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SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

ECONOMICS

A major in economics can be designed to serve a variety of purposes in the general liberal arts and can provide a background for postgraduate study in a number of professional schools. In addition, economics is frequently taken as a dual major with business at the undergraduate level. Among the graduate-level options which can be pursued by economics majors are law, business, professional-level training in economics, public administration, professional health management, hospital administration, urban affairs, and transportation studies. Because the range of interests among economics majors is quite broad, students are encouraged to work out a plan of studies fitting their individual needs with a departmental advisor. For more information on the major, the minor, and the Department of Economics, see http://www.pitt.edu/~econdept/.

    General Major Requirements

    Majors may earn either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. The general rules and requirements as they apply to both degrees are as follows:

    • A minimum overall 2.00 QPA is required in all economics courses for graduation with an economics major.
    • A minimum grade of C- is required in ECON 0100 (Introduction to Microeconomic Theory), 0110 (Introduction to Macroeconomic Theory), 1100 (Intermediate Microeconomics), and 1110 (Intermediate Macroeconomics). Majors may elect the S/N option for any courses except these four.
    • Credit by exam is usually not accepted, but students should check with the departmental advisor about the possibility.
    • Majors may choose to complete a double major. Frequently chosen double majors include economics and computer science, economics and history, and economics and philosophy. Less frequently chosen are the sciences (notably biology), which could lead to graduate-level options in public health fields. Interested students have the option of completing a joint major with the mathematics department that will prepare students for a quantitatively oriented job in industry or for entering graduate school in applied mathematics, statistics, economics, business or a related field (see mathematics major). A structured program leading to a joint CAS/Business major is available for students interested in combining economics with business (see Nondepartmental CAS Majors for details).
    • Honors in economics is granted if, in addition to fulfilling all requirements for the economics major, the student meets the following criteria:
      • Maintenance of a QPA of 3.25 or above in ECON 0100, 0110, 1100 and 1110
      • Maintenance of a QPA of 3.25 in all economics courses (except ECON 0800, Introduction to Economics)
      • Maintenance of an overall QPA of 3.25 or better
      • Completion of at least three credits in the Economics Pro-seminar Series (ECON 1700-1730)

    Requirements for a BA in Economics

    Students seeking a BA in economics must earn at least 27 credits in economics courses including the following:

    • ECON 0100 and 0110; 1100 and 1110
    • Three additional 1000-level courses, two of which require 1100 or 1110 as prerequisites
    • Two economics electives

    Students seeking the BA must also take the following corequisite courses:

    • MATH 0120 (Business Calculus)
    • STAT 0200 (Basic Applied Statistics) or STAT 1000 (Applied Statistical Methods)

    Requirements for a BS in Economics

    Students seeking a BS in economics must earn at least 24 credits in economics courses including the following:

    • ECON 0100 and 1100 or 1210 (Microeconomics)
    • ECON 0110 and 1110 or 1220 (Macroeconomics)
    • Two 1000-level courses that require 1100 and 1110 or their equivalents as prerequisites
    • ECON 1150 (Applied Econometrics 1) or 1170 (Mathematics for Economists) or 1200 (Introduction to Game Theory)
    • A minimum of nine additional elective credits in economics

    Students seeking the BS must also take the following corequisite courses:

    • MATH 0220
    • MATH 0230
    • STAT 1000

    Requirements for a Minor in Economics

    The set of courses required for the minor in economics provides an introduction to the core theory in economics and explores some of the issues that economists study. The four core theory courses are taught each term, along with a broad range of applied economics courses. The required courses (totaling 15 credits), are as follows:

    • ECON 0100 (Introduction to Microeconomic Theory)
    • ECON 0110 (Introduction to Macroeconomic Theory)
    • ECON 1100 (Intermediate Microeconomic Theory) or 1110 (Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory)
    • Two additional courses

Courses in the 0800 series do not count toward the 15 credits required for the minor in economics, and only three credits of ECON 1901-1903 (Directed Study) may be applied toward minor requirements. Other than these restrictions, the two additional courses mentioned above may be any of the courses offered by the department.



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