Economics Major (economics track)
The track in Economics teaches students the theory and the analytical and mathematical tools now expected of entering graduate students in economics and useful for graduate study in related fields such as business. See our FAQs page for How to Declare a Major in our department.
It is easiest to understand the requirements for the major in Economics (Economics Track) by reference to the Major Requirement Declaration Form. Take special note of the four dimensions of the major. Keeping these four dimensions in mind will help you to plan your program, and to avoid the most common missteps on the road to completion of the major. (See Tips and Caveats.)
Requirements
Sequential Character | Common Core | Quantitative Dimension | Thematic Focus |
Course Title | Course Number | When Taken |
---|---|---|
Intro to Economic Reasoning1 | ECON BC1003 | Year 1 |
Math Methods for Economics2 | ECON BC1007 | 1 |
Intermediate Macro Theory3 | ECON BC3033 | 2 |
Intermediate Micro Theory4 | ECON BC3035 | 2 |
Theoretical Foundations of Political Economy | ECON BC3041 | 2 |
Statistics for Economics5 | ECON BC2411 | 2/3 |
Econometrics6 | ECON BC3018 | 2/3 |
1. Open Economics Elective | 3 | |
2. Upper-Level Economics Elective | 3 | |
3. Upper-Level Economics Elective | 3 | |
Senior Thesis I or Senior Seminar | 4 | |
Senior Thesis II or Upper-Level Elective | 4 |
1ECON UN1105 (at Columbia) may be substituted for BC1003 with permission from the Department Chair.
2Calculus I and III (MATH UN1101, MATH UN1201) may be substituted for ECON BC1007 to satisfy the Math Methods requirement. Students with an AP score of AB or BC = 4 or higher (or an IB score of 6 or 7 in IB Mathematics) and are placed out of Calculus I are exempt from taking this course and should start with Calculus III. Honor’s Mathematics I & II may be substituted for two semesters of Calculus I & III. (APMA E2000 - Multivariable Calculus for Engineers and Applied Scientists may be substituted for Calculus III.) Students who have previously completed either Intermediate Microeconomics or Calculus III are not permitted to enroll in Math Methods for Economics.
3ECON UN3213 (at Columbia) may be substituted for BC3033 with permission from the Department Chair.
4ECON UN3211 (at Columbia) may be substituted for BC3035 with permission from the Department Chair.
5STAT UN1101 (formerly STAT W1111), STAT UN1201 (formerly STAT W1211), PSYC BC1101, BUSI G6014, SIEO W3600 or STAT GU4001 may be substituted for ECON BC2411 with permission from the Department Chair. [Note: If you minor or double major in Psychology and you take Psych BC1101, you must take an additional open economics elective in order to maintain the same total number of courses--Barnard does not allow you to double count courses from both departments.]
6ECON UN3412 (at Columbia) may be substituted for ECON BC3018 with permission from the Department Chair.
Economics majors cannot take any economics courses PDF. See our FAQ page for more details.