Bachelor of Arts in Economics
The Bachelor of Arts in Economics provides excellent preparation for graduate and professional school, including law school, and for rewarding careers in consulting, finance, and other private and public sector employment. Specific courses in microeconomic theory, macroeconomic theory, statistics, and mathematical modeling provide students with the tools to analyze and guide the decisions of business firms, consumers, and public policymakers in a variety of market settings. Elective courses add breadth and depth to students' understanding of the basic tools of economic analysis by focusing on their application within specific subfields.
Economics focuses on providing an understanding of how individuals and societies manage their scarce resources people must decide how much they work, what they buy, how much they save, and how they use their leisure time. Most societies use decentralized markets as the primary means of allocating resources, so economics gives students insight into how markets function in coordinating the activities of many diverse buyers and sellers. Economics also analyzes the trends and forces that affect the economy as a whole, including growth in average income, the portion of the labor force that cannot find work, and the rate at which prices are rising or falling.
Requirements
- Fundamentals of Economics I. One (1) course:
- ECON-B 251 Fundamentals of Economics for Business I
- ECON-E 251
- ECON-S 251 Fundamentals of Economics for Business I: Honors
- Fundamentals of Economics II. One (1) course:
- ECON-B 252 Fundamentals of Economics for Business II
- ECON-E 252 Fundamentals of Economics II
- Intermediate Microeconomic Theory. One (1) course:
- ECON-E 321 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
- ECON-S 321 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory: Honors
- Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory. One (1) course:
- ECON-E 322 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
- ECON-S 322 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory: Honors
- Statistics. One (1) course:
- ECON-E 370 Statistical Analysis for Business and Economics
- ECON-S 370 Statistical Analysis for Business and Economics: Honors
- Econometrics. One (1) course:
- ECON-E 371 Introduction to Applied Econometrics
- ECON-E 471 Econometric Theory and Practice I
- ECON-S 371 Introduction to Applied Econometrics: Honors
- Advanced Electives. Three (3) courses:
- ECON-E 327 Game Theory
- ECON-E 331 International Trade
- ECON-E 332 International Monetary Economics
- ECON-E 337 Economic Development
- ECON-E 341 Economics of Labor Market
- ECON-E 344 Health Economics
- ECON-E 351 Law and Economics
- ECON-E 361 Public Finance: Government Spending
- ECON-E 362 Public Finance: Taxation
- ECON-E 364 Environment and Resource Economics
- ECON-E 371 Introduction to Applied Econometrics
- ECON-E 385 Economics of Industry
- ECON-E 386 Soviet-Type Economies in Transition
- ECON-E 390 Undergraduate Seminar in Economics
- ECON-E 392 Seminar in Computational Methods and Econometrics
- ECON-E 401 Machine Learning for Economic Data
- ECON-E 402 Computational Methods In Macroeconomics
- ECON-E 411 Economics of Networks and Market Design
- ECON-E 425 Financial Economics
- ECON-E 427 Seminar in Experimental Economics
- ECON-E 471 Econometric Theory and Practice I
- ECON-E 472 Econometric Theory and Practice II
- ECON-E 490 Advanced Undergraduate Seminar in Economics
- ECON-S 371 Introduction to Applied Econometrics: Honors
- ECON-X 398 Independent Research in Economics
- Free Elective. One (1) course:
- Additional course from the Advanced Electives list.
- ECON-E 303 Survey of International Economics
- ECON-E 305 Money and Banking
- ECON-E 308 Survey of Public Finance
- ECON-E 309 Topics in Economics
- ECON-E 320
- Addenda Requirements*.
- Finite Mathematics. One (1) course:
- MATH-M 118 Finite Mathematics
- MATH-S 118 Honors Finite Mathematics
- Calculus. One (1) course:
- MATH-M 119 Brief Survey of Calculus I
- MATH-M 211 Calculus I
- Finite Mathematics. One (1) course:
- Major GPA, Hours, and Minimum Grade Requirements.
- Major GPA. A GPA of at least 2.000 for all courses taken in the major—including those where a grade lower than C- is earned—is required.
- Major Minimum Grade. Except for the GPA requirement, a grade of C- or higher is required for a course to count toward a requirement in the major.
- Major Upper Division Credit Hours. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed at the 300–499 level.
- Major Residency. At least 18 credit hours in the major must be completed in courses taken through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College Breadth. At least 58 credit hours must be completed in courses from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines outside of the major area.
Major Area Courses
-
Unless otherwise noted below, the following courses are considered in the academic program and will count toward academic program requirements as appropriate:
- Any course at the 100–499 level with the
ECONsubject area prefix—as well as any other subject areas that are deemed functionally equivalent - Any course contained on the course lists for the academic program requirements at the time the course is taken—as well as any other courses that are deemed functionally equivalent—except for those listed only under Addenda Requirements
- Any course directed to a non-Addenda requirement through an approved exception
- Any course at the 100–499 level with the
Exclusions
The following courses cannot be applied toward major requirements or the College Breadth requirement:
- ECON-E 115 Everyday Economics
- ECON-X 373 Internship in Economics
Restrictions
The following restrictions apply to the minimum credit hours required in the major:
- No more than 3 credit hours may count toward the major:
- ECON-E 499 Honors Thesis
- No more than 3 credit hours of the following may count toward the major:
- ECON-X 398 Independent Research in Economics
- No more than 6 combined credit hours of the following may be counted toward major:
- ECON-E 303 Survey of International Economics
- ECON-E 331 International Trade
- ECON-E 332 International Monetary Economics
- No more than 6 combined credit hours of the following may be counted toward major:
- ECON-E 308 Survey of Public Finance
- ECON-E 361
- ECON-E 362 Public Finance: Taxation
This program of study cannot be combined with the following:
- Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Mathematics (ECONMATHBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science (ECONPOLSBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics (MATHECONBA)
- Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Economics (POLSECONBA)
- Interdepartmental Minor in Economics and Political Science (ECONPOLMIN)
- Interdepartmental Minor in Political Science and Economics (POLSECNMIN)
- Minor in Economics (ECONMIN)
- Minor in International Economics (INTECONMIN)
The Bachelor of Arts degree requires at least 120 credit hours, to include the following:
- College of Arts and Sciences Credit Hours. At least 100 credit hours must come from College of Arts and Sciences disciplines.
- Upper Division Courses. At least 42 credit hours (of the 120) must be at the 300–499 level.
- College Residency. Following completion of the 60th credit hour toward degree, at least 36 credit hours of College of Arts and Sciences coursework must be completed through the Indiana University Bloomington campus or an IU-administered or IU co-sponsored Overseas Study program.
- College GPA. A College grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.000 is required.
- CASE Requirements. The following College of Arts and Sciences Education (CASE) requirements must be completed:
- CASE Foundations
- CASE Breadth of Inquiry
- CASE Culture Studies
- CASE Critical Approaches: 1 course
- CASE Foreign Language: Proficiency in a single foreign language through the second semester of the second year of college-level coursework
- CASE Intensive Writing: 1 course
- CASE Public Oral Communication: 1 course
- Major. Completion of the major as outlined in the Major Requirements section above.
Most students must also successfully complete the Indiana University Bloomington General Education program.