Department of Economics — Requirements

The Major

All economics majors are required to take ECON 101,102, 201, 202, and 205, and to attain a grade of at least C- in each of them. Majors are further required to take six elective courses within the department. At least one of these electives must be a “field” course, and at least two must be “alternative approach” courses. A “field” course is one that offers a broad survey of a major field of applied economics. (Field courses are designated with double asterisks below.) An “alternative approach” course is one that gives a systematic and thorough treatment of an approach or approaches to economics other than the traditional neo-classical/Keynesian approach. (Alternative approach courses are designated with single asterisks below.) One of these 6 electives must also be a 400-level capstone course. Capstones require completion of a substantial research paper or a similarly challenging significant integrative project. Each student must achieve a GPA of at least 2.0 in all economics courses in order to graduate as an economics major.

The Minor

All minors in economics are required to take a total of six economics courses, including ECON 101-102. No more than two transfer courses may be counted toward the minor.

Honors Thesis

Senior economics majors who have the appropriate prerequisites can write an honors thesis. The awarding of honors will be determined by the thesis advisor and a second reader. See the ECON 489 and 490 course descriptions for details.

Mathematics Requirement

ECON 101 (Introduction to Microeconomics) and 102 (Introduction to Macroeconomics) have as a prerequisite MATH Q114, MATH 115, or the equivalent (e.g., placement out of MATH Q114/MATH 115 by examination). Almost all other economics courses have either ECON 101 or 102 or both as a prerequisite; students must therefore have MATH Q114, MATH 115, or the equivalent prior to taking almost any economics course. Also, the other three courses required of all economics majors (ECON 201, 202, and 205) all have the following math prerequisite: MATH 129 (or 130) or placement into MATH 135 (or 140).

The Pass/Fail Option

Economics majors may use the pass/fail option for departmental electives, but not for the required courses (ECON 101, 102, 201, 202, and 205). Economics majors who are considering taking an economics elective course pass/fail are strongly encouraged to talk with their faculty advisors before making a final decision.

Transfer Credit Policy

By permission of the department, and subject to University regulations, major credit may be given for up to five courses taken at other institutions.