Economics, BA

Chair:

Stuart Rosenthal
110 Eggers Hall
315-443-3612

Faculty

Merima Ali, Elizabeth Ashby, Badi Baltagi, Kristina Buzard, Carmen Carrion-Flores, Gary V. Engelhardt, Alfonso Flores-Lagunes, William Horrace, Hugo Jales, Andrew Jonelis, Leyla Karakas, Jeffrey D. Kubik, Derek Laing, Yoonseok Lee, Chung-Chin (Eugene) Liu, Mengxiao (Michelle) Liu, Michael Lorenzo, Mary E. Lovely, Devashish Mitra, Inge O'Connor, Jan Ivar Ondrich, Stuart S. Rosenthal, Alexander Rothenberg, Amy Ellen Schwartz, Abdulaziz Shifa, Perry Singleton, Aron Tobias, Yulong Wang, John M. Yinger, Maria Zhu

Economists analyze the internal functioning of markets and market outcomes. While modern economics focuses on market forces, markets function imperfectly in some cases and that introduces scope for policy action. Our curriculum emphasizes the application of economics to the study of public policy issues and the role of government in a market economy. Examples include analysis of international trade and relations, economic behavior in the workplace, health care, taxation, and numerous other spheres of a global economy. Students who major in economics prepare themselves for a variety of careers. Some move on to graduate study in economics and become professional economists; the majority, however, pursue careers in law, public policy, government, and many aspects of business, including banking and financial analysis, management, and marketing. Consequently, some students choose to pursue double majors and dual degrees. Further information on these programs is available in the Academic Rules and Regulations section of this catalog or in the economics department office.

The department offers both the B.A. degree in economics as well as a STEM-designated B.S. degree in economics. The B.A. has a liberal arts focus and emphasizes the applied and policy aspects of economics. The B.S. is attractive to the more mathematically oriented student.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Correctly define advanced/field specific level economics vocabulary

2. Correctly utilize advanced/field specific level economics vocabulary

3. Effectively identify the applications of advanced/field specific level graphical economic tools and analytic techniques

4. Independently choose and effectively utilize appropriate advanced/field specific level economic graphical analysis to policy analysis

Major Requirements

To Earn a B.A. in Economics

A student becomes an economics major after consulting with an economics advisor on a plan and course of study and bringing them to the department office for approval. To earn a B.A. in economics, a student:

1. Quantitative Skills Requirement

MAT 284 - Business Calculus
Students must earn a grade of C or higher in MAT 284

2. Completes 6 credits of Principles of Economics

(ECN 101 and ECN 102 ) OR (ECN 101 and ECN 203 )

3. Completes 21 credits of Upper-division Economics Courses including:

ECN 301 - Intermediate Microeconomics or
ECN 311 - Intermediate Mathematical Microeconomics
ECN 302 - Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECN 422 - Introduction to Statistics and Econometrics
Credit will not be given for both ECN 422 and ECN 521 .

Four other upper-division electives in economics

Upper-division electives are ECN 300 or higher, (excluding ECN 301 , ECN 302 , ECN 303 , ECN 311 , ECN 365 , ECN 422 , ECN 470 and ECN 521 ), including at least two courses that have a prerequisite of:

ECN 301 - Intermediate Microeconomics or
ECN 311 - Intermediate Mathematical Microeconomics or
ECN 302 - Intermediate Macroeconomics
Credit will not be given for both ECN 422 and ECN 521 .

Additional Information

In all, 27 credits of economics courses are required.

The Economics Department applies a two-thirds rule to the upper-division economics courses (item 3 above). Two-thirds of the upper-division coursework must be taken at Syracuse University or its affiliate programs, such as SU Abroad. In practical terms, no more than two of the upper division courses may be taken at another college or university and applied to the B.A. economics major at Syracuse University.

Graduation with a B.A. in economics requires an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher in 21 credits of upper-division economics courses.

Scheduling

It is recommended that students sequence their courses in the following manner:

The Principles of Economics (ECN 101 and or and ) and the Calculus quantitative skills requirement should be completed by the end of the sophomore year or earlier.
The quantitative skills requirement is a prerequisite for the intermediate theory courses (( or ) and ).
The intermediate theory courses (( or ) and ) are the prerequisite courses for and many of upper-division electives. For this reason, it is important that students complete their intermediate coursework by no later than the fall of their junior year or earlier.
Students should complete and at least two upper-division electives in economics by the end of their junior year or earlier.

Substitutions

Courses not listed in the above plan and/or taken outside Syracuse University will not be counted toward the fulfillment of economics degree requirements except upon the approval of a petition. Such petitions should be approved before the substitution course is taken, unless it was completed while the student was regularly enrolled in the school or college in which the course was offered. For management students with a second major in economics, may be used as a substitute for . Credit is not given for both and .

Curriculum Suggestions

Students who are more analytically inclined or interested in graduate school should plan to take /, and take rather than . In addition, they may wish to take and as upper-division economics electives.

Students planning to enter law school after graduation may find , and of particular interest, while those who plan to pursue graduate degrees in management may want to choose from , , and . Students pursuing an international specialty might be interested in (Economic Development), , and . Students preparing a public sector specialty might find of particular interest. Those with a human resources interest should select . Those interested in macroeconomic theory should consider .

The School of Management allows economics majors to take one course per semester in the School of Management. These courses are counted as general electives and not as economics or arts and sciences electives.