Economics (BS)

Career Outlook:

• The number of jobs in economics is projected to grow 13% between 2020 and 2030, significantly higher than the average occupation. Economists earned a median salary of $105,630 in 2021, 80% more than the median salary for all US workers—and the Washington metropolitan region is home to over one-third of the nation's economists.
• Economic majors are also in high demand in positions across the corporate world and legal profession based on the critical thinking and analytical skills they develop during college. The median starting salary for new bachelor's of economics graduates in DC is $57,000 according to PayScale. You can find out more about possible career paths from the American Economic Association and the AU Career Center Career Guides by Major.

Top employers for recent Department of Economics graduates:

• Cambridge Associates
• Deloitte
• FHI 360
• PricewaterhouseCoopers
• The World Bank Group
• US Department of Commerce

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 Macroeconomics (3) , ECON-150 Economics for Business (3)  or ECON-200 Microeconomics (3) , STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4) , STAT-203 Basic Statistics with Calculus (4) , or STAT-204 Introduction to Business Statistics (4) , and MATH-221 Calculus I (4)  (or MATH-211 Applied Calculus I (3)  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 of economics courses from study abroad programs may be applied to the major, except students attending the London School of Economics may fulfill a maximum of 12 credit hours
• No more than 3 credit hours from independent reading and study courses or internships may be applied to the major
• No more than one internship experience may be applied to the major, regardless of course level

Course Requirements
Required (19 credit hours)

• ECON-100 Macroeconomics (3)
• ECON-322 Applied Econometrics I (3)
• ECON-400 Intermediate Microeconomics with Calculus (3)
• ECON-401 Intermediate Macroeconomics with Calculus (3)
• ECON-405 Introduction to Mathematical Economics (3)
• MATH-221 Calculus I (4)
• Microeconomics (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:
Note: ECON-150 Economics for Business (3)  is intended for Kogod School of Business students.

• ECON-150 Economics for Business (3)
• ECON-200 Microeconomics (3)
• Statistics (4 credit hours)

Complete 4 credit hours from the following:

• STAT-202 Basic Statistics (4)
• STAT-203 Basic Statistics with Calculus (4)
• STAT-204 Introduction to Business Statistics (4)
• Additional (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following:

• ACCT-240 Principles of Financial Accounting (3)
• CSC-148 Introduction to Computer Science I (4)
• MATH-222 Calculus II (4)
• MATH-310 Linear Algebra (4)
• MATH-313 Calculus III (4)
• Capstone (3 credit hours)

Complete 3 credit hours from the following: 

• ECON-478 Senior Policy Analysis Seminar (3)
• ECON-480 Senior Research Seminar (3)
• ECON-491 Senior Internship (3)
• ECON-492 Senior Internship in Teaching (3)
• 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) .

• ECON-317 Political Economy (3)
• ECON-318 Economic History (3)
• ECON-319 United States Economic History (3)
• ECON-320 History of Economic Ideas (3)
• ECON-332 Money, Banking, and Finance in the Global Economy (3)
• ECON-341 Public Economics (3)
• ECON-345 Introduction to Game Theory (3)
• MATH-345 Introduction to Game Theory (3)
• ECON-346 Competition, Regulation, and Business Strategies (3)
• ECON-351 Comparative Economic Systems (3)
• ECON-359 Global Health and Economic Development (3)
• ECON-361 Economic Development (3)
• ECON-362 Microeconomics of Economic Development (3)
• ECON-363 Macroeconomics of Economic Development (3)
• ECON-371 International Economics: Trade (3)
• ECON-372 International Economics: Finance (3)
• ECON-373 Labor Economics (3)
• ECON-374 Gender Roles in the Economy (3)
• ECON-379 Economics of Environmental Policy (3)
• ECON-390 Independent Reading Course in Economics (1-6)
• ECON-394 Community Service-Learning Project (1)
• ECON-396 Selected Topics: Non-Recurring (1-6)
• ECON-424 Applied Econometrics II (3)
• ECON-440 Communicating Economics (3)
• ECON-450 Growing Artificial Societies (3)
• ECON-458 Economics of the World Regions (3) (topics)
• ECON-490 Independent Study Project in Economics (1-6)
• ECON-496 Selected Topics: Non-Recurring (1-6)

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