Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires a grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and the approval of the department undergraduate advisor. The department counsels freshmen and transfer students. 

University Requirements

• A total of 120 credit hours 
• 6 credit hours of college writing 
• 3 credit hours of college mathematics or the equivalent by examination 

General Education Requirements

• A total of ten courses, consisting of one foundation course and one second-level course in an approved sequence from each of the five curricular areas 
• No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in the same discipline 

Tracks

General or International 

Major Requirements

• 37 credit hours with grades of C or better 
• For the International track, demonstration of intermediate level or higher competence in one modern foreign language 

Course Requirements

Core (19 credit hours)

• ECON-100 Macroeconomics 4:1 (3) 
• ECON-200 Microeconomics 4:2 (3) 
• ECON-300 Intermediate Microeconomics (3) 

or 

ECON-500 Microeconomics (3) 

• ECON-301 Intermediate Macroeconomics (3) 

or 

ECON-501 Macroeconomics (3) 

• One of the following: 

ECON-480 Research Seminar in Economics (3) 

ECON-491 Internship (3) 

ECON-492 Internship in Teaching Economics (3) 

Study abroad course with emphasis in economics or political economy at the 300-level or higher (3) 

• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) 

General

• 18  credit hours in economics courses (ECON-xxx) at the 300 level or above 

Students may take no more than two of the following:
ECON-370 International Economics 

ECON-371 International Economics: Trade 

ECON-372 International Economics: Finance 

One course at the 300 level may be taken outside of the Economics Department with the advisor’s approval if the course is closely related to economics.  

No more than 6 of these credit hours may be fulfilled by Washington Economic Policy Semester courses or  economics courses from study abroad programs.  

No more than 3 credit hours of independent reading and study courses, internships, and co-ops may be used to satisfy this requirement. 

International

• ECON-371 International Economics: Trade (3) 
• ECON-372 International Economics: Finance (3) 
• One of the following: 

ECON-351 Comparative Economics Systems (3) 

ECON-358 Economics of the World Regions (3) (topics) 

ECON-361 Economic Development (3) 

ECON-362 Microeconomics of Economic
Development (3) 

ECON-363 Macroeconomics of Economic Development (3) 

ECON-552 Economics of Transition (3) 

• One of the following: 

IBUS-300 Fundamentals of International Business (3) 

SIS-385 International Economic Policy (3) 

SIS-465 International Trade and Investment Relations (3) 

SIS-466 International Monetary and Financial Relations (3) 

• 6 credit hours of additional economics courses (ECON-xxx) at the 300 level or above, excluding ECON-370 International Economics 

No more than 6 credit hours may be fulfilled by Washington Economic Policy Semester courses or economics courses from study abroad programs. 

No more than 3 credit hours of independent reading and study courses, internships, and co-ops may be used to satisfy this requirement. 

University Honors Program

All University Honors students must complete at least 12 credit hours of advanced-level (300-level and above) Honors courses including a 3 to 6 credit hour Honors Senior Capstone Project. Students may graduate with University Honors in the major if they complete at least 12 advanced-level Honors courses including the Senior Capstone Project in the department. Each department has three levels of University Honors requirements: Level I Options (100-200-level Honors classes); Level II Options (300-level and above Honors classes); and Level III Options (Honors Senior Capstone). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding departmental options. For more information, go to www.american.edu/academic.depts/honors/ . 

Combined B.A. or B.S. and M.A. in Economics

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its accelerated bachelor’s/master’s programs. Undergraduate students may complete up to 3 credits for every 9 credits required for the graduate degree that may be applied to the requirements for both degree programs. The department that oversees the graduate program the student enters will determine if the courses the undergraduate student completes will satisfy master’s degree requirements. Bachelor’s/master’s students must complete at least 18 in-residence credit hours at the graduate level after the bachelor’s degree is earned and maintain continuous, sequential enrollment in the two programs. 

This program enables qualified students to earn, in a continuous plan of study, both the B.A. or B.S. in Economics and the M.A. in Economics. 

Requirements

• Interested students should apply to the program in their junior year. Students in this program will not be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students will be admitted formally to M.A. status only after they have completed all requirements for the B.A. or B.S. in Economics with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher. 
• All requirements for the B.A. or B.S. in Economics 

Undergraduate students may apply up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate-level course work in economics to satisfy the requirements of both degrees. 

• All requirements for the M.A. in Economics, including a minimum of 18 credit hours completed in residence in graduate status after the undergraduate degree has been awarded. Students must finish the master’s degree requirements within three years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program.