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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Prerequisites | MTH 121 or 131 or 141 | MTH 121 or 131 or 141 |
| Required Courses | ECO 380 Economic Statistics and Data Analysis ECO 405 Microeconomic Theory ECO 407 Macroeconomic Theory ECO 480 Econometrics I | ECO 181 Introduction to Macroeconomics ECO 182 Introduction to Microeconomics ECO 380 Economic Statistics and Data Analysis ECO 405 Microeconomic Theory ECO 406 Topics in Microeconomics 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 I ECO 481 Econometrics II |
Economics Upper-Level Electives | Five additional 400-level ECO courses
Excludes: ECO 495 Undergraduate Supervised Teaching ECO 496 Internship in Economics
Maximum of three credits from either ECO 498 Undergraduate Research or ECO 499 Independent Study | Five additional 400-level ECO courses, chosen 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 470 Economics of Regulation ECO 485 Big Data and Machine Learning ECO 493 Topics in International Economics |
Any-level Economics Electives | Eight credit hours at any level, including ECO 495 and 496
Maximum of three credits from either ECO 495 Undergraduate Supervised Teaching or ECO 496 Internship in Economics |
|
Permitted Substitutions for ECO 380 | MTH 411/STA 301 and MTH 412/STA 302 GEO 211 CIE 308 | MTH 411/STA 301 and MTH 412/STA 302 GEO 211 CIE 308 |
| Total Economics Credits | 35 | 59 |