A student can earn either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics through the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences or a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BS in BA) in Business Economics through the Williamson College of Business Administration. Either degree may be earned in eight semesters if students average 15 hours per semester.
The economics major is designed to prepare students for careers both in the public and private sectors and for additional study in the field of economics. Economics graduates are qualified for a wide variety of positions in the financial sector and jobs in business and government. Students frequently use a major in economics as preparation for law school. Graduates choosing to pursue additional study in economics have been very successful in gaining admission to graduate and doctoral programs.
To earn the BA degree, the student must satisfy all the degree requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and take 32 semester hours of coursework from the Department of Economics.
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Core Competencies | 9 | |
| Writing 1 | ||
| Writing 2 | ||
| Communication Foundations | ||
| Mathematics Requirement | 4 | |
| Applied Mathematics for Management | ||
or MATH 1570 | Applied Calculus 1 | |
or MATH 1571 | Calculus 1 | |
| Arts and Humanities | 6 | |
| Natural Sciences (2 courses, 1 lab) | 7 | |
| Social Science | 6 | |
| Social and Personal Awareness | 6 | |
| General Education Elective / First-Year Experience | 3 | |
| Foreign Language Requirement | 8 | |
Foreign Language 1550 | ||
Foreign Language 2600 | ||
| Minor (or double major) minimum of 18 s.h. | 18 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| Economics courses at the 1500 level cannot be counted towards the major. | ||
| In addition to the required courses below, students must take 12 hours of upper-division Economics electives. | ||
| ECON 2610 | Principles 1: Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 2630 | Principles 2: Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 3710 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 3712 | Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 3790 | Statistics for Business and Economics | 5 |
| ECON 4880 | Analysis of Economic Problems | 3 |
All students must complete a 120 semester hours, 48 hours must be upper-division (courses at the 3700 level or higher)
Students intending to apply for PhD programs in economics should consider taking the following:
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 1571 | Calculus 1 | 4 |
| MATH 1572 | Calculus 2 | 4 |
| MATH 2673 | Calculus 3 | 4 |
| MATH 3720 | Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory | 3 |
NOTE: This schedule is intended solely to illustrate that it is possible for a “typical” student to complete the BA in Economics in four years. The coursework any individual student needs to take will differ. Specifically, the coursework required will vary depending on the mathematics courses you have already taken when you start the degree. Some students will need to take additional courses prior to taking MATH 1510 College Algebra while other students may have already taken a course in calculus and would not need to take either MATH 1510 College Algebra or MATH 1552 Applied Mathematics for Management . The coursework taken will also depend on a student’s career goals. It is extremely important that you meet with an advisor to discuss your career aspirations and which courses you personally will need to take.
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3 |
| MATH 1510 | College Algebra | 4 |
| Natural Science and Lab (Gen Ed) | 4 | |
| First-Year Experience | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ECON 2610 | Principles 1: Microeconomics (fulfills the General Education Social Science requirement) | 3 |
| MATH 1552 | Applied Mathematics for Management (Required for major, students intending to pursue graduate work should take MATH 1571) | 4 |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| CMST 1545 | Communication Foundations | 3 |
| Social and Personal Awareness (Ged Ed) | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| ECON 2630 | Principles 2: Macroeconomics (fulfills the General Education Social Science requirement) | 3 |
| ECON 3790 | Statistics for Business and Economics (Required for major) | 5 |
| Natural Science (Gen Ed) | 3 | |
| Foreign Language 1550 | 4 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ECON 3710 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (Required for major) | 3 |
| Minor (Required for minor) | 3 | |
| Minor (Required for minor) | 3 | |
| Foreign Language 2600 | 4 | |
| Arts and Humanities (Gen Ed) | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| ECON 3712 | Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (Required for major) | 3 |
| Minor (Required for minor) | 3 | |
| Social and Personal Awareness (Gen Ed) | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities (Gen Ed) | 3 | |
| Elective | 2 | |
| Semester Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ECON 37XX or higher (Required for major) | 3 | |
| ECON 37XX or higher (Required for major) | 3 | |
| Minor 37XX or higher (Required for minor) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX or higher | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| ECON 4880 | Analysis of Economic Problems (ECON Capstone) | 3 |
| ECON 37XX or higher (Required for major) | 3 | |
| Minor 37XX or higher (Required for minor) | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX or higher | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX or higher | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective 37XX or higher | 3 | |
| ECON 37XX or higher (Required for major) | 3 | |
| Minor 37XX or higher (Required for minor) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120 | |