What are the differences between the Department of Economics degree paths?
The Department of Economics offers two undergraduate major degree paths: BA and BS. Both degrees will prepare you for positions in business, finance, law, and public service, among others!
The BA program is designed for students who plan to pursue careers directly after graduation, though it will also prepare students for possible graduate study in a related field. It offers a broad mix of economic theory and empirical analysis, with the purpose of preparing students to enter a broad range of careers having developed the necessary skills to understand and analyze many of the important questions facing us today. The BA degree path complements studies in other fields such as political science, philosophy, mathematics, and social science, among others.
The BS program is STEM designated and emphasizes developing the mathematic and econometric skills that are increasingly in demand today. Students are offered the opportunity to practice conducting economic analysis in a number of important fields, including finance, health, labor, and education. Due to this quantitative focus and the slightly more rigorous course of study, the BS program is good preparation for entry into analytical positions or for graduate programs in economics.
BA in Economics | BS in Economics | |
|---|---|---|
| Math Requirement | MTH 121, MTH 131, OR MTH 141 | MTH 121, MTH 131, OR MTH 141 |
| Required Courses | ECO 380 Economic Statistics and Data Analysis ECO 405 Microeconomic Theory 1 ECO 407 Macroeconomic Theory ECO 480 Econometrics 1 | ECO 181 Introduction to Macroeconomics ECO 182 Introduction to Microeconomics ECO 380 Economic Statistics and Data Analysis ECO 405 Microeconomic Theory 1 ECO 406 Microeconomic Theory 2 ECO 407 Macroeconomic Theory ECO 426 Financial Economics ECO 443 Labor Economics ECO 451 Mathematics for Economists ECO 461 Econ. Forecasting and Fluctuations ECO 467 Economics and Game Theory ECO 469 Industrial Organization ECO 480 Econometrics 1 ECO 481 Econometrics 2 |
Economics Upper-Level Elective Requirements | Five additional 400-level ECO courses
These cannot include ECO 495 and ECO 496. A maximum of 3 credits may be from ECO 499 Independent Study or ECO 498 Undergraduate Research. | Five additional 400-level Economics courses selected from:
ECO 411 Health Economics ECO 412 Environmental Economics ECO 416 Economic Development ECO 421 Urban Economics ECO 434 International Finance ECO 435 International Economics ECO 440 Economics of Education ECO 455 Information and Internet Economics ECO 468 Economics of Sports ECO 464 Public Economics ECO 485 Big Data and Machine Learning ECO 493 Topics in International Economics |
Any-level Economics Electives | Eight credits of Economics at any level including ECO 495 and ECO 496
Maximum of three credits from either ECO 495 Undergraduate Supervised Teaching or ECO 496 Internship in Economics |
|
| Total Economics Credits | 35 | 59 |
All upper-level elective credits must be completed at the University at Buffalo.
Math Recommendations: It is recommended that students considering graduate studies in economics take MTH 141, MTH 141, and additional mathematics courses, particularly MTH 309 Introduction to Linear Algebra and MTH 431 Introduction to Real Variables I.