2014-15 Catalogs

BS 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.

The B.S. curriculum is recommended for students interested in a liberal arts economics education with greater stress on business and quantitative skills. 

Under Other Requirements, choose either Track A (49 or more credits) or Track B (53 or more credits); both tracks share the same major prerequisites, major requirements and some of the other requirements.

Track A is recommended for students interested in an economics education with a quantitative business emphasis.

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

Other Requirements (16 or more credits)

Select two of the following courses (both Track A and Track B):
     BUS 260 Marketing
     BUS 335 International Business
     BUS 340 Managing Organizational Behavior
     BUS 361 International Marketing
     BUS 365 Consumer Behavior
     BUS 385 Entrepreneurship and Venture Formation
     FIN 320 Basic Financial Management
     FIN 326 Financial Modeling
     FIN 327 Investment Management
     FIN 330 International Financial Management

 Track A:
    
     ACC 110 Financial Accounting Information for Decision Making
     MAT 210 Business Statistics
     BUS 275 Applied Business Analysis

Track B:

     ACC 110 Financial Accounting Information for Decision Making
     MAT 152 Calculus A
     MAT 153 Calculus B
     MAT 380 Probability and Statistics

Major Electives, for both Track A and Track B (18 or more credits)

Select any five economics 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

Select one additional economics elective from the above list of economics electives, or one additional elective from the following list of acceptable courses offered by other departments:
     BUS 370 Management Science
     FIN 320 Basic Financial Management
     FIN 326 Financial Modeling
     FIN 327 Investment Management
     FIN 330 International Financial Management
     GEO 303 Economic Geography
     MAT 252 Calculus C
     MAT 290 Foundations of Mathematics
     MAT 295 Linear Algebra

Students who select one or two FIN courses under Other Requirements above cannot use the same course(s) to satisfy the major elective requirement here.

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.