The Economics program at Oxnard College is built primarily around two lower division Economics courses that transfer to all major universities in California and to universities in other states of the U.S. These are the 1) Principles of Microeconomics, and 2) Principles of Macroeconomics. In addition, the program offers a general, more applications-based course in Economics (Contemporary Economic Issues). Beyond these, the Economics program links with other courses at Oxnard College that transfer to major universities to offer students sound educational and career pathways. Students whose transcripts show a strong Economics preparation are valued in the employment market, whether they specialize in Economics, Accounting, Business or Finance, or they choose to combine their study of Economics with a broader preparation and diversify into Political Economy, Public Policy, Urban Studies, Social Economics, Experimental Economics, Environmental Economics, Legal Studies, or any number of other related and expanding academic and career pathways.

An Associate Degree in Economics (AA in Economics) is an alternate pathway (to the AA-T in Economics) that is designed to meet the needs of those students with an inherent interest in the study of Economics, but who have little interest in pursuing a mathematical-business approach as available in the AA-T in Economics. The AA in Economics will permit students to learn Economics with a broader, more multi-disciplinary, perspective. An AA in Economics will synthesize the analytical approach of Economics with applications of economic analysis in other fields of learning such as the social, the political, public policy, urban studies, the experimental, legal studies, environmental studies, and a host of other areas beyond Business or Accounting.

The AA in Economics touts the fact that this pathway enables the student to develop a sound understanding of economic principles and methods, and be able to apply this learning over to other areas of their interest for which many academic and employment opportunities exist in our economy. In this day and age of globalization, the projected relevance of an AA in Economics cannot be underestimated. The increasingly global economy particularly seeks employees with strong training and aptitude in Economics who can also relate and adapt to the broader spectrum of international, political, cultural, and environmental realities.

The AA in Economics options is built around courses that transfer to all major universities. Over the past quarter of a century, Oxnard College students who have completed the core Principles of Micro and Macroeconomics courses have transferred to Stanford U., Yale, Harvard, Columbia, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC San Diego, USC, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, California Lutheran University, and numerous California State Universities, including the California Polytechnic, SLO, CSUN, CSUCI, and CSULB.   

To complete the Associate Degree, students must meet requirements in the major, general education, competency, units, scholarship, and residency. Refer to Earn an Associate Degree and the A.A. or A.S. Degree in Specific Majors sections of this catalog.

General Education requirements: Students will be allowed to choose the general education pattern that best aligns with their educational goals from those offered by Oxnard College including the Oxnard College General Education pattern, CSU GE-Breadth, or IGETC.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• Articulate the difference between micro and macroeconomic theories, and be able to apply these correctly to economic issues and events.
• Demonstrate the ability to critically examine real world economic, political and social issues, with an objective and analytical approach, and the ability to effectively apply economic theories and reasoning to such real world economic and interdisciplinary situations.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate graphs, data, and quantitative analysis, to economic issues and events.
• Demonstrate an awareness of global economic issues and be able to apply economic theories and analyses to issues and events from a global perspective.
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate economic information, ideas and reasoning, in writing, and with the correct use of grammar and sentence structure. This will require evidence of application of the appropriate levels of economic analysis, and be supported by data, quantitative and non-quantitative evidence, and quantitative tools.
• Demonstrate effective critical thinking abilities when examining economic issues as presented in their textbook, books, articles, newspapers, and other written as well as oral sources.
• Demonstrate an ability to conduct disciplined reasoning upon matters pertaining to everyday decisions at the micro and macro levels, and be able to distinguish between analysis and opinion. This will require the ability to draw conclusions from within the constraints of available facts and evidence, and without adding imagined extraneous information.