Economics BA
Exploring the Major— Students considering a major in Economics should begin exploring the discipline through the Department’s introductory courses—ECO 101 and ECO 102.
Admission to the Major— Completion of ECO 101 and ECO 102, and completion or enrollment in MAT 115 at the time they declare the major.
Course Sequencing Considerations (in order to complete degree requirements within eight terms)— Prospective Economics majors should: 1) Complete the Developmental Mathematics requirement, if applicable, as soon as possible because this is a prerequisite for both ECO 101 and ECO 102, which are the foundational courses for Economics, and one or both are therefore required for any 300-level ECO course. 2) Complete PSC 100 as soon as possible because, in addition to being a major requirement, it is a prerequisite for two of the PSC theory courses that could be selected to meet the non-ECO theory requirement, and it is the first in a series of courses required to take either of the PSC courses that a student could select in meeting the policy application requirement. 3) Follow the Mathematics sequence, completing or waiving MAT 115. This Mathematics course serves as a prerequisite for ECO 250 and required theory courses for Economics majors. Students interested in taking ECO 302 as their theory course must also complete or waive MAT 135 as early as possible because it is a prerequisite. Junior standing is preferred for ECO 310 and senior standing for ECO 410. Students may enroll in up to two departmental Internship experiences for a maximum of three credits. However, no more than one credit from Internships may be counted toward the major requirements.
Proficiency Requirements for Retention in and Completion of the Major— In addition to completing specified course requirements, each student must satisfy departmental standards for written and oral communication. For more about these standards, please see the Department’s website. Opportunities to do so are provided in a number of courses throughout the curriculum. The Department also requires that a majority of courses taken to satisfy major and minor degree requirements must be taken at Berea College.