Economics / Accounting Joint Honours Component (B.A.) (60 credits)
Offered by: Management (Desautels Faculty of Management)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Program credit weight: 60
Program Description
The B.A. Joint Honours in Economics and Accounting is offered jointly by the Economics Department and the Desautels Faculty of Management. Students in this program should see an Economics adviser and a Management adviser. For the economics part, they should consult: http://www.mcgill.ca/economics/undergraduates/honours. For the current list of advisers in Economics and their advising times, see the website of the Department of Economics. For the Management component of this Joint Honours program, students should see the Honours program adviser in the Desautels Faculty of Management.
All Joint Honours students should consult the Economics Honours and Joint Honours programs at http://www.mcgill.ca/economics/undergraduates/honours.
The B.A. Joint Honours in Economics and Accounting requires the completion of 30 specified credits of Honours economics courses and 30 specified credits for Accounting.
Continuation from one year to the next in the Economics part of this Joint Honours program requires a minimum grade of B- in ECON 250 , and a minimum B- average in the required and complementary Honours Economics courses. Note that graduation with Honours has more stringent requirements than these (see below).
For graduation with Honours in the Economics component, a student must obtain a 3.00 GPA in the required courses, a 3.00 average in the required and complementary credits in Economics, and a CGPA of 3.00. For a First Class Honours degree, the minimum requirements are a 3.50 program GPA in the required courses, a 3.50 average in the required and complementary credits in Economics, and a CGPA of 3.50. In cases where a student takes a Supplemental Exam in an Economics course, both the initial and the Supplemental Exam grades will be counted in the calculation of the GPA and CGPA averages.
For the Management part of this program, students also have to meet the requirements of the Faculty of Management for Honours and First Class Honours.
To earn Honours in Economics and Accounting, the Faculty of Management requires that students must achieve a grade of B- or better in all courses of the Accounting component of this program.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Program Prerequisites (0-10 credits)
For entering the program:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 133 | Linear Algebra and Geometry. 1 | 3 |
Linear Algebra and Geometry. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Systems of linear equations, matrices, inverses, determinants; geometric vectors in three dimensions, dot product, cross product, lines and planes; introduction to vector spaces, linear dependence and independence, bases. Linear transformations. Eigenvalues and diagonalization. | ||
| MATH 140 | Calculus 1. 2 | 3 |
Calculus 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Review of functions and graphs. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications. | ||
| MATH 141 | Calculus 2. 2 | 4 |
Calculus 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025 The definite integral. Techniques of integration. Applications. Introduction to sequences and series. | ||
- 1
Or equivalent (to be completed prior to U2)
- 2
Or equivalent
Economics - Required Courses (27 credits)
For the regulations governing courses in statistics, please refer to the Department's document "Rules on Stats Courses for Economics Students" available on the following website: http://www.mcgill.ca/economics/undergraduates/courses/. Students who have taken equivalent statistics courses may be waived the ECON 257D1 Economic Statistics - Honours./ECON 257D2 Economic Statistics - Honours. requirement. These students will normally be required to take ECON 469 Econometrics 2 - Honours. in addition to ECON 468 Econometrics 1 - Honours..
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 250D1 | Introduction to Economic Theory: Honours. | 3 |
Introduction to Economic Theory: Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intermediate level microeconomics course. Includes theory of exchange, theory of consumer behaviour, theory of production and cost curves, theory of the firm, theory of distribution; general equilibrium and welfare economics. The assumptions underlying the traditional neo-classical approach to economic theory will be carefully specified. | ||
| ECON 250D2 | Introduction to Economic Theory: Honours. | 3 |
Introduction to Economic Theory: Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See ECON 250D1 for course description. | ||
| ECON 257D1 | Economic Statistics - Honours. | 3 |
Economic Statistics - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Stochastic phenomena; probability and frequency distributions, introduction to probability theory. Statistical inference about proportions, means and variances; analysis of variance; nonparametric statistics; index numbers and time series; economic forecasting; regression and correlation analysis; introduction to general linear models, its uses and limitations; uses and misuses of statistics. | ||
| ECON 257D2 | Economic Statistics - Honours. | 3 |
Economic Statistics - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See ECON 257D1 for course description. | ||
| ECON 353 | Macroeconomics - Honours 1 . | 3 |
Macroeconomics - Honours 1 . Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Basic macroeconomic theory, emphasizing the Classical and Keynesian ideas for the short-run determination of output, employment, interest rates and prices in the economy. | ||
| ECON 354 | Macroeconomics - Honours 2. | 3 |
Macroeconomics - Honours 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Elements of international economics, money and banking and growth theory. The structure of the Canadian economy. | ||
| ECON 450 | Advanced Economic Theory 1 - Honours. | 3 |
Advanced Economic Theory 1 - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected topics in economic theory from recent periodical and monograph literature. | ||
| ECON 452 | Advanced Economic Theory 2 - Honours. | 3 |
Advanced Economic Theory 2 - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Selected topics in economic theory from recent periodical and monograph literature. | ||
| ECON 468 | Econometrics 1 - Honours. | 3 |
Econometrics 1 - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The statistical basis of econometric modelling and treatment of the linear regression model; simple time series models; procedures for inference in linear cases; an introduction to methods for dealing with endogeneity and non-constant variance. | ||
Notes:
- Three of the 6 credits for ECON 250 are counted in the Management Core, where it replaces MGCR 293 Managerial Economics..
