Economics
Chair: Andrew A. Samwick
Vice Chair: James D. Feyrer
Professors P. M. Anderson, D. G. Blanchflower, E. U. Cascio, D. Comin, E. V. Edmonds, J. D. Feyrer, A. L. Gustman, D. A. Irwin, M. G. Kohn, A. T. Levin, E. G. Lewis, E. F. P. Luttmer, N. Pavcnik, C. Olivetti, B. I. Sacerdote, A. A. Samwick, C. M. Snyder, D. O. Staiger, R. W. Staiger, J. Zinman, E. W. Zitzewitz; Associate Professors L. Agha, D. T Allen, P. Novosad; Assistant Professors M. W. Grant, A. Gupta, M. D. McKelway, S. M. Mello, D. Ramos-Toro, N. Shenhav, M. L. Startz, N. G. Zorzi; Senior Lecturers E. S. Curtis, M. P. Doyle, M. B. Rose
To view Economics courses, click here.
Requirements for the Major
Prerequisites:
ECON 1 and
ECON 10, with an average grade no lower than C, and
MATH 3. A student who fails to achieve the minimum grade average for the prerequisites may, with the permission of the vice chair, substitute grades in
ECON 21 and
ECON 20 for those in
ECON 1 and
ECON 10, respectively. Another statistics course may be substituted for
ECON 10 with permission of the vice chair. Newly declared Econ Majors who have not previously satisfied this requirement must take Econ 10.
Requirements : Nine courses in addition to the prerequisites, with a GPA for these nine courses of no less than 2.0. The nine courses must include the following:
1. ECON 20, ECON 21, and ECON 22
2. A culminating experience class and its prerequisites. This implies choosing a 3-course sequence from among the following:
a. ECON 62, with prerequisites ECON 32 and ECON 29
b. ECON 64, with prerequisites ECON 24 and either ECON 27 or ECON 39
c. ECON 65, with prerequisites ECON 25 and ECON 35
d. ECON 66, with prerequisites ECON 26 and ECON 36
e. ECON 67, with prerequisites ECON 27 and either ECON 24 or ECON 28 or ECON 37
f. ECON 68, with prerequisites ECON 28 and ECON 38
g. ECON 69, with prerequisites ECON 29 and ECON 39
h. Honors via the 80-81-82 sequence (see below)
3. Three additional ECON courses, at least two of which must be numbered between 23 and 69
Notes: ECON 2 and ECON 5 may not be counted toward fulfillment of the major requirement.
Requirements for the Modified Major
The modified major is intended to fit the needs of students who have a definite interest in economics but are interested also in studying some specific problem or topic that falls partly in the field of economics, the study of which depends also upon courses in related fields, e.g., mathematics and computer science. Each student’s program must be approved by the vice chair of the department (who consults the curriculum committee) no later than fall of senior year; this approved program of courses constitutes the major. Note that the department website provides examples of several “pre-approved” modified majors that meet the guidelines.
Prerequisites : ECON 1 and ECON 10, with an average grade no lower than C, and MATH 3. A student who fails to achieve the minimum grade average for the prerequisites may, with permission of the vice chair, substitute grades in ECON 21 and ECON 20 for those in ECON 1 and ECON 10, respectively. Another statistics course may, in certain instances, be substituted for ECON 10 with permission of the vice chair. Newly declared Econ modified majors who have not previously satisfied this requirement must take Econ 10.
Requirements:
1. A unified, coherent program of at least ten courses is required, of which at least six courses must be in economics (in addition to ECON 1, ECON 10 and MATH 3) and four courses in a field or fields related to the special topic approved by the department vice chair. The GPA for the six courses in Economics must be no less than 2.0. The additional courses in a field outside of economics must be chosen from those satisfying the major of the department offering the course.
2. The six courses in economics must include the following:
a. ECON 20, ECON 21, and ECON 22
b. A culminating experience class and its prerequisites. This implies choosing a 3-course sequence from among the following:
i. ECON 62, with prerequisites ECON 32 and ECON 29
ii. ECON 64, with prerequisites ECON 24 and either ECON 27 or ECON 39
iii. ECON 65, with prerequisites ECON 25 and ECON 35
iv. ECON 66, with prerequisites ECON 26 and ECON 36
v. ECON 67, with prerequisites ECON 27 and either ECON 24 or ECON 28 or ECON 37
vi. ECON 68, with prerequisites ECON 28 and ECON 38
vii. ECON 69, with prerequisites ECON 29 and ECON 39
Requirements for Another Major Modified with Economics
Prerequisites : ECON 1 and ECON 10, with an average grade no lower than C, and MATH 3. (A student who fails to achieve the minimum grade average for the prerequisites may, with the permission of the vice chair, substitute grades in ECON 21 and ECON 20 for those in ECON 1 and ECON 10, respectively. Another statistics course may, in certain instances, be substituted for ECON 10 with permission of the vice chair.)
Requirements : A unified, coherent program of at least four courses in economics in addition to the prerequisites, with a GPA of no less than 2.0. The four courses must contain ECON 21, ECON 22, and two additional classes numbered between 20 and 69.
