Major Requirements

Additional information regarding each section of the Economics Plans of Study can be found below. If you have questions please see a Peer Academic Assistant during drop-in hours or schedule a meeting with your advisor. 

For general info on the major and the difference between a BA and BS, visit our Economics Major Page.

Part 1: Economics Foundations Courses

Both B.A. and B.S. students must complete Principles courses, Statistics, and Calculus.  B.S. students have an additional Math requirement.

  • Either option listed for principles courses will satisfy Content Area 2 of the CLAS GenEd Requirement.
  • STAT 1100Q is preferred to STAT 1000Q, but either are accepted.
  • B.S. Majors are required to have finished the Calculus requirement in order to enroll in ECON 2211Q and 2212Q.

Part 3: Related Courses

Both B.A. and B.S. students must complete 12+ credits in 2000-level or above courses related to economics offered by other departments. 

Notes on how to satisfy the related course requirement:

  • Any 2000+ level courses in the following departments: https://econ.uconn.edu/related/
  • Credits do not need to be all in the same subject.
  • Any 2000+ level course taken for a double major, dual degree, or minor (Even if a course is not on the pre-approved list above)
  • Courses can NOT be cross-listed with an ECON course in the catalog, even if you took the cross-listed section.

Part 4: Additional Credits/Electives

Students pursuing either a B.A. or a B.S. must take at least 45 credits in 2000+ level courses, including the Core and Related Courses. This typically means an additional 3 courses for B.A. majors or 2 courses for B.S. majors.

After the 45 credit rule is met and GenEds, Principles, Core, and Relateds are completed, all remaining credits needed to reach the 120 minimum to graduate are considered Electives.

  • Electives are a great opportunity to declare a minor, double major in CLAS, and/or an additional degree in another school at UConn. See here: https://econ.uconn.edu/double-major/
  • If one of these options is not of interest to you, the ECON department suggests Customizing your Major by taking economics courses grouped by career focus or area of interest.
    • Note: Not all courses listed are available every semester.

Part 2: Economics Core Courses

B.A. majors must earn a minimum of 24 credits in ECON courses at 2000-level or above, while B.S. majors must earn 29 credits in ECON courses at 2000-level or above.

Notes on the courses that fulfill this requirement:

  • ECON 2201 (or 2211Q) and 2202 (or 2212Q) should be taken as early as possible, as they are prerequisites for most of the 3000-level courses. They can be taken in either order or simultaneously, though we do not recommend taking at the same time. A lighter course load is recommended for students who take ECON 2201 and 2202 simultaneously.
  • The Department offers two options for completing the Writing Requirement:
    • ECON 2500W – 1 credit Writing in Economics course
    • Or several options for a 3 credit 2000/3000 level W course
  • Groups 2 and 3 under Core courses allow for some flexibility in choosing from certain ECON courses. Students have the option to Customize their Major by selecting ECON courses grouped by career focus or area of interest.
    • Note: Not all courses listed are available every semester.
  • 2201/2202 Substitution (For B.S. majors)* If a student has already taken 2201 and/or 2202 and would like to complete the BS major in ECON, they may substitute ECON 2201 and/or 2202 in place of 2211Q and/or 2212Q by taking ECON 2301 in addition. Then, 2301 cannot count in Group 2. The student must take 2 courses from Group 2, not including ECON 2301

Part 5: General Education Requirements

All CLAS Students must complete the CLAS General Education Requirements. These include the following competencies and Content Areas:

  • Second Language Competency
  • Writing Competency SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS
  • Quantitative Competency
  • Environmental Literacy Competency (Approved "E" Courses List) 
  • CA1: Arts & Humanities
  • CA2: Social Sciences
  • CA3: Science and Technology
  • CA4: Diversity and Multiculturalism

The CLAS GenEd Audit sheet can be found here. It includes info on how to satisfy these requirements and lists course numbers for each Content Area.

The “W” Course Writing Requirement In-Depth

Two W courses are required to satisfy the writing requirement as follows:

  • One ECON W Course
  • One W course in ANY Subject, any level
    • A W is required in EACH major. Students pursuing a second major will fulfill this requirement with a W course in their other major.

ENGL 1007 (or 1010 or 1011) does not count as a W course, it is a prerequisite for W courses.

ECON W course options:

  • 3-credit ECON W:
    • ECON 3438W Fall only - ECON 2201/2211Q and 2202/2212Q are prerequisites for this course.
    • ECON 2101W Spring only - also fulfills a Content Area 1C course
    • Various 3-credit ECON W courses are also offered in the summer. Please check the summer course listing for options.
  • 1-credit ECON W:
    • ECON 2500W- offered both fall and spring. This course fills quickly and has waitlists available.
    • ECON 2491W Internship Research Paper - option available to students who complete ECON 2481- Internship Field Study
  • Honors Students: will take ECON 4494W and 4497W for their honors requirements which will fulfill their ECON W requirement.

NOTE: 1-credit Writing courses will fulfill the Major W requirement, but students are still required to reach a minimum of 24 upper-level ECON credits (BA) or 29 credits (BS). This typically means:

for the BA: (3) 3-credit 2300/3000 level, (3) 3-credit 2000+ level, (1) 1-credit W

for the BS: 12 credits from intermediates and empirical methods, at least (2) 3-credit courses in group 2, (1) 1-credit W, 10 additional 2000+ credits