Economics Department: Goals and Objectives

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In our department brochure, "Economics and Your career," the structure of the major is explained and various academic tracts are described. We also encourage all students to take both 209 and 210 if they plan to seek employment as economists or go on to a graduate program in either economics or business administration. To reach the most advanced levels, students must demonstrate a command of intermediate level theory and empirical methods. At the advanced level they must show an ability to apply these skills creatively to sub-fields of their choice within the discipline.

Majors are required to take two introductory level courses, three core 200-level courses and at least three 300-level courses. They must then elect at least three more courses at the 200- or 300-level in order to fulfill the requirement of at least 11 units of graded work. At the 100-level, students are expected to learn basic economic concepts and applications to public policy, along with the vocabulary of economics? At the 200-level, students must demonstrate command of standard theory and analytical tools in the core requirements of the major. In 200-level courses outside the core, students will explore a variety of fields within economics and must demonstrate the ability to apply introductory level theory, usually in the analysis of some area of economic policy. Higher-level mathematics are rarely employed. By the 300-level, we expect students to have mastered core theory and statistical method, and to demonstrate their ability to apply it rigorously in their choice of fields. At the 300-level, instructors are free to set pre-requisites, including in mathematics, to ensure that students will be capable of sophisticated exploration of advanced topics.

There is no longer a senior exercise required of all majors. However, the Senior Thesis remains an optional capstone experience which figures importantly in determining honors in the major. Students planning to write a thesis register for the Senior Seminar, Economics 305/6. The first part of the first semester's work is group meetings in which students are helped to design and organize their thesis work.