Economics Minor
Prerequisites : ECON 1 and ECON 10, with an average grade no lower than C, and MATH 3. A student who fails to achieve the minimum grade average for the prerequisites may, with the permission of the vice chair, substitute grades in ECON 21 and ECON 20 for those in ECON 1 and ECON 10, respectively. Another statistics course may be substituted for ECON 10 with permission of the vice chair. Newly declared Econ minors who have not previously satisfied this requirement must take Econ 10.
Requirements : Six courses in addition to the prerequisites, with a GPA for these six courses of no less than 2.0. No courses can be counted toward both a major and a minor. The six courses must include the following:
1. ECON 20, ECON 21, and ECON 22
2. A culminating experience class and its prerequisites. This implies choosing a 3-course sequence from among the following:
a. ECON 62, with prerequisites ECON 32 and ECON 29
b. ECON 64, with prerequisites ECON 24 and either ECON 27 or ECON 39
c. ECON 65, with prerequisites ECON 25 and ECON 35
d. ECON 66, with prerequisites ECON 26 and ECON 36
e. ECON 67, with prerequisites ECON 27 and either ECON 24 or ECON 28 or ECON 37
f. ECON 68, with prerequisites ECON 28 and ECON 38
g. ECON 69, with prerequisites ECON 29 and ECON 39
h. Honors via the 80-81-82 sequence (see below)
Transfer Credit
Upon approval by the Vice Chair, a maximum of two course credits for work taken elsewhere may be counted toward the economics major, including prerequisites. For an economics modified major or economics minor, only one economics course may be transferred, while no economics courses may be transferred for another major modified with economics. In the case of a major, modified major, or minor, the culminating experience course and its two prerequisites are required to be taken at Dartmouth. ECON 20 taken elsewhere may not be allowed to be transferred. It is recommended that transfer credit be sought mainly for courses not regularly offered by the Department. Transfer credit will only be accepted from respected degree-granting institutions of higher education. Only courses requiring the equivalent of ECON 1 as a prerequisite will be credited toward the fulfillment of a major, modified major, or minor. Students contemplating taking major, modified major or minor courses elsewhere should thus consult the Vice Chair well in advance, to assure that appropriate transfer credits will be accepted.
Economics Honors Program
The Honors Program in Economics provides qualified students with several different pathways to graduating with ‘Honors in Economics’ or with ‘High Honors in Economics,’ each of which are outlined below.
To be eligible for the Program, a student must have a grade point average of at least 3.3 in courses counting toward the major (excluding ECON 1, ECON 10, and MATH 3), and an overall grade point average of at least 3.0. Additionally, in order to be eligible for ‘High Honors,’ a student must take ten major courses (beyond prerequisites), rather than just the nine courses required for a standard or ‘Honors’ major.
Majors enrolled in a culminating experience class whose research papers for that course are deemed of exceptional merit by the instructor, and who are otherwise eligible for the Program, shall be granted ‘Honors in Economics” with no additional coursework necessary. No more than two students per section may be granted ‘Honors’ in this way without a vote of the department. Students may subsequently enroll in ECON 87 and extend their research from the culminating experience course in order to be eligible for ‘High Honors.’ Failure to enroll in or to complete ECON 87 will not forfeit the original ‘Honors’ designation. Additional students meeting requirements for the Program whose major paper in their culminating experience course is considered to have excellent potential to develop further into a thesis may also be invited to enroll in ECON 87 to become eligible for either ‘Honors’ or ‘High Honors.’
An additional method of earning ‘Honors’ is to complete the ECON 80-81-82 sequence with an average grade of B+ and having received a grade of A- or better in each of the prerequisite classes (i.e. ECON 20, ECON 21 and ECON 22). The instructors of this sequence may additionally recommend that students who have done such outstanding work in these courses that it would achieve the ‘Honors’ designation by the method described above be granted ‘High Honors’ by vote of the Department, provided the student has completed ten major courses (beyond prerequisites). Note that successful completion of this sequence may take the place of 3-course culminating experience sequence described above in the regular major section.
A final, more traditional method of achieving ‘Honors’ or ‘High Honors’ is by initiating a research project in ECON 85 and then writing an Honors thesis (ECON 87) in the senior year. Prior to enrolling in ECON 85 or ECON 87, the student must have the written approval of the vice chair and of a faculty member in the economics department who is willing to act as an adviser. The adviser would usually be a professor whose own research interests lie in the area in which the student wants to work. Students following this path will be expected to have taken all courses relevant to their topic prior to enrollment in ECON 85.
Both regular majors and modified majors who wish to enroll in ECON 85 will be expected to have taken all courses relevant to their topic prior to enrollment. For those enrolling in ECON 87, an average grade of B+ (3.33) or better in ECON 85 and ECON 87, or the culminating experience course and ECON 87 for that approach to developing the Honors thesis, will entitle the student to graduate with ‘Honors in Economics.’ A vote of the Department is necessary to achieve ‘High Honors in Economics,’ along with one additional major course beyond those required for the standard or ‘Honors’ major. The Department will consider the student’s performance on the thesis and his or her record in Economics courses in awarding ‘High Honors.’