Economics (BS)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Offered by the Department of Economics , College of Arts and Sciences .

Admission to the Program

Formal admission to the major requires a grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and the approval of the department undergraduate advisor. Intended majors must also have a 2.5 GPA in ECON-100 , ECON-150 or ECON-200 , STAT-202 , STAT-203 , or STAT-204 , and MATH-221 (or MATH-211 with approval).

University Requirements

120 credit hours with minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 2 )
Completion of all requirements for a major (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 9 )

AU Core Requirements

Completion of AU Core foundation requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.2-8.6 )
Completion of AU Core Habits of Mind requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.7 )
Completion of AU Core integrative course requirements (Undergraduate Academic Regulation 8.8-8.11 )

For additional information, see AU Core Curriculum .

Major Requirements

47 credit hours with grades of C or better
- No more than 6 credit hours may be fulfilled by economics courses from study abroad programs, except students attending the London School of Economics may fulfill a maximum of 12 credit hours
- No more than 3 credit hours of independent reading and study courses or internships may be applied to the major
- Only one internship experience may count toward the major, regardless of course level

Course Requirements

Required (19 credit hours)

Microeconomics (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Note: ECON-150 is intended for Kogod School of Business students.

Statistics (4 credit hours)

Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

Additional (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Capstone (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

Electives (15 credit hours)

Complete 15 credit hours from the following:

Note: Students may take no more than 6 credit hours from the following: ECON-361 Economic Development (3) , ECON-362 Microeconomics of Economic Development (3) , and ECON-363 Macroeconomics of Economic Development (3) .

Combined Economics (BS) and Economics (MA)

American University offers students the opportunity to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees through its combined bachelor’s/master’s programs. See Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s / Master’s Program and Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees for more information.

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs:

Students in this program will not be required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students will be admitted formally to MA status only after they have completed all requirements for the Economics (BS) with a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher