B.A. Requirements | B.S. Requirements | Minor Requirements | Courses | Advisors | Undergrad Awards | Policies | Handbook| Selected Issues and Policies| Program of Distinction in Economics |

1. Satisfy the Quantitative Skills requirement of the A&S Liberal Arts core and do so before taking ECN 301.

2. Satisfy principles with 203 or equivalent. 

3. Complete ECN301 (or 311) and 302.

4. Complete six additional upper-division electives numbered 300 or higher, including two electives that have 301(311) or 302 as a prerequisite and excluding 365 and 470

Total: 24 Upper-division course credits and principles of economics. An overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher is required in the 24 upper-division course credits. 

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A) Degree in Economics

The requirements for a B.A. Degree in economics are shown in the box above. The Department faculty recommends that Arts and Sciences students take MAT 194 and 284 or MAT 285 and 286 (or higher level calculus levels) to satisfy their Quantitative Skills requirement in the A&S Core. (Note that MAT 285 or 286 or 295 will also satisfy three of the twelve credits needed to fulfill the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Divisional Perspectives area of the Arts and Sciences Core.) If you are interested in being invited to join Phi Beta Kappa, please note that you must demonstrate mastery of a foreign language to be eligible.

The Department faculty further recommends that economics students take either ECN521 (Economic Statistics) or the statistics sequence STT 101 (Introduction to Statistics) and MAX 201 (Quantitative Methods). Note that ECN 521 can be used simultaneously as one of the six upper-division courses required for the BA in economics and is required of students pursuing the BS in economics.

Students enter the major by completing ECN 203, Economics Ideas and Issues. Advanced placement courses and transfer credit fro introductory microeconomics and introductory macroeconomics may also be used to satisfy the principles of economics requirement.

ECN 311 (Intermediate Mathematical Microeconomics) is a more mathematical version of the ECN301 (Intermediate Microeconomics) course. ECN 311 is recommended for students who have done well in calculus and who like to work with mathematical concepts. Credit toward the economics major can be given for only one of these two courses.

An economics faculty major advisor is available to help you select elective courses in economics that suit your academic interests and career goals. ECN 365 (The World Economy) and ECN 470 (Experience Credit) may not be used to satisfy economics major requirements. ECN 365 is designed for non-majors. Students may use up to three credits of independent study (ECN 490) toward their major requirements. Students in the Economics Program of Distinction may use ECN 495 and 496 toward their major requirements.

The economics department applies a two-thirds rule to upper-division economics courses. Two-thirds of the upper-division course work in economics must be taken at Syracuse University or its affiliate programs, such as the Division of International Programs Abroad. In practical terms, for the B.A. degree, no more than two upper-division courses may be taken at another university or college and applied to the economics major at Syracuse.