Requirements for the Economics Major
Thirty-nine (39) credits, to include
ECON 201 – Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 202 – Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 300 – Introduction to Economic Analysis
ECON 303 – Intermediate Microeconomics
ECON 304 – Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECON 361 – Introductory Econometrics
ECON 462 – Advanced Economic Analysis
ECON 375 – American Economic History
fifteen (15) additional credits in upper-level economics courses. No more than nine (9) hours in experiential learning courses (ECON 490, ECON 491, and ECON 499) may count toward the major. No more than six (6) credits in any one experiential learning course may count toward the major.
ECON 300, ECON 361, and ECON 462 are part of a three course sequence and must be taken in order.
Economics 490: Experiential Learning Courses
This course is required for Economics and Applied Economics majors starting Fall 2020.
ECON 490 – Experiential Learning (3 hours credit)
Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 and permission of the instructor. A faculty supervised experience designed to challenge students to go outside the bounds of the typical classroom
ECON 490 B Fed Challenge (FALL)
Fed Challenge is an annual speaking competition sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. A teams of students will research and present their recommendation for monetary policy. The presentations from teams from various universities around the state are judged by academic and Federal Reserve economists.
ECON 490 D Social Good Lab (FALL)
The social good lab is a hands-on, team-based experiential learning course. It is structured around the “Design Sprint” framework as pioneered by Google Ventures. Student teams design and build a prototype solution to a client’s specific problem. The lab culminates in student teams testing and receiving live feedback on their prototypes from customers. The course gives students the opportunity to apply design thinking to a real world problem.
ECON 490 C How to Change the World (SPRING)
How to change the world is a social good incubator. It is designed for students who imagine their future selves as investigative journalists, public interest lawyers, teachers, politicians (at all levels of government), artists, activists, grassroots movement mobilizers, community organizers, religious leaders, thought leaders, civil servants, documentarians, social enterprise owners, and non-profit founders.
ECON 490 E Independent Research (SPRING)
Students will expand and refine their research from a previous course (e.g. ECON 300 or ECON 361) for presentation at a research conference. Students will prepare proposals for conference presentations and for undergraduate research grants to attend professional conferences, for example the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Economic Scholars program, the Eastern Economics Association conference, and UMW Research and Creativity day. The course will focus on preparation of research presentations.
ECON 490 F Career Development (FALL/SPRING/SUMMER)
Students will investigate careers in economics, create a professional development plan, and learn career and job search skills. This course includes an internship or externship experience scheduled outside class times. Contact instructor for more information including options regarding internship/externship.