University Requirements - Majoring in Economics

B.A. or B.S. in Economics?  

The  B.A. and B.S. degrees in economics are identical except for two requirements:

  • B.A. degree students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by earning a passing grade in an intermediate level course offered by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.  For a list of courses that satisfy this requirement and other details concerning this requirement, click here.  B.S. degree students do not have a language requirement but are required, instead, to demonstrate proficiency in quantitative methods.This involves successfully completing 12 credit hours of course work. For a list of courses that satisfy this requirement and other details concerning this requirement, click here
  • In addition, B.S. majors must take ECON 301, which uses calculus, as their intermediate-level course in microeconomics;  B.A. majors may take either ECON 300 or ECON 301.

If you have quantitative skills, we encourage you to do the B.S. degree.If you prefer to study a language, the B.A. is for you.  It is worth appreciating that quantitative skills are an important part of more advanced study in economics, and, indeed, several 400-level courses in economics require calculus.

Offering both a BA and a BS degree enables students to double major easily with any other major that offers either a BA or BS degree.  Double majors must both have the same degree;otherwise, the combination is considered a double degree and usually involves 30 additional credits.Thus, if you want to double major in economics and some other major in the College of Arts and Science, then you must chose the B.A. degree in economics.This is a popular option for many students in political science, history, English/journalism, criminal justice, international relations, and computer science (to name a few).Similarly, many business or accounting majors in the College of Business and Economics also find economics a valuable addition to their first field of study.If you want to double major in economics and another BE major, then you must get the BS economics degree.

Requirements for the Economics Major (B.A. or B.S.)

Economics Courses

  • Economic majors must take a minimum of 30 credit hours of economics courses in which they receive a grade of a "C-" or better in each course.
  • These 30 credit hours must include the following courses: ECON 151, 152, 300 (B.A. only), 301 (B.S. only), 303, and two 4XX elective courses.
    • ECON 466 (Independent Study) may not be used to fulfill the 4XX requirement.
    • If a grade below a "C-" is received in ECON 151, 152,  300 or 301, or 303,then that course MUST be repeated. If a grade below a "C-" is received in any other economics course, it does not have to be repeated, but can be used as a University free elective and another economics course can be taken it its place to meet the minimum 30 credits with a "C-" or better. If a course is repeated, all grades appear on the transcript and count when calculating the grade point average, but credits may earned only once.
    • Some classes cover very similar material at different levels of rigor and detail (i.e., 3XX and 4XX).For such courses, only one may be counted towards fulfilling the 30 credits of economics courses. These include the following groups of courses: ECON 332 and 433; ECON 381 and 483; ECON 390 and 490.

Mathematics

  • Students must demonstrate mathematical competence before taking ECON 151 (formally this is a co-requisite, for example both MATH 114 and ECON 151 may be taken simultaneously). Successful completion of Elementary Mathematics and Statistics (MATH 114 or 170), or Pre- Calculus (MATH 115, or the last credit of 171 with the 2-credit 172), or any mathematics course at or above the 200-level except Mathematics for the Elementary School (MATH 251, 252 and 253), will satisfy the requirement.
  • Math proficiency can also be demonstrated by passing the Mathematics Proficiency Test. The Mathematics Department administers this test each semester before advanced registration. The math requirement must be completed by the time a student has earned 60 credits.

Statistics

  • All economics majors must take MATH 201 and 202. MATH 201 will satisfy 3 of the 13 credits required in Group D of the Breadth Requirements for majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. For majors in the College of Business and Economics, MATH 201 and 202 satisfy 6 of the 13 required credits.
  • Students may substitute STAT 370 and 371 for MATH 201 and 202.

Related Work

  • Economics majors must take 9 credits of Related Work, which must be chosen from any courses at the 300 level or higher in Accounting, Anthropology, Business Administration, Computer Science, Finance, Geography, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology. Also acceptable are BUEC courses and any 200-level mathematics courses except MATH 201, 202, 205, 250, 251, 252, or 253.
  • Courses may be used to satisfy both the Breadth Group Requirements and related work requirements, if they so qualify (with the provision that the credits are only counted once towards fulfilling the 120 total credits required). Courses that satisfy the Related Work requirements may not be used to fulfill the Quantitative Proficiency requirements in the B.S. major.

Group Breadth Requirements

  • The Economics Department follows the Arts and Science group requirements.Courses must be taken in four groups:
    • Group A:Analysis and Appreciation of the Creative Arts and Humanities (9 credit hours)
    • Group B:The Study of Culture and Institutions Over Time (9 credit hours)
    • Group C:Empirically Based Study of Human Beings and Their Environment (9 credit hours)
    • Group D:The Study of Natural Phenomena Through Experiment and Analysis (10 credits, of which 4 credits must be in a laboratory course) 
  • A complete list of courses and the group they satisfy is available here.

Free Electives

  • Free elective courses may be taken in any department in the University to bring the total number of credits to the required University total of 120 needed for graduation.Free electives may include additional economics courses beyond the minimum 30 credits for the major up to a maximum of 45 credits in Economics for Arts and Science degree.
  • No more than three hours of credit will be granted for 100-level Physical Education courses, if the degree is granted in the College of Business and Economics, and two hours of HPER120 credit, if enrolled in the College of Arts and Science. Physical Education course at the 200-level or higher are acceptable as free electives.
  • Only free electives may be taken on a pass-fail basis, but no more than one such course may be taken per semester and no more than eight such courses (24 credits) may be taken in total.

