Economics (BA in Economics)
The Economics Program
Economics is a social science that studies how incentives shape the actions of consumers, firms, and other organizations in both market and non-market settings. Economists also examine how the larger economy works by studying productivity, employment, inflation, and growth. The tools of economics include conceptual modeling of behavior and statistical analysis of data.
The program in economics offers courses that provide a valuable component of a liberal education as well as providing a foundation for careers after completion of the BA degree, for graduate work in economics and for enrollment in professional programs such as law, business, urban and regional planning, and public policy. The BA in Economics is a STEM degree (i.e., categorized among Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). For additional information on the program see the Undergraduate Program section of our department website.
Core requirements
All majors are required to take the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 101 | Principles: Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 102 | Principles: Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 303 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 304 | Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 307 | Principles and Methods of Statistics | 3 |
| ECON 308 | Econometrics | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Brief Calculus with Applications | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Calculus I for Life Sciences | ||
| Electives | 18 | |
| Total Hours | 40 | |
Additional Information
Students are required to take at least 30 credit hours in ECON courses numbered 300 or above, of which at least 9 semester hours must be taken in courses numbered 400 or above.
Major Computing Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 308 | Econometrics | 3 |
Major Writing Requirement
The Major Writing Requirement may be satisfied by completing one of the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 341 | American Economic History | 3 |
| ECON 342 | Global Economic History | 3 |
| ECON 380 | Experimental Economics | 3 |
| ECON 400 | Topics in Economics | 3-4 |
| ECON 409 | Research Methods in Experimental Economics | 3 |
| ECON 411 | Advanced Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 412 | Empirical Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 413 | Applied Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 414 | Bayesian Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 416 | Capital Markets and Portfolio Choices | 3 |
| ECON 425 | Energy Economics | 3 |
| ECON 446 | History of Economic Thought | 3 |
| ECON 449 | American Economic Mobility Over Two Centuries | 3 |
| ECON 451 | Labor Market Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 452 | The Economics of Gender and Work | 3 |
| ECON 453 | Poverty in America | 3 |
| ECON 458 | Seminar on the Economics of Higher Education | 3 |
| ECON 460 | Economic Analysis of Law | 3 |
| ECON 463 | Entrepreneurial Choice and Industrial Policy | 3 |
| ECON 465 | Benefit-Cost Analysis and Evaluation Methodology | 3 |
| ECON 478 | Empirical Macroeconomics with Micro Data | 3 |
| ECON 484 | Economics of Growth | 3 |
| ECON 490 | Independent Study | 3-4 |
| ECON 495 & ECON 496 | Honors and Honors | 6 |
Students may use BUAD 231 Business Statistics, MATH 106 Elementary Probability and Statistics, MATH 351 Probability and Statistics for Scientists, or SOCI 303 Quant Research Methods in place of ECON 307 Principles and Methods of Statistics, but these courses do not count as credit hours toward the Economics major.