Economics

BA in Economics

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

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 Microeconomic Theory (3) 
• ECON-301 Intermediate Macroeconomics (3) or ECON-501 Macroeconomic Theory (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-361 Economic Development
• ECON-362 Microeconomics of Economic Development
• ECON-363 Macroeconomics of Economic Development

• 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.
• Students may take no more than two of the following: 

• ECON-361 Economic Development (3) 
• ECON-362 Microeconomics of Economic Development (3) 
• ECON-363 Macroeconomics of Economic Development (3) 

• 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

To graduate with University Honors, students must be admitted to the University Honors Program, maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.50, and receive grades of B or better in all University Honors course work. There are three levels of University Honors course requirements: Level I (100-200-level); Level II (300-level and above); and Level III (Honors Capstone Project). The department Honors coordinator advises students in the University Honors Program regarding requirements for graduating with University Honors in the major.  For more information, go to the University Honors Program.

Combined BA or BS and MA 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 BA or BS in Economics and the MA 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 MA status only after they have completed all requirements for the BA or BS in Economics with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher. 
• All requirements for the BA or BS 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 MA 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.