University Requirements

University Requirements include the following:

  • A minimum cumulative GPA index of 2.00 is required for graduation.
  • A minimum of 120 credits are required for graduation .
  • ENGL 110 must be taken and a minimum grade of "C-" must be earned. The course is normally taken during the freshman year.
  • Multicultural Requirement -- All students must complete three credits in a course stressing multicultural, ethnic, and/or gender-related content. The Registrar's Office maintains a listing of courses that satisfy the requirement here.  
  • Second Writing Course -- All students must take a second writing course after completing 60 credits in Arts and Science.

Concentrations and Special Programs

Concentrations in the Economics Major

The economics department has two concentrations that certify that a student has completed additional work beyond the minimum required for the Economics major. Students may take a concentration with either a B.S. or B.A. major.We encourage you to consider these concentrations: 

  • Applied Economics, which is work in econometrics and an ability to apply econometrics and economics in the real world, particularly in business applications, and
  • Economic Theory and Econometrics, which is advanced study in preparation for graduate studies in economics.

Concentration in Applied Economics

  • This concentration requires 33 credit hours of economics courses, with four economics courses at the 400 level or above, including: 
      ECON 422 and 423 (econometrics) or their graduate equivalent; 
    • an additional empirical course at the 400-level or above, which includes all 400-level courses except 403, 405, and 408, and includes 675 and 676 (and other applied graduate courses as determined by the undergraduate adviser)
    • an additional 400-level elective.
  • The concentration also requires ACCT 261 (Business Information Systems II) or equivalent experience with networked business data systems. The concentration includes the Quantitative Proficiency requirement, which may be partly satisfied by ACCT 261 and ECON 422.  In addition, students are encouraged to become familiar with basic accounting, such as ACCT 207 and 208.

Concentration in Economic Theory and Econometrics

  • This concentration requires 36 credit hours of economics courses, with four economics courses at the 400 level or above, including:
    • ECON 422 and 423 (econometrics) or their graduate equivalent; 
    • two additional 400-level courses in economic theory, including 406, 426, 430, 441, 443, or graduate level courses in economic theory such as ECON 675 (Natural Resources), 801, 802, 811, 812, or 819. The undergraduate advisor can determine which additional economic theory courses apply. A mathematics course at the 300-level or above may be substituted for one of the 400-level courses in economic theory.
  • This concentration also requires completion of at least 12 hours of courses taken in the math department at or above the 200 level (except MATH 201, 202, 205, 250, 251, 252, and 253). These courses can be used to satisfy the Quantitative Proficiency for the B.S. degree. The requirement can be satisfied by MATH 221, 222, 230 and 302, or taking MATH 241, 242, and 243; MATH 302 (Ordinary Differential Equations) is also recommended. Useful additional math courses include MATH 245 (An Introduction to Proof) and 401 (Analysis)
Honors and Special Programs

The Economics Department offers a particularly rich set of Honors courses at all levels of the curriculum. We offer small honors-only sections of all core requirements and a few electives of broad interest, plus designated capstone classes.  The details of the honors degree in Economics are listed below.   Please feel free to consult ebayleyatlerner [dot] udel [dot] edu (Prof. Elizabeth Bayley), faculty advisor for the honors program in Economics, for more information.

 Honors Degree in Economics: 
The requirements for the Honors Degree in Economics are: 

  • All the usual requirements for the Economics degree elected (B.A. or B.S. in Economics) and the honors degree must be completed.
  • At least 12 hours must be earned in honors courses in the Economics Department.  We offer free-standing honors-only sections of ECON151,152, 301, 302, 303, and 340. Important:  ECON301 and 303 (Intermediate Microeconomics and Macroeconomics) must be completed in honors sections. Selected 400-level courses have a substantial honors add-on section. Click here to see a list of typical honors course offerings in Economics by semester. 
  • Honors credit cannot otherwise be earned in regular classes via an individual "honors-contract" arrangement. Courses at the 600-level or higher in Economics may be considered as honors courses.
Foreign Language Certificate

For accounting, business administration, and economics students, knowledge of a foreign language and some direct exposure to business practices abroad are crucial. The (Honors) Foreign Language Certificate Program is intended to enhance the international dimension of the Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or Economics awarded by the University of Delaware.

To earn a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or Economics with a Foreign Language Certificate or an Honors Foreign Language Certificate in German, French, or Spanish, a student is required to complete a designated sequence of four courses at the 200 and 300 levels. This is accomplished through a combination of two courses taken during Winter Session in Germany, France, Spain, or Costa Rica, and two courses taken on the Delaware campus. The Winter Session courses must be taken first, followed by the courses offered on the Delaware campus.

B.A. in Economic Education (B.A.E.E.)

The economics requirements are identical to those for the other economics majors.Additional required courses include

  • Nine hours of course work in Political Science, in Geography, and in History (a total of 27 hours), including POSC150, GEOG120, HIST104, and HIST206.
  • Education Courses: EDUC413, 414, 419, 420, 400, and 430
  • History 491 and 493. 

Please contact meszarobatlerner [dot] udel [dot] edu (Bonnie Meszaros) for more information.

  • Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics
    303 Alfred Lerner Hall   •   Newark, DE 19716   •   USA   •   Phone: (302) 831-2551   •   © 2009