Major Options
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The
Department of Economics offers majors in economics and
mathematics-economics (in cooperation with the Math Department).
We also participate in two interdisciplinary concentrations: Women's and Gender Studies
and Environmental
Studies.
Curricular Goals
Our economics curriculum seeks to foster students' intellectual
development in four areas: greater competence in the fundamentals
of economic theory; the development of quantitative and communication
skills for economic analysis and presentation; familiarity with
economic processes, policies, and institutions; and acquaintance with
critical perspectives on both economic theory and institutions.
Within this broad framework, students can assemble courses to highlight
concentrations of study in international economics, policy analysis,
and business and finance, and to prepare for graduate programs in
business, law, public policy, and economics.
Economics Major
The course requirements for the economics major are as follows:
ECN-111: Introduction to Economics
ECN-225: Statistics
ACC-111: Principles of Financial Accounting
ECN-331: Empirical Methods in Economics
ECN-345: Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECN-346: Intermediate Microeconomics
Three additional courses economics numbered 200 or higher, excluding
the internship course, ECN-503.
ECN-475: Senior Seminar in Economics
MTH-141 or 150: Calculus I
Most students who major in economics or mathematics-economics begin by
taking Introduction to Economics (ECN-111). This course
introduces
basic microeconomic and macroeconomic principles and their
applications, and it helps students begin to develop the "economic way
of thinking" about "real world" problems. Majors also take a
calculus course (MTH-141 or 150) in their freshman or sophomore year.
The second economics course that most of our majors take is an
economics
elective course numbered 200 or higher, which gives students additional
exposure to
economic reasoning and helps them discover whether economics is a good
fit for them, given their interests and talents. Students whose
interest continues beyond the first elective course typically take
statistics (ECN-225) next. This prepares the student to enter the
"core"
of the major: Empirical Methods in Economics (ECN-331), Intermediate
Macroeconomic Analysis (ECN-345) and Intermediate Microeconomic
Analysis
(ECN-346). Together, these three courses constitute the
analytical "backbone" of the economics major. Majors finish with
the capstone course, Senior Seminar (ECN-475), which is typically taken
in the spring of the senior year and has as pre-requisites Empirical
Methods in Economics (ECN-331), Intermediate
Macroeconomic Analysis (ECN-345) and Intermediate Microeconomic
Analysis
(ECN-346).
Principles of Financial Accounting (ACC-111) must be taken as well. The
timing of this course depends on the student's interests. A student who
is interested in taking Finance or Investments Management in the
Business and Accounting Department, for example, should take
ACC-111 sometime in the sophomore or junior years, since accounting is
a pre-requisite for Finance, and Finance is a pre-requisite for
Investments Management. Students who are more interested in the policy
applications of economics may wait until their senior year to take
accounting.
In addition to the core, economics majors complete two additional
economics electives courses (for a total of three) numbered 200
or higher (excluding the internship course, ECN-503). Course
numbers
and titles for our economics electives appear below:
224 Law and Economics
233 Economics of Gender
234 Urban Economics (4)
235 Population, Economy, and Society (4)
236 Economics of the Environment (4)
238 Public Finance (4)
241 Money and Banking (4)
242 Health Economics (4)
243 Economic Growth and Development (4)
247 History of Economic Thought (4)
248 Government and Business (4)
249 Asian Economics (4)
250 Labor Economics (4)
251 Economics of China (4)
252 International Trade Theory and Policy (4)
356 Managerial Economics (4)
357 Quantitative Methods for Business and Economics
(4)
To graduate with a major in Economics, students must have at least a
2.0 grade-point average for all economics courses used to satisfy the
major requirements.
Choosing Economics
Electives
Students should consider carefully which economics electives seem most
interesting or most relevant for their future plans. A student
interested in international business, foreign service, or
international law, for example, might wish to take the economics
electives that have an international flavor: Economic Growth and
Development (ECN-243), Asian Economics (ECN-249), or International
Trade (ECN-252).
A student interested in domestic policy issues might wish to take
Economics of Gender (ECN-233), Urban Economics (ECN-234), Population,
Economy, and Society (ECN-235), Public Finance (ECN-238), Government
and
Business (ECN-248), or Labor Economics (ECN-250).
A student interested in business might wish to take Urban Economics
(ECN-234), Money and Banking (ECN-241), Government and Business
(ECN-248),
Labor Economics (ECN-250), and Managerial Economics (ECN-356).
A typical student's course plan might look something like this:
Economics Major
|
Fall
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Spring
|
Freshman
|
Introduction to
Economics (ECN-111)
|
ECN Elective
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Sophomore
|
Calculus I
(MTH-141
or 150)
ECN Elective
|
Statistics
(ECN-225)
|
Junior
|
Empirical Methods
in Economics (ECN-331)
Intermediate Macro (ECN-345)
|
Intermediate Micro
(ECN-346) |
Senior
|
Financial
Accounting (ACC-111)
ECN Elective
|
Senior Seminar
(ECN-475) |
Mathematics-Economics
Major
The Mathematics-Economics major is similar to the economics major in
that students must complete Introduction to Economics (ECN-111); a
calculus course (MTH-141 or 150); an economics elective numbered 200 or
higher (excluding 503 and 225); and the economics "core," which
consists of Empirical Methods
in Economics (ECN-331), Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis (ECN-345),
and Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis (ECN-346); and Senior Seminar
in
Economics (ECN-475).
The statistics requirement for mathematics-economics majors is
satisfied by Probability (MTH-340) and Mathematical Statistics
(MTH-341). Note that ECN-225 is NOT a requirement for the
mathematics-economics major, but students who wish to take it as an
addition free elective for graduation may do so.
Mathematics-Economics majors are not required to take accounting
(ACC-111) or additional economics electives, but must instead take
Analytic
Geometry and Calculus II (MTH-151), Vectors and Matrices (MTH-160),
Vector Calculus (MTH-250), and one elective from
Differential Equations (MTH-255), Discrete Mathematics (MTH-260),
Mathematical Models and Applications (MTH-335), and Real Analysis
(MTH-450). A course in operations research is currently being
discussed, and may be added to the list of accepted math electives for
the Mathematics-Economics major.
To graduate with a major in Mathematics-Economics, students must have
at least a 2.0 grade-point average for all math courses and a 2.0
grade-point average for all economics courses taken (excluding ECN-100
(10)) and mathematics courses enrolled (excluding MTH-110 (16), 241
(30), 301 (32), and 302 (33) and the retired MTH-31 and 55).
A Mathematics-Economics course schedule might look something like the
following:
|
Fall
|
Spring |
Freshman
|
Calculus I
(MTH-141
or 150) |
Calculus II
(MTH-151)
Intro to Econ (ECN
111)
|
Sophomore
|
ECN Elective
Matrices (MTH-160)
|
Intermed. Micro
(ECN 346)
Vector Calculus (MTH-250)
|
Junior
|
Probability
(MTH-340)
Intermed. Macro (ECN 345) |
Math Statistics
(MTH-341)
Empirical Methods
in Econ (ECN 331) |
Senior
|
Differential
Equations (MTH-255)
|
Senior Seminar
(ECN-475) |
Declaring a Major
If you have questions about the economics major or
mathematics-economcis major, contact any faculty member in
the Department of Economics. To declare a major in economics,
contact Ken Peterson in
the Department of Economics. To declare a major in
mathematics-economics, contact Marty
Cook, Chair of the Mathematics Department. It is advisable
for mathematics-economics students to request an advisor in both the
math and economics departments.
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