Economics – Bachelor of Arts

Succeed as a professional in the private, not-for-profit or public sector. Learn how the economy affects our everyday life, culture, and environment.

Where you can study

Auckland campus
Distance and online
Manawatū campus (Palmerston North)

International students

International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.

Definition of New Zealand citizens and residents

Open to international students on campus in New Zealand, or studying online outside New Zealand

Specialise in Economics for your Bachelor of Arts at Massey

Get skills for your personal and professional development

There's much more to economics than you might think. With a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) at Massey, you will look at:

  • how businesses decide what to produce and how many people to employ
  • investigating how people decide what to consume
  • big-picture world economics. 

Economics is concerned with how to allocate scarce resources with competing outcomes. You’ll get a good understanding of the implications of the choices made.

A BA (Economics) degree from Massey will help you in your own decision-making. It will also help you better understand developments in the economy and society in general. It offers ways of thinking about the world that enable you to make the best of what you have and improve on it.

Take a flexible approach to your degree

Massey's Bachelor of Arts (Economics) gives you flexibility in the subjects you study. You will gain a strong grounding in the core elements of micro and macro-economics. You will build on this by choosing from a selection of other subjects (electives), including:

  • quantitative methods
  • international economics
  • international trade in agri-food products
  • natural resource and environmental economics
  • land economics
  • development economics.

Be sought-after by employers

Massey's economics qualifications have been acknowledged by employers for its quality and content. When you complete your degree, you can join our graduates with jobs in prestigious organisations in New Zealand and around the world. Our graduates are sought-after by major public and private sector employers.

A Bachelor of Arts in Economics is a good fit if you:

  • are interested in the effects the economy has on our everyday life, culture and the environment
  • want to figure out how to make the world a better place
  • want a strong grounding in economics to take into the workplace.

Planning information

If you study full time, in the first year you’ll take eight 15-credit courses, making a total of 120 credits.

If you wish to study over two semesters, you should aim for 60 credits per semester. You may be able to take some courses at summer school if you wish. Make sure you include courses that are prerequisites for the next level of courses you wish to study.

You need to pass five courses at 300-level for your BA. One of these (230310) is in the compulsory core and three are required for your major. If you are not taking a double major or a minor, you will need to take one 300-level elective course to meet this requirement.

About this major

An Economics major consists of 120 credits (eight courses).

Minor

Completing a minor is optional. Minors increase the breadth of your degree. They give you extra knowledge, attributes and capabilities.

A minor must be in a different subject from your major.

A Bachelor of Arts (Economics) with a minor

You may choose a minor from the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business or Bachelor of Science. If the minor is from another degree the regulations of that programme will apply.

All BA majors can be taken as minors and there are also some additional minor-only subjects.

An economics minor (for students who are studying a different degree) 

If you are not studying towards a BA (Economics) and wish to complete a minor in economics see the BA regulations for requirements.

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Undergraduate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas, Undergraduate Certificates, Graduate Diplomas and Graduate Certificates.

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.

Courses you can enrol in

Course planning key

Prerequisites
Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites
Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions
Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Core courses for the Bachelor of Arts

As well as the specialisation courses listed below, this qualification has core courses that you will need to complete.

Bachelor of Arts core courses

Economics courses

Compulsory courses

Choose 60 credits from
Course code: 115113 Economics for Business 15 credits

The course examines the nature of the contemporary economic environment in which businesses operate, and considers how economics can aid in business decision-making.

Restrictions: 115106

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Course code: 178200 Macroeconomics 15 credits

The development and application of macroeconomic models to globally-oriented economies, and the assessment of real-world policy problems from a practical perspective.

Prerequisites: 178100 or 115113

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Course code: 178201 Microeconomics 15 credits

The development and application of models of consumer optimisation, producer behaviour, and competition in markets.

Prerequisites: 115113 or 115106

View full course details
Course code: 178312 Globalisation and Trade 15 credits

An examination of selected economic concepts to the operation of global trade, agribusiness and financial markets.

Prerequisites: 115113 or 119180 Restrictions: 178352 and 178358

View full course details

Subject courses

Choose at least 15 credits from
Course code: 178230 The Economics of Human Behaviour 15 credits

An in-depth exploration of people's real-world decision-making processes with insights from psychology and other behavioural sciences.

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Course code: 178280 Regression and Predictive Analysis 15 credits

An introduction to regression and predictive analysis, using real world data to provide actionable insights that aid organisational decision-making processes.

Prerequisites: 115113 or 115109

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Choose at least 15 credits from
Course code: 178300 Macroeconomic Policy and Applications 15 credits

This course incorporates financial markets into macroeconomic models and analyses government policies that address current macroeconomic events.

Prerequisites: 178200

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Course code: 178301 Competition and Industry 15 credits

The modelling of microeconomic decision-making of competing firms in industries, with application to real-world issues.

Prerequisites: 178201

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Choose at least 15 credits from
Course code: 178360 Sustainability, Environmental and Climate Change Economics 15 credits

A survey of environmental and climate change issues and the application of economic analysis to these issues and policies to achieve sustainable outcomes.

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Course code: 178370 Development Economics 15 credits

An examination of major development problems and issues, both domestic and international, from a combined economic theory, empirical and policy-oriented perspective.

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Course code: 178380 Business Forecasting 15 credits

Specification and estimation of business models for policy analysis and forecasting. Treatment of common problems encountered in real world data analysis using econometric models.

Prerequisites: 178220 or 178280 Restrictions: 178321 and 178320

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Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Specific requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (Economics), outside of university admission regulations.

English language requirements

To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.

If you have already completed a bachelor degree

If you have already completed a bachelor degree you may replace 230111 Tū Kupu: Writing and Inquiry or 230112 Tū Arohae: Critical Thinking with courses of your choice. You will need to apply for replacement courses via a Special permission request in your portal and you will need to attach evidence of your completed degree with the request.

English language skills

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.

Can't meet the entry requirements?

If you need to do a course before you start your qualification, there may be options for you in Summer School.

Fees and scholarships

Fees, student loans and free fees scheme

Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.

There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Already know which courses you're going to choose?

You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.

Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.

Scholarship and award opportunities

Search our scholarships and awards

Fees disclaimer

This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.

Careers and job opportunities

The skills and knowledge of trained economists are highly sought-after by the public and private sector, large and small firms, large international agencies, schools and universities, economic policy-makers and social organisations.

You might work in roles such as:

  • agricultural economist
  • business analyst
  • economic consultant
  • energy research officer
  • environmental economist
  • health economist
  • international economist
  • microeconomics analyst.

The Treasury, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and the World Bank all recruit economics graduates. But your BA (Economics) can also be the gateway to employment in many other areas, such as management, planning, politics, education, finance and banking, journalism or the media. You can design your economics major to meet your own interests and career objectives.

International students

New Zealand is a great place to study. Massey University’s reputation is supported by our international rankings, accreditations and associations. We are rated five star plus by the QS World University Rankings.

Massey University has small class sizes, and our lecturers and staff are friendly and approachable.

As an international student, there are entry requirements that will apply to you. We recommend that you apply at least three months before your anticipated start date so your application can be processed in time. There are additional steps you will need to take. These include obtaining a visa and travel bookings if your study is to be in New Zealand.

Accreditations and rankings

QS Ranking - Economics and Econometrics

Massey University is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as one of the top 350 universities for economics and econometrics.

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ShanghaiRanking – Business Administration

Massey University is ranked #2 in New Zealand for business administration by ShanghaiRanking.

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