Economics, B.A.

Requirements for the Interdepartmental Major in Economics:

Additional Requirements

Majors and Interdepartmental majors should normally complete the core sequence of ECO 241 , ECO 242 , and ECO 243  by the beginning of the junior year. This will allow sufficient time to take upper-level courses prior to the senior thesis. Majors and Interdepartmental majors who have reached the junior year may not enroll in courses numbered below 240, except ECO 123  . Students may not count toward the major more than one elective that does not list ECO 101   as a prerequisite. Also, students may not count toward the major more than one internship-related course.

Majors and Interdepartmental majors must have a minimum grade of C in each of the courses in the core sequence of ECO 241 , ECO 242 , and ECO 243  by the beginning of the senior year before taking ECO 498 -ECO 499 , or IDM 498 -IDM 499  with Economics as one component. Students receiving a grade lower than C in any of the core sequence of ECO 241 , ECO 242 , and ECO 243  may repeat the core course only once. This requirement applies to students matriculating in Fall 2013 and beyond.

Majors and Interdepartmental majors taking ECO 498 -ECO 499 , or IDM 498 -IDM 499  with Economics as one component, must pass an oral defense of their senior thesis proposal before enrolling in ECO 499  or IDM 499 .

Students interested in economics might also consider the Quantitative Economics track or a major in Managerial Economics. Students planning graduate study in economics or business are advised to take additional courses in mathematics or consider the Quantitative Economics track as their advisors recommend.

Requirements for Honors:

To earn departmental honors in economics, participants in the program must (1) have a minimum grade average of 3.3 or higher in ECO 241 , ECO 242 , and ECO 243 ; (2) be nominated for honors by the department at the end of the first term of thesis work; (3) pass an honors oral examination on their senior thesis in the second term of thesis work; (4) earn a minimum of “A minus” on the senior thesis; (5) receive approval of the final thesis from the honors oral examination committee; and (6) participate in the department’s honors seminar. In addition, the student must satisfy all College requirements for departmental honors.

Course Selection Guidelines

Course Sequence: Students intending to major in economics should take ECO 101  in the first year, and complete MTH 101  or MTH 110  in the first year if possible, early in the sophomore year if not. They should also take one or more 200-level electives in the first or second year, since these courses are not open to junior and senior majors. In the sophomore year they should take the core ECO 241 -ECO 242 -ECO 243  sequence; the sequence need not be taken in numerical order but ECO 243  should normally not be taken first. Majors should complete several 300-level elective courses as juniors prior to enrolling in senior thesis, including where possible courses in the area of economics in which the thesis will be written; interdepartmental majors should complete at least one such course in the junior year, and preferably more.

Placement: The economics department gives credit for ECO 101  to students receiving a score of 5, 6, or 7 on the Higher Level International Baccalaureate exam, a grade of A or B on the economics A-levels, and a score of 4 or 5 on both the AP Microeconomics and Macroeconomics exam, but does not give credit for ECO 101  to students who have taken only one of the two AP exams, regardless of the score received.

Prerequisites: ECO 101  is a prerequisite for all courses in the department, unless otherwise indicated.