There are two different undergraduate degrees in the College of the Liberal Arts that a student may earn in economics at Penn State. A bachelor of arts (ECLBA) or a bachelor of science degree (ECLBS) in economics. A minor in economics is open to students enrolled in any college. The department offers a program of mentoring for students who want to pursue graduate education in economics (CARE). A departmental honors program provides a small group of outstanding students an opportunity for independent research and close contact with faculty and fellow students.
- 45 credits of General Education,
- requirements for the major,
- University requirements for the bachelor of arts degree if that degree is chosen, and
- sufficient elective credits to make the total number of credits earned equal to 120.
In order to count a course for any part of the requirements for the major, a grade of C or better must be earned. Students must also take one 3-credit “Writing Across the Curriculum” course and meet the University’s “Intercultural and International Requirement” by completing a GI designated course. The Writing and Diversity courses can also be used to satisfy part of General Education, major, B.A., college, or elective requirements, but the credits for the course can only be counted once.
Pre-requisites
Starting in Summer 2021, pre-requisites for all ECON courses will be enforced upon registration. Students will not be able to enroll in an ECON course in Lionpath until pre-requisites for that course have been satisfied.
Please note that you can enroll in a course for the next semester if you are currently enrolled in the pre-requisite course. However, if you drop, fail, or withdraw from the pre-requisite class, you will automatically be removed from the course that requires the pre-requisite. This removal may happen at a later date closer to the start of the following semester, and you may need to enroll yourself in additional credits to keep full-time status.
Entrance-to-major requirements
- C or better in ECON 102 and ECON 104,
- an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher, and
- at least 29.1 total credits earned.
Starting in Summer 2021, pre-requisites for all ECON courses will be enforced upon registration. Students will not be able to enroll in an ECON course in Lionpath until pre-requisites for that course have been satisfied.
Please note that you can enroll in a course for the next semester if you are currently enrolled in the pre-requisite course. However, if you drop, fail, or withdraw from the pre-requisite class, you will automatically be removed from the course that requires the pre-requisite. This removal may happen at a later date closer to the start of the following semester, and you may need to enroll yourself in additional credits to keep full-time status.
Program Goals
Students who complete an undergraduate major in economics will:
- be familiar with intermediate microeconomic theory and intermediate macroeconomic theory.
- be able to apply the tools of economic analysis, and most notably the basic supply and demand model, to various issues and phenomena, dealing with individuals, firms, markets, and public policy.
- be knowledgeable about at least two applied fields in economics.
- be able to write a paper in economics that includes economic analysis and that is coherent, cogent, and grammatically correct.
- (B.S. only) be able to carry out quantitative analyses of economic data.
Assessment Mechanisms
- Students are required to take ECON 302 (intermediate microeconomic theory) and ECON 304 (intermediate macroeconomic theory); exit surveys of recent graduates, which have been in use by the Department for some time, will be modified to include questions both on their experiences in these courses and on the students’ sense of mastery of the relevant material.
- In addition to the prescribed courses for the major, Liberal Arts students take six elective courses of 300- and 400-level economics. We will examine student records to ensure that each student’s electives in economics cover at least two different fields in the discipline.
- Students will have the opportunity to take 400-level writing-intensive seminars in economics that typically require a term paper applying the tools of economic analysis to some question or issue. The Department will poll instructors of these courses to determine that the level of economic analysis is appropriate and the use of the English language is satisfactory, and exit surveys will include questions seeking students’ perceptions of their ability to write coherent, cogent, and grammatically correct papers in economics.
- Students in economics take ECON 306, Introduction to Econometrics, which teaches them the theory and practice of quantitative analysis in economics. Exit surveys will include questions on the 306 course and on the students’ sense of mastery of quantitative economic analysis.
Liberal Arts – About the College
Information on the honors code and the college values statement for graduate students available at:
How Can We Help?
If you have additional questions about the Economics degree programs at Penn State, please contact Honors Adviser Russ Chuderewicz, one of our Undergraduate Academic Advisers, or Undergraduate Staff Assistant Pam Dutko.