BA Economics
course Name

Institute Name : University of Massachusetts Boston

Course Name : BA Economics

Course Type : Undergraduate

Education Level : 4,5,6

Duration : 4 Years

Method of Delivery : On Campus

Pre Requirements : Diploma, IELTS 6.5

Language Level : B2

Visa Type : 40

Application Fee : $100

Academic Deposit : None

Fees : $33000 Annual

Intakes : September

Course Description :

To complete an economics major, students must successfully complete 12 courses, five are required Econ courses, Math 129 or 130 and six are electives.  All economics courses except Econ 100, Econ 100G, and Econ 112 have math prerequisites.  Majors must also meet minimum grade requirements.  For more information on requirements for the Economics major or minor, see BASIC INFO SHEET.

All economics majors must complete the following six courses:

·         Econ 101 ‑ Introduction to Microeconomics

·         Econ 102 ‑ Introduction to Macroeconomics

·         Math 129 or 130 - Pre-Calculus

·         Econ 201 ‑ Microeconomic Theory

·         Econ 202 ‑ Macroeconomic Theory

Econ 205 - Statistical Methods*

Students must receive a letter grade of C- or higher in each of the five Econ courses (Econ 101,102, 201, 202 & 205)  in order for those courses to be counted toward the major. Successful completion of Math 129 or 130 (or placement into calculus) is required before students will be allowed to take Econ 201 and 202.

*UMass Boston courses MSIS 111, Math 125, ENVSCI 261 or Psych 370 will be considered a substitute for Econ 205.

Economics majors must complete six elective courses, including:

  • At least two Alternative Approach Electives
  • At least one Capstone Elective
  • At least three other courses from Alternative Approach and/or other electives.  

 Alternative Approach Electives provide students with introduction to approaches to economics different from the traditional neoclassical/Keynesian approach. Other Electives include those that offer broad surveys of major fields of applied economics, independent studies, honors thesis, and the economics internship program.  

Students who have declared Economics major after the start of Fall 2015 must satisfy the Capstone requirement by taking a 400-level course. Also note that all 400-level courses offered in Fall 2016 or later will have 201, 202, and/or 205 as prerequisites.

Students who have declared Economics as a major January 1, 2019 or later must complete 12 courses: Econ 101, 102, 201, 202, 205, Math 129 or 130 Pre-calculus, and six electives (1 Capstone course, at least 2 Alternative Approach Electives and 3 other Economics Electives)

The category assigned to each of the electives offered by the department is indicated in the following list. 

 Alternative Approach Electives

Econ 214G - Ecological Economics

Econ 308 ‑ History of Economic Thought

Econ 310 ‑ Introduction to Marxist Analysis

[Econ 325 – American Economic History]

Econ 327 - Political Economy of Development in Africa

Econ 336 ‑ Economic Development

Econ 337 - Emerging Economics in Asia

Econ 338 - Latin American Economy

Econ 339 - Political Economy of International Migration

[Econ 343 ‑The Political Economy of Black America]

Econ 345L - Natural Resources and Sustainable Development

Econ 351 ‑ Economic Philosophy

Econ 372 ‑ Comparative Economic Systems

[Econ 391-Unions and Collective Bargaining]

Econ 395 – The Economics of Social Welfare

Econ 396 – The Economics of Inequality

Econ 407 - Advanced Topics in Economic Development

Econ 418 - Political Economy of Violent Conflict

Econ 420 - Gender and Economics

 

Other Electives

Econ 212G - Economics of the Metropolitan Area

Econ 318 - The Economics of State and Local Government

Econ 331 ‑ Money and Financial Institutions

Econ 334 ‑ International Trade

Econ 335 ‑ International Finance

Econ 349L ‑ Economic Approaches to Environmental Problems

Econ 380 ‑ Health Economics

Econ 381 – Economics of Global Health

Econ 385 ‑ Economics of Education

Econ 390 ‑ Labor Market Economics

Econ 406 - Introduction to Behavioral Economics

Econ 413 - Advanced Topics in Urban Economics

Econ 415 - Economic Demography

Econ 417 ‑ Public Finance

[Econ 432 ‑ Industrial Organization]

Econ 435 – The Multinational Corporation

Econ 452 - Econometrics

Econ 453 – Advanced Macroeconomics

Econ 476 ‑ Internship in Economics

Econ 478 ‑ Independent Study, Fall Term

Econ 479 ‑ Independent Study, Spring Term

Econ 480 – Health Economics

Econ 481 – Senior Independent Study

Econ 489 ‑ Senior Honors Project

Econ 490 ‑ Senior Honors Thesis

 [  ] Not currently offered

For more information about the individual courses and their pre-requisites, go to

http://www.umb.edu/academics/course_catalog/courses/ugrd_ECON_all 

Minimum Grade Requirement

Students must receive a letter grade of C‑ or higher in each of the five courses required for the economics major (Econ 101, 102, 201, 202, & 205) in order for those courses to be counted toward the major.  This implies that none of these five courses can be taken on a Pass/Fail basis by majors. In addition, for those declaring Econ major on or after Fall 2015, the 400-level capstone course must be taken for a grade and can’t be taken pass/fail.

In addition, a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in economics courses is required for graduation as an economics major. 

Mathematical Prerequisites

Before students can begin the program of study in economics, they must complete a prerequisite in mathematics.  The prerequisite itself does not count towards the course requirements for the major.  The mathematics prerequisite for Introduction to Microeconomics (Econ 101), Introduction to Macroeconomics (Econ 102), and Statistical Methods (Econ 205) is:

  • College Algebra (Math 115)
  • or equivalent math level
  • score of 51% on ALEKS math placement test

Note that while Quantitative Reasoning (Math Q114) also satisfies the math prerequisite for these classes, we do not recommend it for majors because it does not prepare a student for Pre-calculus.

In addition, Econ 201 (Microeconomic Theory) and Econ 202 (Macroeconomic Theory) have the mathematical prerequisite of:

  • Successful completion of Pre-calculus (Math 129 or 130) 
  • or placement into Calculus (Math 134, 135, or 140) 

THE ECONOMICS MINOR

Required Courses

The minor in economics consists of six courses in the department. Almost all economics courses have math prerequisites.  These six courses must include:

Econ 101- Introduction to Microeconomics, and
Econ 102- Introduction to Macroeconomics

Two courses at the 300 or 400 level and any two other economics courses at the 200-level or above.  No substitution of non-economics courses will be accepted towards the requirements for the minor, except as described below.

Mathematical Prerequisites

Math 115 (College Algebra) or Math Q114 (Quantitative Reasoning) is a prerequisite for Econ 101 (Introduction to Microeconomics) and for Econ 102 (Introduction to Macroeconomics).

Minor Credit for Non-Economics and Transfer Courses

Economics courses taken at other institutions of higher education may be counted towards the requirements for the economics minor, up to a maximum of two such courses. One of the following courses at UMass Boston: MSIS 111, Math 125 or Psych 270, may also be counted towards the economics minor (and will be considered a substitute for Econ 205).  These non-economics courses will be considered as one of the two allowable transfer courses for the minor.

For more information on requirements for the Economics major or minor, see the BASIC INFO SHEET.

Declaring a Major or Minor in Economics

In order to declare a major in economics, simply stop by the department office (Wheatley, fifth floor, room 082).  We will sign the form required by the Registrar.  More important, we will assign you to an individual faculty member who will serve as your adviser.  If you have any questions about declaring a major in economics, you should speak with an economics professor with whom you have a course or you can arrange to talk with the Associate Chair, Professor David Timmons, or Chairperson of the Department, Professor Michael Carr.

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