2014-15 Catalogs
BA in Economics
The undergraduate program in economics provides practical preparation for a variety of careers as well as for graduate study in economics, business administration, public policy, and law. Economics is a social science and as such is best studied in the context of broader exposure to the liberal arts and sciences.
Economics is a marketable liberal arts degree. Liberal arts majors (social sciences and humanities) develop excellent writing and research skills, and increase a student's knowledge of the world. These majors also help students build a stronger and more informed sense of identity and values. Economics at USM also provides students critical thinking and analytical (including statistical) skills.
Program Requirements
Choose either Track A (48 or more credits) or Track B (55 or more credits); both tracks have the same major prerequisites and major requirements.
Track A is recommended for students interested in a traditional liberal arts economics education.
Track B is recommended for students interested in graduate study in economics or related policy fields.
ECO 120 satisfies the Quantitative Reasoning Core curriculum requirement; all other 100-level Economics courses satisfy a second-tier Core curriculum requirement.
Note that only one course carrying the prefix ECO can be used to satisfy both Core curriculum and economics major requirements.
Major Prerequisites (6 credits)
ECO 101 Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECO 102 Introduction to Microeconomics
Major Requirements (9 credits)
ECO 301 Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECO 302 Intermediate Microeconomics
ECO 303 Political Economy
Track A:
Other Requirements (9 or more credits)
ECO 103 Critical Thinking About Economic Issues
Select one of the following courses:
MAT 120 Introduction to Statistics
MAT 380 Probability and Statistics
Select one of the following courses:
ECO 305 Research Methods in Economics
MAT 105 Mathematics for Quantitative Decision Making
MAT 108 College Algebra
MAT 140 Pre-Calculus Mathematics
MAT 152 Calculus A
MAT 153 Calculus B
Major Electives (24 or more credits)
Select any five economics major elective courses numbered 200 or above, from the following list of economics elective courses:
ECO 220 U.S. Economic and Labor History
ECO 305 Research Methods in Economics
ECO 310 Money and Banking
ECO 312 U.S. Economic Policy
ECO 315 Economic Development
ECO 316 Case Studies in International Development
ECO 319 Macroeconomics: Debt and Finance
ECO 321 Understanding Contemporary Capitalism
ECO 322 Economics of Women and Work
ECO 323 U.S. Labor and Employment Relations
ECO 325 Industrial Organization
ECO 326 Environmental Economics
ECO 327 Natural Resource Economics
ECO 328 Rural and Regional Economic Development
ECO 330 Urban Economics
ECO 333 Economics and Happiness
ECO 335 The Political Economy of Food
ECO 340 History of Economic Thought
ECO 350 Comparative Economic Systems
ECO 370 International Economics
ECO 380 Public Finance and Fiscal Policy
ECO 381 State and Local Public Finance
ECO 399 Special Topics in Economics
ECO 450 Readings in Economics
ECO 490 Independent Readings and Research in Economics
Students who select ECO 305 under Other Requirements above cannot also use that course to satisfy this major elective requirement.
Select three additional economics electives from the above list of economics electives, or up to three courses from the following list of acceptable courses offered by other departments:
BUS 260 Marketing
BUS 335 International Business
CRM 216 White-Collar Crime
FIN 330 International Financial Management
GEO 303 Economic Geography
MAT 252 Calculus C
MAT 290 Foundations of Mathematics
MAT 295 Linear Algebra
POS 340 The Politics of Developing Nations
SWO 350 Social Welfare Policy
WST 365 Topics in Women, Gender, and Institutions II
WST 465 Topics in Women, Gender, and Institutions III
Track B:
Other Requirements (16 or more credits)
ECO 305 Research Methods in Economics
MAT 152 Calculus A
MAT 153 Calculus B
Select either:
MAT 281 Introduction to Probability
and MAT 282 Statistical Inference
OR
MAT 264 Statistical Software Packages
and MAT 380 Probability and Statistics
Major Electives (24 or more credits)
Select any five economics elective courses numbered 200 or above (excluding those ECO courses taken to fulfill requirements listed above), from the list of economics elective courses under Track A above.
Select three additional economics elective courses from the above list of economics electives, or up to three courses from the following list of acceptable courses offered by other departments. Students may also propose other upper-level courses for Economics Department approval if adequate justification is presented.
MAT 252 Calculus C
MAT 290 Foundations of Mathematics
MAT 295 Linear Algebra
MAT 350 Differential Equations
MAT 366 Deterministic Models in Operations Research
MAT 383 System Modeling and Simulation
MAT 460 Mathematical Modeling
MAT 485 Introduction to Applied Regression
FIN 320 Basic Financial Management
FIN 326 Financial Modeling
FIN 327 Investment Management
FIN 330 International Financial Management
GEO 303 Economic Geography
GEO 305 Remote Sensing
GEO 308 GIS Applications I
GEO 408 GIS Applications II
ESP 200 Environmental Planning
ESP 305 Community Planning Workshop
Admission Information
To be eligible for a degree, a student must complete 120 credit hours fulfilling the University's Core curriculum requirements and all requirements for the major.