The Major

Students declare the Economics major upon entering the University, or thereafter with the following procedure:
Visit the Economics Admissions Page and meet with a peer advisor to join the major. Economics is an open (unrestricted) major. Academic Advising in the Department of Economics can be contacted at (413) 545-0855 or advising@econs.umass.edu.

These requirements apply to students entering the University of Massachusetts in Fall 2021 or later. For requirements for earlier entry years see archived Guides to Undergraduate Programs.

Requirements:

  1. One of the following core Microeconomics courses: ECON 103, RES-ECON 102.
  2. One core Macroeconomics course: ECON 104.
  3. One of the following introductory Calculus/Math modeling courses: MATH 127, MATH 131.
  4. One of the following second level Calculus/Math modeling courses: MATH 128, MATH 132.
    (A second statistics class may be substituted for this second level Calculus with permission of advisor)
  5. One of the following courses in Statistics: RES-ECON 212, STATISTC 240, STATISTC 501, STATISTC 515, PSYCH 240, OIM 240, EDUC 240.
  6. One of the following intermediate Microeconomics theory courses: ECON 203, RES-ECON 202.
  7. One intermediate Macroeconomics theory course: ECON 204.
  8. Junior Year Writing, fulfilled by the following course: ECON 365.
  9. Integrative Experience (IE), fulfilled by one of the following courses: ECON 306, ECON 367, ECON 394CI, ECON 394FI, ECON 394II, ECON 394LI, ECON 394IO, ECON 499C. An ECON course used to fulfill the IE also fulfills one of the required four upper-level ECON courses.
  10. Four upper-level ECON courses: of at least three credits each, numbered 205 and above, not including Econ 365.
  11. Complete the Intercultural and International Requirement: This 3 course (9-12 credit) requirement is fulfilled by one of the following options:
    • 3 courses, of at least 3 credits each, from Department list of designated Intercultural and International courses. Courses used to cover the International/Intercultural requirement cannot also be used to cover University General Education requirements. At most two of these courses can be classified as DU.
    • 9 credits of foreign language.
    • A combination of three courses, two from a language and one from the Department list of Intercultural and International Courses. Courses used to cover the International/Intercultural requirement cannot also be used to cover University General Education requirements.
    • Completion of a Certificate Program in one of the programs with Intercultural and International emphasis: African Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, International Agriculture, International Relations, International Scholars Program, Translation and Interpreting Studies, Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies.
    • At least 8 credits of courses transferred from a UMass International Programs Office approved study abroad program. These exchange classes may also be used to cover other Departmental Major Requirements.
  12. Complete either Option A or Option B:
    • Option A – Two additional upper-level ECON courses, of at least three credits each, numbered 205 and above.
    • Option B – A collateral field of study (see below) that has been approved in advance by the Undergraduate Program Director in the Department of Economics.

Collateral Field in Option B:

This option is fulfilled by completing one of the following:

  1. Any additional major, minor or certificate program, outside of the Economics Department or Resource Economics Department.
  2. Any combination of five courses in the Isenberg School of Management major departments: of at least three credits, numbered 200 and above.
  3. A group of five courses, of at least 3 credits, chosen by the student and pre-approved by the Director of Undergraduate Advising in the Department of Economics, in accordance with the following guidelines:
    1. The proposal presented by the student must, in the judgment of the Director of Undergraduate Advising in the Department of Economics, fulfill the criterion of relevance to economics set forth in the requirement, and form a coherent set of courses. The student is responsible for presenting a convincing case for the proposed course of study.
    2. Appointments are scheduled with the Director of Undergraduate Advising in the Department of Economics online, here: www.umass.edu/economics/undergraduate/advising.
    3. No course may be used to simultaneously fulfill the requirements of a collateral field and another requirement of the Economics major. (This does not prohibit fulfilling General Education requirements with courses taken for the collateral field or for any other requirement for the Economics major.)
    4. RES-ECON courses cannot fulfill this requirement.

Notes

  1. A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 must be earned in courses applied to major requirements.
  2. No more than one Honors Research or Thesis course (ECON 499C, 499D, 499Y, or 499T) may fulfill either one of the required four upper-level ECON courses or one of the required upper-level ECON courses in Option A.
  3. No more than one Independent Study course (ECON 396, 496, or 596) may fulfill either one of the required four upper-level ECON courses or one of the required upper-level ECON courses in Option A.
  4. The following practicum courses do not fulfill Economics major requirements: Practicum (ECON 298, 398, 498, 598)
  5. One RES-ECON course, of at least three credits, chosen from a list available on the Department of Economics website (www.umass.edu/economics/undergraduate/academics/major) may fulfill either one of the required four upper-level ECON courses or one of the required upper-level ECON courses in Option A.
  6. A minimum of four of the ten required ECON courses must be taken in the Department of Economics at UMass Amherst.
  7. There are different requirements depending on whether a student is completing Economics as a primary major, secondary major (double major), or dual degree. All students completing a secondary major (double major) or dual degree with Economics must schedule an appointment to meet with an Academic Advisor in the Department of Economics. Appointments are scheduled online, here: www.umass.edu/economics/undergraduate/advising.

Graduate School

It is suggested that students considering graduate school meet with the Faculty Advisor Valerie Voorheis, to discuss course selections and other ways to prepare for graduate work. Appointments are scheduled online at www.umass.edu/economics/undergraduate/advising.

Education Abroad and Internships

Students can speak with Internship Coordinator Valerie Voorheis about internships and Study Abroad opportunities. Appointments are scheduled online, here: www.umass.edu/economics/undergraduate/advising. Students can earn credits for internships, and a study abroad experience (of at least 8 credits) fulfills the Economics International and Intercultural Requirement. Students can also speak with the The International Programs Office (IPO) for information about study in other countries: www.umass.edu/ipo/.
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