Below is listed all the requirements for the various economics majors and
minors. Click on your major or minor to view the requirements. This
information is also listed in the 2000-2001 WSU catalog.
Below is listed all the requirements for the various economics majors and
minors. Click on your major or minor to view the requirements. This
information is also listed in the 2000-2001 WSU catalog.
ECONOMICS MAJOR in the Social
Sciences
General Requirements:
Major Requirements (total credits required determined by program of study):
Students may obtain a degree with a General Economics Major by pursuing a program of study approved by the Department Chair. In order to guide the student, four acceptable programs of study are listed below.
GENERAL ECONOMICS (MINOR REQUIRED): This program is designed for those students desiring a bachelor's degree in the broad area of economics as a social science and requires a minor. The analysis of economic choices provides students with skills and knowledge that is attractive to many different types of employers (e.g., public and private agencies, business firms, and governments (local, county, regional, state, federal). Most graduates in general economics find employment in positions that may or may not directly involve economic analysis but almost always require a rigorous undergraduate training. Often these are entry level positions which may specify several alternative acceptable majors. For the employers of recent graduates, "trainability" is often of overriding importance. Because economics trains you to think critically and display initiative in solving problems the general economics degree is a good indicator of this quality. Either the BA or the BS is suitable for students wanting to pursue a general career path. Former students who have selected this major began their careers at the LDS Church, Thiokol, Utah Power, Salt Lake County, and the U.S. Forest Service. Others have careers in the insurance, real estate, restaurant, and hospitality industries.
Students must also fulfill the requirements for a minor in one of the programs offered in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (see list on graduation contract form). In special cases, subject to the prior approval of the department chair, a student may be allowed to design a specialized program to substitute for the minor (e.g., a set of courses that emphasizes interdisciplinary aspects of environmental studies) or to substitute a minor from outside the College of Social and Behavioral sciences. Courses used to fulfill requirements for the minor may not also be applied to the requirements for the Economics major.
Required courses (21 hours): see above
Elective Courses (minimum of 12 hours): any course offered by the department of economics with an economics designation (i.e., Econ as opposed to Quant; see graduation contract form available in the economics departmental office for a list of currently acceptable courses.)
QUANTITATIVE ECONOMICS (NO MINOR REQUIRED): The student may want to design a program of study centering on Quantitative Economics. This program of study would be particularly appropriate for those students who plan to continue their education by entering a Masters or Ph.D. program in Economics, Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Operations Research, Statistics, and many other graduate programs that require a strong background in and development of quantitative skills. In most graduate programs in the social and behavioral sciences, a strong quantitative, mathematical, and statistical background is becoming the norm rather than the exception.
A graduate degree in economics is often a prerequisite for jobs involving economic analysis. A Masters Degree is often sufficient to obtain employment as an industrial economist (persons who analyze business trends and represent firms before the media and public) or as a government economist (persons working as economists in agencies such as the CIA, the Bureau of Land Management, the State Department, state planning agencies, etc.). These economists often combine consulting and teaching at the junior college level as part of their career. A Ph.D. in economics is necessary to teach at four year colleges and universities. Former Weber State economics graduates have gone on to graduate school at Harvard, Chicago, Stanford, Northwestern, Virginia, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Wyoming, Rice, Washington U. at St. Louis, University of California among others.
Required Courses (33 hours; no minor is required inasmuch as the equivalent of a minor in mathematics is included in this program of study): In addition to the requirements for all general economics majors (see above), students must also take Accounting 2010(3), Econ 4550 (3), Econ 4560 (3), the lower division calculus sequence plus eight other credit hours offered by the Mathematics Department. Because of the required sequence in calculus, Quant 2400 is waived in the general economics requirements.
Elective Courses: A minimum of 12 hours of courses approved in advance by the Department Chair taken from either the Economics or the Mathematics Department (see list of currently approved classes on the graduation contract form available in the economics department office).
ECONOMICS WITH LEGAL STUDIES MINOR: Many students plan to enter a graduate program in Law. Economics is by no means the only major appropriate for preparing to enter a law program. Nevertheless, some prestigious law schools express a preference for economics majors. Furthermore, many former economics students report that the particular emphasis placed on the development of analytical skills and knowledge of business law and legal institutions in the context of the U.S. and global economy proved to be a definite advantage, both during law school and in subsequent practice. By combining a general economics major with the existing legal studies minor, students will be well prepared for further study.
Requirements: In addition to the 21 required and 12 elective courses applicable to all general economics majors (see above), students in this program of study are required to take the Legal Studies Minor (see graduation contract form available in the economics department office for the current program of study).
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS (NO MINOR REQUIRED): Many students want a broad
background in the emerging global economy while others who intend to pursue further
studies in international business or to work for government agencies or private firms
focused on issues and problems of the global economy. A program of study in International
Economics linked with a broad program in interdisciplinary international studies is
required. Students are encouraged to take a foreign language and seek the BA rather than
the BS degree. Students pursuing this direction may also seek employment in agencies of
the U.S. government that are involved with international relations, economic development,
foreign aid, and global issues such as resource conservation, forestry, and environmental
protection.
Required Courses (30 hours): In addition to the required courses for all general economics majors (see above), students in this program of study will be required to take Econ 3110 (3), 3120 (3), 4170 (3) as 9 of the 12 elective credit hours in economics. In addition, students must take, subject to approval by the department chairperson, the equivalent to a minor (minimum of 15 credit hours) from a broad range of courses emphasizing international aspects of the world from historical, political, geographical, and other relevant perspectives. See the list of approved electives on the current graduation contract sheet available in the economics department office. Because of the broad international flavor of the electives required, no separate minor will be required.
Program Prerequisites: All Business and Economics courses with
numbers above 3000 require prior completion of Acctng 2010, Econ SS2010,
Econ SS2020, IS&T 1000 and Quant 2600 (unless noted ). These prerequisites
are referred to collectively as "Business Foundations." (Refer to John B.
Goddard School of Business & Economics Requirements.)
» Minor: None required.
» Grade Requirements: A minimum grade of "C-" is mandatory in all
required classes. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher must be
maintained for all courses. In addition, a minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for
Business and Economics courses.
» Credit Hour Requirements: A total of 120 credit hours is required for
graduation -- 60-61 of these are John B. Goddard School of Business &
Economics required courses and 24 are required within the major.
ECONOMICS MINOR FOR NON-BUSINESS MAJORS
General Requirements:
Specific Requirements (minimum of 18 credit hours):
General Requirements:
Specific
Requirements:
In fulfilling requirements for an economics honors major, students must take at least 14
hours of economics courses on an honors basis, 2 hours of which must be completed as a
senior project (Honors 4990). Either Economics 4010 or 4020 must be taken on an honors
basis. The student may receive economics honors credit in any upper-division or
graduate-level economics course.
Permission from the department chair must be obtained before registering in a course for honors credit. A written agreement must also be reached with the appropriate professor regarding the work expected for honors credit.
