Dec 11, 2024  
2022-2023 University Catalog 
    
2022-2023 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Economics, BS


About the Program

Welcome to Purdue University’s Department of Economics. The Department, located in the Krannert School of Management, has a long tradition of excellence in research and teaching. Economics faculty members are leaders in their respective fields. The Economics Department offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. For undergraduates students, the Department offers two Baccalaureate degrees, a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Economics through the Management School and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree through the College of Liberal Arts.

The BS degree is offered by the Krannert School of Management and is designed for students who expect to use economic analysis and data-heavy quantitative methods in their careers. The BA degree is offered by the College of Liberal Arts and is designed for students who expect to use economic reasoning in the context of a broader liberal arts education in their careers. Krannert also offers a Minor in Economics and a Minor in Business Economics which are programs available to any undergraduate student on campus.

At Purdue, you will learn core micro and macro economic theory and then can chose from a menu of Economics Courses that cover diverse topics including: international trade, social interactions, tax policy, the banking system, public goods, the structure of industry, labor unions, antitrust policy, education, trust and bargaining, government regulation, discrimination, public finance, economic development, decision making under uncertainty, unemployment, any many, many others.

Why study economics? The most common answer we hear from students is that they enjoy taking econ courses. Fortunately, studying economics is not just enjoyable, it provides analytical and quantitative training that is in high demand by employers. From 2016 to 2018, Purdue’s Economics graduates had higher median starting salaries than all other business majors at Purdue (note that many of the top Economics majors at Purdue go immediately to graduate school and are not included in the salary averages). A 2022 paper by Bleemer and Mehta shows that “the wage return to economic education is very high relative to education in students’ second-choice social science disciplines, causing a 46 percent increase in mid-twenties earnings despite no change in educational investment or degree attainment”. They also find that “about half of the wage return is explained by economics majors working in higher-paying industries”. In addition, A 2011 New York Times article indicated that majoring in Economics gives you the best chance of reaching the top 1% of earners, and a 2006 paper by Flynn and Quinn found that after “adjusting for the size of the pool of graduates, those with undergraduate degrees in Economics are shown to have had a greater likelihood of becoming an S&P 500 CEO than any other major.”

Pre-Economics  

Economics (BS) Major Change (CODO) Requirements  

Degree Requirements


120 Credits Required

Department/Program Major Courses (48-49 credits)


Economics Admission Index (EAI) courses consist of:

  • COM 11400 Fundamentals of Speech Communication OR COM 21700 Science Writing & Presentation OR SCLA 10200 Transformative Texts, Critical Thinking and Communication II: Modern World OR EDPS 31500 Collaborative Leadership: Interpersonal Skills
  • ECON 25100 Microeconomics
  • ECON 25200 Macroeconomics
  • ENGL 10600 First-year Composition OR ENGL 10800 Accelerated First-year Composition OR SCLA 10100 Transformative Texts, Critical Thinking and Communication I: Antiquity to Modernity or HONR 19903 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Writing
  • MA 16010 Applied Calculus I OR MA 16100 Plane Analytic Geometry and Calculus I OR MA 16500 Analytic Geometry and Calculus I

Required Major Courses (16 credits)


Major Specialty Area (26-27 credits)


A. Economic Policy (27 credits)


C. Quantitative Economics & Data Analytics (26-27 credits)


D. Mathematical Economics (26-27 credits)


Management Cultural Competency Selectives (6 credits)


  • Cultural Competency I - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Cultural Competency II - Credit Hours: 3.00

Cultural Competency Selectives I & II for Management  

Other Departmental Requirements (24-27 credits)


Electives (44-48 credits)


  • ​Electives - Credit Hours: 44.00-48.00

The number of electives will vary for each student and can include AP credit, transfer credit, and/or Credit by Exam.


University Requirements


University Core Requirements


For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.
  • Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
  • Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
  • Information Literacy (IL)
  • Oral Communication (OC)
  • Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
  • Science #1 (SCI)
  • Science #2 (SCI)
  • Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
  • Written Communication (WC)

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement:


The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

  • Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
  • Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
  • Earning a passing grade for one of these approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.



Prerequisite Information:


For current pre-requisites for courses, click here.


Program Requirements


15-18 Credits


16 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


  • Major Specialty Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Major Specialty Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Human Cultures: Humanities Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science, Technology, & Society Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


15 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


  • Cultural Competency II - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Major Specialty Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Major Specialty Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Science #2 Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


  • Major Specialty Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Major Specialty Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Major Specialty Selective - Credit Hours: 2.00-3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

14-15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 2.00-3.00

14-15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 0.00-3.00

12-15 Credits


Notes


  • MGMT, OBHR and ECON courses numbered 30000 or higher can only be taken after being admitted to Upper Division, with the exception of OBHR 33300. Students may take this course during their Sophomore Year.
  • Courses taken on approved Krannert study abroad programs may be used to satisfy degree requirements. Students participating in a Purdue approved study abroad program are registered as full-time Purdue students during their semester abroad. Schedule an appointment with your advisor to discuss study abroad opportunities.
  • Information on summer courses is available at www.purdue.edu/thinksummer.
  • Graduation Index: 2.00 minimum - Major Index: 2.00 minimum
  • Transfer credit for upper level MGMT, OBHR and ECON (Purdue Transfer Credit Courses) will only be considered if taken at a 4 year AACSB accredited school.
  •  Upper Division Requirements: A student must 1) complete all EAI courses with a 2.75 or above EAI GPA AND a 2.50 cumulative GPA 2) have a C- or higher in all EAI AND any ECON courses 3) Not be on academic probation.

  • University Policy states students may only attempt a course 3 times and grades of W or WF are included in this limit. Per the School of Management, no more than three different MAI courses, or their equivalents, may be taken two times for a grade.
  • Students are responsible for consulting their advisor about re-take options available to them.
  • Previous enrollments in MA 16100, 16200, 16500, 16600 do not count against the retake policy for the MAI.

World Language Courses


World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor.

ASL-American Sign Language ARAB-Arabic CHNS-Chinese FR-French
GER-German GREK-Greek (Ancient) HEBR-Hebrew (Biblical) HEBR-Hebrew (modern)
ITAL-Italian JPNS-Japanese KOR-Korean LATN-Latin
PTGS-Portuguese RUSS-Russian SPAN-Spanish  

 

 
 
 

 

 

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.  Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful.  These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”. 

Disclaimer


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.