and WR090, or IECC201R and IECC201W; and MTH020; each with a grade of "C" or better, or placement above stated course levels. Recommended requisite: Sophomore standing.
This course examines the market system including essentials of demand and supply analysis, perfectly competitive and imperfectly competitive product and labor markets, international trade and obstacles to international trade, and applications of microeconomic theory to public policy and current social issues.
This course fulfills: Human Relations; Social Science
View Course Outcomes:
- Apply marginal analysis to a consumer decision-making model
- Demonstrate how the law of comparative advantage can be applied to international trade and trade-related policies
- Identify the basic problems of scarcity and how the prices are determined in a market system, using supply and demand analysis
- Identify where the market system does not provide correct solutions to problems of externalities and public goods
- Illustrate how businesses can apply marginal analysis to decisions about production, pricing, and promotion, under conditions of perfectly competitive and imperfectly competitive markets
EC202 Principles of Economics II: Macroeconomics (Course offered online)
Credits 4Summer/Fall/Winter/Spring
Registration Requirement: EC115 or EC201; or instructor consent.
This course explores the factors affecting the level of national income, the essentials of money and banking, the role of government expenditure and taxation in achieving economic stability and growth, and international monetary issues including exchange rates and the balance of payments.
This course fulfills: Human Relations; Social Science
View Course Outcomes:
- Describe the international economy and its major elements including balance of payments, exchange rates and monetary fiscal policy in an open economy
- Differentiate various theories and how the national economy operates and the problems that arise involving the national economy
- Identify fiscal and monetary policies and how they can be used to help increase economic stability and promote economic growth
- Recognize various issues involved with the macro economy including, but not limited to taxation, budget deficits and national debt
- Using appropriate terminology, describe the basics of the U.S. economy, how income and production are measured, the use and abuse of economic data
Online option regularly offered
Cultural Literacy course