UAA College of Business and Public Policy

Economics Tracks

Are you interested in concentrating in a specific area within economics? Consider the following course sequences:

• Environmental and Natural Resource Economics

• ECON 210
  Environmental Economics and Policy
• ECON 310
  Energy Economics
• ECON 390
  Special Topics: Fisheries Economics
• ECON 435
  Natural Resource Economics 1

• Business Economics

• ECON 341
  Labor Economics
• ECON 350
  Money and Banking
• ECON 363
  International Economics
• ECON 329
  Business Forecasting
• ECON 459
  Industrial Organization and Public Policy 1

• Economics and Public Policy

• ECON 315
  Urban and Regional Economics
• ECON 337
  Development Economics
• ECON 351
  Public Finance
• ECON 390
  Special Topics: Health Economics
• ECON 445
  Methods for Public Policy Evaluation 1
• ECON 640
  Economics of Transportation (graduate class, can’t be repeated for MPA/MPP degree)

• Quantitative Economics

• ECON 390
  Special Topics: Applied Economic Modeling
• ECON 445
  Methods for Public Policy Evaluation 1
• ECON 435
  Natural Resource Economics 1
• ECON 494
  Advanced Micro & Mathematical Economics 1
• ECON 459
  Industrial Organization and Public Policy 1

• Behavioral and Experimental Economics

• ECON 123
  Introduction to Behavioral Economics
• ECON 333
  Experimental Economics
• ECON 390
  Special Topics: Game Theory
• ECON 456
  Behavioral Economics*
• ECON 445
  Methods for Public Policy Evaluation 1

• Economics and Philosophy

• PHIL 101
  Intro to Logic
• ECON 325
  History of Economic Thought
• ECON 360
  Modern Economic History
• ECON 390
  Special topics: Worldly Philosophers
• PHIL 301
  Ethics

1 Course has ECON 321 and ECON 312 as a prerequisite.

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Economics PhD Graduate School Preparation

Ideally, a grad school prep track would include the following courses beyond the economics core:

• Minimal additional mathematics and statistics courses
  • MATH 251, 252, 253 Calculus I, II, III
  • MATH 314 Linear Algebra
  • MATH 407, 408 Mathematical Statistics I, II
  • STAT 307 Probability and Statistics

• Optional Math and Statistics courses, especially for those considering top programs
  • any 400- or 600-level Statistics course
  • MATH 324 Real Analysis
  • MATH 371 Stochastic Processes
  • MATH 422 Partial Differential Equations
  • MATH 426 Numerical Methods

• Optional Economics courses
  • ECON 445 Public Policy Evaluation
  • ECON 494 Mathematical Economics and Advanced Micro Theory
  • ECON 390 Applied Economic Modeling
  • Independent study. Students should consider getting independent research experience. This could include applying for an undergraduate research grant and presenting results at the undergraduate research showcase.

The American Economic Association has two useful web pages dedicated to advice when preparing for graduate school:
Recommended Mathematical Training to Prepare for Graduate School in Economics
Math Preparation for Graduate School

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Law School Preparation

Considering a career in law? Did you know that Economics majors tend to be among the best performers on the LSAT? In a recent study, economics ranked second among all majors in average LSAT scores (Nieswiadomy, 2017).

The American Bar Association does not recommend a specific major or particular courses in preparation for law school. Instead they identify some fundamental skills and values that are useful in preparing for law school. These include analytic skills, critical reading and writing skills, and ability to conduct independent research.

The B.A. in Economics degree helps students develop these essential skills while providing the opportunity to pursue additional areas of interest.