Economics Major
Major Requirements
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S. Minimum Credits Required: 120
University Degree Requirements
For complete details on these and other university degree requirements, refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section in the University Catalog.
- Minimum of 120 semester credits (some programs may exceed this minimum).
- Complete the University General Education requirements.
- Minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
- Minimum of 30 credits in resident at NDSU.
- Minimum of 36 upper level credits (courses numbered 300 or higher).
- Students with transfer credit must meet the NDSU 30 credits in residence (#4). Of these 30 credits in residence, a minimum of 15 credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 credits must be in the student's declared major curricula.
University General Education Requirements
A list of university approved general education courses along with the administrative policies governing the requirement and the categories is available here.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category C: Communication | 12 | |
| Category R: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | |
| Category S: Science and Technology | 10 | |
| Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts | 6 | |
| Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences | 6 | |
| Category W: Wellness | 2 | |
| Category D: Cultural Diversity | ||
| Category G: Global Perspectives | ||
| Category L: Digital Literacy | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Major Requirements for all options
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Economics Core Requirements | ||
| ECON 189 | Skills for Academic Success 1 | 1 |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 341 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 343 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 3 |
| TL 116 | Business Software Applications | 3 |
| Capstone | 3 | |
| Game Theory and Strategy | ||
| Economic Development | ||
| Public Economics | ||
| Health Economics | ||
| Industrial Organization | ||
| Program Option: Select one of three options to complete the major: | 33-47 | |
| 1) Standard | ||
| 2) Quantitative | ||
| 3) Business Economics | ||
| Total Credits | 52-66 | |
- 1
ECON 189 is only required for first-time, first-year students--A first-time, first-year student is defined as a student who has not yet completed a college course as a college student. Students that are not first-time, first-year students that either transfer into the university or change their major are not required to take ECON 189. If a student has completed another NDSU [Prefix] 189 course, this will substitute for ECON 189.
Standard Option
NOTE: Students selecting the Standard Option may complete either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Option Requirements | ||
| MATH 144 | Mathematics for Business | 4 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 367 | Probability | |
| STAT 331 | Regression Analysis 2 | 2-3 |
| or ECON 410 | Econometrics | |
| Economics Electives | 15 | |
| Economics of Entrepreneurship | ||
| Econometrics 2 | ||
| Computational Economics | ||
| Game Theory and Strategy (if not taken as capstone) | ||
| Economic Development (if not taken as capstone) | ||
| Labor Economics | ||
| Public Economics (if not taken as capstone) | ||
| International Trade | ||
| Health Economics (if not taken as capstone) | ||
| Monetary Theory and Policy | ||
| Industrial Organization (if not taken as capstone) | ||
| Natural Resource Economics | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
Select no more than 6 credits from the following as part of the 15 credits of economics electives: | ||
| Quantitative Methods & Decision Making | ||
| Agricultural Price Analysis | ||
| Applied Risk Analysis | ||
| Principles of Real Estate | ||
| Agribusiness Industrial Strategy | ||
| Agribusiness Finance | ||
| Managerial Economics | ||
| Money and Banking | ||
| History of Economic Thought | ||
| Investment Analysis and Management | ||
| Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives | ||
| Management of Financial Institutions | ||
| International Finance | ||
| Advanced Bank Management | ||
| Corporate Finance | ||
| Additional Social & Behavioral Requirements | 6 | |
In addition to the 6 credits for general education, students must complete 6 credits of social and behavioral sciences. Three credits must be selected from the current general education list while the remaining 3 credits may be any course with a prefix of: ANTH, CJ, GEOG, POLS, PSYC, or SOC. | ||
| Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts Requirements - A student must select either a BS or BA degree. The following requirements apply to the specific degree type selected: | 3-16+ | |
Bachelor of Science: Completion of a minor program of study. This minor must be officially declared through the Office of Registration and Records. (Minimum 16 credits) | ||
Bachelor of Arts: Completion of the BA Langauge Proficiency requirements and 3 credits of 300-400 level humanities, social sciences or a study abroad experience. (Credits for language proficiency will vary depending on placement; 3-14 credits) | ||
| Total Credits | 33-47 | |
- 2
STAT 331 is waived if ECON 410 is taken.
Quantitative Economics option
NOTE: Students selecting the Quantitative Economics Option complete a Bachelor of Science degree only.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Economics Option Requirements | ||
| CSCI 122 | Visual BASIC | 3 |
| or CSCI 159 | Computer Science Problem Solving | |
| ECON 410 | Econometrics | 3 |
| or ECON 411 | Computational Economics | |
| MATH 165 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 166 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 259 | Multivariate Calculus | 3-4 |
| or MATH 265 | Calculus III | |
| or CSCI 222 | Discrete Mathematics | |
| MATH 266 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 |
| or STAT 368 | Statistics | |
| or CSCI 366 | Database Systems | |
| STAT 367 | Probability | 3 |
| or STAT 467 | Probability and Mathematical Statistics I | |
| Economics Electives - Select 6 credits from the following 400-level economics electives: | 6 | |
| Economics of Entrepreneurship | ||
| Econometrics (May take the opposite course as an elective from what was taken in the quant. econ. option requirements.) | ||
or ECON 411 | Computational Economics | |
| Game Theory and Strategy (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Economic Development (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Labor Economics | ||
| Public Economics (if not used as capstone) | ||
| International Trade | ||
| Health Economics (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Monetary Theory and Policy | ||
| Industrial Organization (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Natural Resource Economics | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Minor Requirement | ||
| Minor in Computer Science, Mathematics or Statistics Required | 10-14 | |
This option requires the completion of either the computer science, mathematics or statistics minor. Approximately 10-14 credits for any of these minors remains after the completion of the option requirements. The minor must be officially declared through the Office of Registration and Records. | ||
| Total Credits | 39-44 | |
Business Economics option
NOTE: Students selecting the Business Economics Option complete a Bachelor of Science degree only.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Business Economics Option Requirements | ||
| ECON 410 | Econometrics | 3 |
| ACCT 200 | Elements of Accounting I | 3 |
| ACCT 201 | Elements of Accounting II | 3 |
| CSCI 122 | Visual BASIC | 3 |
| Economics Electives - Select 9 credits from the following: | 9 | |
| Economics of Entrepreneurship | ||
| Computational Economics | ||
| Game Theory and Strategy (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Economic Development (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Labor Economics | ||
| Public Economics (if not used as capstone) | ||
| International Trade | ||
| Health Economics (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Monetary Theory and Policy | ||
| Industrial Organization (if not used as capstone) | ||
| Natural Resource Economics | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Electives - Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| International Business | ||
| Global Business Environment | ||
| International Trade | ||
| International Finance | ||
| International Management | ||
| International Marketing | ||
| Quantitative Tools: Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Accounting Information Systems | ||
| Quantitative Methods & Decision Making | ||
| Minor Requirement | ||
| Minor in Business Administration, Accounting, Banking or Entrepreneurship Required | 10 | |
This option requires the completion of a minor in Business Administration, Accounting, Banking, or Entrepreneurship. Approximately 10+ credits for the minor remains after the completion of the option requirements. The minor must be officially declared through the Office of Registration and Records. | ||
| Total Credits | 37 | |
PROGRAM NOTES:
- Students selecting economics must complete the courses in the Core Requirement area and the requirements outlined within one of the identified option areas listed below: 1) Standard Option 2) Quantitative Economics Option or 3) Business Economics Option.
- Students must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in courses that satisfy the core requirement and option requirements.