The Major
Required coursework includes University General Education requirements, a departmental core of 12 courses, five required courses related to environmental and natural resource issues, and five upper-level electives. Departmental core courses have been selected to provide the basic tools of economic theory and quantitative analysis and a perception of how our economic system works. The five required courses and five upper-level electives allow students to take coursework specifically focused on natural resource and environmental areas. Students are allowed considerable flexibility within the program. By careful selection of courses, it is possible to design a program which prepares a student for employment in a specific career or which provides a good foundation for graduate study. Some students also prepare for international careers.
Departmental Core Requirements
Fundamental Competencies
One Calculus course – either MATH 127 - Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences I or MATH 131 - Calculus I
RES-ECON 112 - Computing: Foundations to Frontiers
RES-ECON 303 - Writing in Resource Economics (General Education Junior Year Writing course)
Microeconomics
RES-ECON 102 - Introduction to Resource Economics. ECON 103 may be substituted.
RES-ECON 202 - Price Theory. ECON 203 may be substituted.
Macroeconomics
ECON 104 - Introduction to Macroeconomics
ECON 204 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory
Quantitative Decision Making
RES-ECON 212 - Introductory Statistics for the Social Sciences. STATISTC 240 may be substituted.
RES-ECON 213 - Intermediate Statistics for Business and Economics
RES-ECON 313 - Decision Analysis
Breadth Requirement
An introductory course in the department. Choose one of the following: RES-ECON 121 - Hunger in a Global Economy or RES-ECON 162 - Economics is Everywhere
Integrated Experience Seminar
RES-ECON 394LI - Life is Full of Choices (General Education Integrative Experience seminar, 1 credit).
Resource Economics Required Specalization Courses
262 Environmental Economics
263 Natural Resource Economics
471 Cost-Benefit Analysis (IE and Capstone)
472 Advanced Topics in Resource and Environmental Economics (IE and Capstone)
ENVIRSCI 213 Introduction to Environmental Policy or NRC 309 Natural Resources Policy and Administration
Resource Economics Upper-Level Electives
Five courses selected from a departmental list of options. Includes courses from resource economics, economics, natural resource conservation, environmental science, public policy, sustainable community development, and math/statistics.
Note: Departmental core and option requirements may not be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.
For the requirements for Commonwealth Honors College Departmental Honors in Resource Economics, see www.umass.edu/resec/academics/undergraduate-program/commonwealth-honors-college-departmental-honors-program.