- Three of the 6 credits for ECON 257 are counted in the Core, where it replaces MGCR 271 Business Statistics..
- Three of the 6 credits for ECON 353 Macroeconomics - Honours 1 . and ECON 354 Macroeconomics - Honours 2. are counted in the Core, where it replaces ECON 295 Macroeconomic Policy..
Economics - Complementary Courses (3 credits)
3 credits selected from the following Economics courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 460 | History of Thought 1 - Honours. | 3 |
History of Thought 1 - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The evolution of economic thought prior to the close of the 19th century, as reflected in the writings of prominent economists from the time of Adam Smith to the emergence of marginalism and neoclassical economics. | ||
| ECON 461 | History of Thought 2 - Honours. | 3 |
History of Thought 2 - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The evolution of economic thought in the 20th century, as reflected in the writings of prominent economists on equilibrium, dynamics, games, expectations, econometrics, industrial structure, economic policy and other primary areas of interest. | ||
| ECON 469 | Econometrics 2 - Honours. | 3 |
Econometrics 2 - Honours. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Treatment of asymptotic theory and classical inferential procedures, an introduction to the bootstrap, maximum likelihood, non-linear models, mis-specification testing, non-stationarity and limited dependent variable models. | ||
Accounting - Required Courses (18 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 351 | Intermediate Financial Accounting 1. | 3 |
Intermediate Financial Accounting 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 An examination of the theoretical foundation for financial reporting and revenue recognition. The tools of accounting, including a review of the accounting process and compound interest concepts. Asset recognition, measurement and disclosure. Partnership accounting. | ||
| ACCT 352 | Intermediate Financial Accounting 2. | 3 |
Intermediate Financial Accounting 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A continuation of Intermediate Financial Accounting 1. An examination of liability recognition, measurement and disclosure, including leases, pension costs and corporate income tax. Shareholders' equity, dilutive securities and earnings per share. The statement of changes in financial position, basic financial statement analysis and full disclosure in financial reporting. | ||
| ACCT 361 | Management Accounting. | 3 |
Management Accounting. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The role of management accounting information to support internal management decisions and to provide performance incentives. | ||
| ACCT 455 | Development of Accounting Thought. | 3 |
Development of Accounting Thought. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The conceptual underpinning of accounting thought, including its historical development and the modifications that have occurred over time. A review of accounting literature and its relevance to practice. | ||
| MGCR 211 | Introduction to Financial Accounting. | 3 |
Introduction to Financial Accounting. Terms offered: Summer 2025 The role of financial accounting in the reporting of the financial performance of a business. The principles, components and uses of financial accounting and reporting from a user's perspective, including the recording of accounting transactions and events, the examination of the elements of financial statements, the preparation of financial statements and the analysis of financial results. | ||
| MGCR 341 | Introduction to Finance. | 3 |
Introduction to Finance. Terms offered: Summer 2025 An introduction to the principles, issues, and institutions of Finance. Topics include valuation, risk, capital investment, financial structure, cost of capital, working capital management, financial markets, and securities. | ||
Accounting - Complementary Courses (12 credits)
12 credits of Accounting courses selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ACCT 354 | Financial Statement Analysis. | 3 |
Financial Statement Analysis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Interpretative nature of the conceptual framework underlying a multitude of financial reporting standards, including the impact of alternative accounting methods, management biases and stakeholder interests in the analysis and valuation of the firm. | ||
| ACCT 362 | Cost Accounting. | 3 |
Cost Accounting. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of a number of recurring issues in the area of decision-making and control, including cost allocation, alternative costing systems, and innovations in costing and performance measurement. | ||
| ACCT 385 | Principles of Taxation. | 3 |
Principles of Taxation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the concepts underlying the Canadian tax system and how they are applied in relation to the taxation of individuals and businesses. | ||
| ACCT 452 | Financial Reporting Valuation. | 3 |
Financial Reporting Valuation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Models to determine firm value from accounting information and a broader perspective on key sources of information, key value drivers, in a setting where evaluating firm value is the ultimate purpose. | ||
| ACCT 453 | Advanced Financial Accounting. | 3 |
Advanced Financial Accounting. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Reporting relevant financial information subsequent to long term intercorporate investments. The preparation of consolidated financial statements with emphasis on their economic substance rather than legal form. | ||
| ACCT 463 | Management Control. | 3 |
Management Control. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The theoretical frameworks for the examination and evaluation of management accounting and control systems. The technical aspects of accounting along with behavioural issues of management control. | ||
| ACCT 475 | Principles of Auditing. | 3 |
Principles of Auditing. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to basic auditing concepts and internal controls of an accounting system. Topics include current auditing standards, ethical conduct, legal liability, planning of an audit, sampling techniques, non-audit engagements, the study and evaluation of internal controls in an accounting system. | ||
| ACCT 486 | Business Taxation 2. | 3 |
Business Taxation 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the Income Tax Act as it applies to the taxation of individuals and corporations, including capital cost allowances, capital gains, corporate reorganisations, trusts and partnerships and administrative regulations. A review of consumption taxes. | ||