Economics
The Bachelor of Science degree in economics stresses the use of economics as a means of understanding current economic activities and problems and their relationship to our social environment. Economics is the study of critical decision-making behavior. It is a mode of thinking and reasoning with widespread application. The skills that employers value most highly are the ability to think critically and carefully, the ability to learn new skills and the ability to solve problems. Some vocations may require very specific skills (for example, knowledge of a particular computer software package). However, skill requirements change over time. The need for people who can think, learn and solve problems is timeless. Economics hones these time-honored abilities.
The objective of the program is to provide the student with a liberal university education with particular emphasis on economics. In keeping with this objective, requirements are specified largely in terms of broad subject areas rather than designation of particular courses. The student, with the help of the advisor, is given the opportunity to develop a program to meet his or her own particular needs and interests. With this freedom, however, comes the responsibility of building an overall program that is both cohesive and academically sound. The program focuses on teaching students to think, to use logic and reason, and to organize their thoughts in order to solve problems rather than simply memorize and recite the subject matter. The courses also focus on instilling in students a desire to learn, so that they will leave our courses prepared and eager for lifelong learning.
| Freshman Year | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | |
| ECNS 101IS - Economic Way of Thinking1 | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| ECNS 202 - Principles of Macroeconomics1 | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 12 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 15 |
| Sophomore Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| ECNS 204IS - Microeconomics1 | 3 | |
| STAT 216Q - Introduction to Statistics | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| M 161Q - Survey of Calculus or M 171Q - Calculus I | 4 | |
| BMGT 205 - Prof Business Communication or WRIT 221 - Intermediate Tech Writing | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 8 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 15 |
| Junior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| ECNS 301 - Intermediate Micro with Calc | 3 | |
| STAT 337 - Intermediate Statistics with Introduction to Statistical Computing | 3 | |
| Upper Division Directed Major Electives2 | 3 | |
| Supporting Area Directed Electives3 | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 3 | |
| ECNS 303 - Intermediate Macro with Calc | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 6 | |
| Upper Division Directed Major Electives2 | 3 | |
| Supporting Area Directed Electives3 | 3 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 15 |
| Senior Year | Credits | |
| Fall | Spring | |
| ECNS 432R - Economic Policy Evaluation or ECNS 403R - Intro to Econometrics | 3 | |
| Upper Division Directed Major Electives2 | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Upper Division Directed Major Electives2 | 3 | |
| Directed Major 400-level Elective.4 | 3 | |
| University Core and General Electives | 9 | |
| Year Total: | 15 | 15 |
| Total Program Credits: | 120 | |
- 1
ECNS 251IS (4 credits) may be substituted for the three-course sequence ECNS 101IS, ECNS 202, and ECNS 204IS. However, students must still complete at least 33 credits of AGBE/ECNS/EFIN courses to fulfill the major requirement.
- 2
Upper Division Directed Major Electives: ECNS 309 - Managerial Economics, ECNS 310 - Health Economics, ECNS 312 - Labor Economics, ECNS 313 - Money and Banking, ECNS 314 - International Economics,ECNS 316 - Economics of Crime and Risky Behaviors, ECNS 317 - Economic Development, ECNS 320 - Public Finance, ECNS 332 - Econ of Natural Resources, ECNS 345 - Econ Org, Finance & Credit, ECNS 372 - Economic History, ECNS 403 - Intro to Econometrics, ECNS 432R - Economic Policy Evaluation, ECNS 451 - Behavioral & Experimental Economics, ECNS 460 - Advanced Data Analytics for Economics, ECNS 461 - Financial Econometrics, AGBE 315 – Ag in the Global Context, AGBE 321 – Economics of Ag Marketing, AGBE 345 - Ag Finance and Credit Analysis, AGBE 341 - Farm & Ranch Management, AGBE 353 - Co-operative Business Principles and Practice, AGBE 421 - Advanced Ag Marketing, AGBE 445 - Agribusiness Management, AGBE 451RS - Economics of Ag Policy, EFIN 301 - Engineering & Economic Financial Management I, EFIN 401 - Engineering & Economic Financial Management II, and EFIN 499R - Financial Engineering Design.
- 3
Supporting Area Directed Electives: ACTG 201 - Principles of Financial Acct, BMIS 211 - Data Analytics I, BGEN 361 - Principles of Business Law, AGBE 337 -Agricultural Law, M 172 - Calculus II, M 182 - Honor's Calculus II, M 221 - Intro to Linear Algebra, M 242 - Methods of Proof, M 273 - Multivariable Calculus, M 274 - Intro to Differential Equations, STAT 332 - Statistics for Scientists and Engineers, STAT 408 - Statistical Computing and Graphical Analysis, STAT 411 - Methods for Data Analysis I, STAT 412 - Methods for Data Analysis II, STAT 431 - Non-parametric Statistics, STAT 436 - Intro to Time Series Analysis, STAT 437 - Intro to Applied Multivariate Analysis, STAT 446 - Sampling, STAT 448 - Mixed Effects Models, CSCI 107 Joy and Beauty of Computing, CSCI 112 Programming with CI, CSCI 127 - Joy and Beauty of Data, and CSCI 132 - Basic Data Structures and Algorithms.
- 4
400-Level Directed Major Electives: ECNS 403R - Intro to Econometrics, ECNS 432R - Economic Policy Evaluation, ECNS 451 – Behavioral & Experimental Economics, ECNS 460 - Advanced Data Analytics for Economics, ECNS 461 - Financial Econometrics, AGBE 421 - Advanced Ag Marketing, AGBE 445 - Agribusiness Management, AGBE 451RS - Economics of Ag Policy, EFIN 401 - Engineering & Economic Financial Management II, and EFIN 499R - Financial Engineering Design Capstone. Cannot double count Upper Division Directed Major Electives and 400-Level Directed Major Electives. Cannot double count R-designated ECNS capstone course and 400-level courses.
Agricultural Business and Financial Engineering students seeking a second major in Economics must complete 5 upper division directed elective courses beyond the requirements for their primary major.
Graduation Requirements
Economics students must receive a grade of C or better in ECNS 101IS, ECNS 202, ECNS 204IS, ECNS 301, ECNS 303, and M 161Q or M 171Q (or their equivalents) to meet departmental graduation requirements. All other courses counting toward departmental requirements must be graded C- or better. Thirty-three (33) economics credits are needed to graduate. A minimum of 120 credits is required for graduation; 42 credits must be in courses numbered 300 and above.