The Program

This Online Certificate in Political Economy is offered by the Department of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  It is designed for students interested in learning about modern capitalist economies and feasible alternative futures.  Our department is quite unique in offering courses in a wide range of areas including critical political economy, development economics, the environment, international economics, and economic history.  This certificate is a good opportunity to delve into these wide-ranging areas, while also engaging with various approaches to economics from mainstream to heterodox perspectives.

Students are required to complete twenty (20) credits in six (6) courses. Course requirements may be satisfied via online courses at the University of Massachusetts Amherst through UMass University Without Walls (UWW), standard lecture courses, or a combination of both. The online classes are designed to be the online equivalent of the corresponding regular undergraduate courses offered in the Economics Department. Some of the required courses will be offered in all the semesters (Fall, Spring, Winter and Summer sessions). The electives will generally be offered at least once every year. 

To receive the Certificate in Political Economy, a minimum 2.0 GPA must be maintained across courses applied to certificate requirements.

A checklist form with list of approved courses may be found at https://www.umass.edu/economics

Complete three of the following Core Courses:
Econ 103 (or Res Econ 102) - Introduction to Microeconomics - 4 credits
Econ 105 - Introduction to Political Economy - 4 credits
Econ 205 - Intermediate Political Economy - 4 credits
Econ 305 - Marxian Economics - 3 credits
Econ 308 - Political Economy of the Environment - 3 credits

Complete two elective courses from the following list:
Econ 362 - American Economic History - 3 credits
Econ 371 - Comparative Economic Systems  - 3 credits
Econ  397RW - Real World Economics - 3 credits
Econ 397LE - Liars' Economics: Economics in the Age of Big Data - 3 credits