The interfield degree in Political Science and Economics is an interdisciplinary degree in political economy. The program combines courses from the departments in the Division of Politics and Economics.

Students must be accepted by both departments. One department will serve as the student’s primary department and dictate the field to be listed first on the student’s diploma at graduation–whether Political Science and Economics or Economics and Political Science.

Admission requirements are detailed in the Admission  section of the Bulletin.

Degree Requirements

Coursework.  A minimum of 80 units are required, composed of a core, a methods minor field, a political science concentration, and an economics field of study.

Research Tools.  Satisfactory completion of research tool requirements through our core quantitative methods courses.

Qualifying Exams.  A modified qualifying exam structure takes into account requirements of the two programs.

• Economics: Successful completion of the Interfield Microeconomics qualifying exam and a qualifying exam in the major field of study.
• Political Science: Successful completion of a qualifying exam in the chosen concentration

Dissertation.  Students must successfully defend a dissertation proposal and successfully defend a dissertation that meets the rigorous methodological standards of and draws from both fields.  Refer to the Doctoral Degree Regulations  section of the Bulletin for policies and procedures.

University Policies.  University policies detailed in the Academic Policies  section of the Bulletin apply.

Core Courses (24 units)

Political Economy

Required Courses:

• SP&E 411 -  International Political Economy 
• SP&E 418 -  Political Economy of International Development 

Economics

Required Courses:

• ECON 313 - Microeconomic Analysis
• ECON 302 - Macroeconomics I

Two of the following, with approval of the field advisor.

• SP&E 315 - Game Theory
• ECON 316 - Consumer Theory and General Equilibrium
• ECON 317 - Game Theory and Asymmetric Information
• SP&E 317 - Advanced Formal Models
• ECON 303 - Advanced Macroeconomics

Methods Sequence (16 units)

Choose one of the following four-course statistical sequences.

Track 1

• A class in the Nature of Scientific Inquiry (see your advisor for details)
• ECON 381 - Probability and Statistics for Econometrics
• ECON 382 - Econometrics I
• ECON 383 - Econometrics II or ECON 384 - Time Series Econometrics

Track 2

• A class in the Nature of Scientific Inquiry (see your advisor for details)
• PP 481 -  Quantitative Research Methods
• PP 482 - Advanced Quantitative Research Methods
• PP 487 - Applied Data Analysis 

Field Options (40 units)

Nine courses or 40 units are required according to the following distribution.  

Political Science (20 units)

The Faculty of Political Science requires a minimum of five (5) courses to complete a field (20 units). Here is a list of fields available:

• American Politics
• Comparative Politics
• Political Philosophy - additional units may be required; consult the political philosophy advisor
• Public Policy
• World Politics
• International Political Economy
• Methods
• Computational Analytics

Economics (20 units)

• Applied Microeconomics (see your advisor)
• International Economics (see your advisor)