Mathematics and Economics Major

Program Requirements

  • Total Units Required: 57
  • Grade Requirement: All required courses (both lower- and upper-level) must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a grade of C– or better.

Required Courses*

CSE 1301Introduction to Computer Science3
ECON 1501Introduction to Microeconomics3
ECON 1502Introduction to Macroeconomics3
ECON 3150 Introduction to Econometrics or ECON 4150 Introduction to Econometrics With Writing3
ECON 4001Intermediate Microeconomic Theory3
ECON 4002Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory3
MATH 1510Calculus I3
MATH 1520Calculus II3
MATH 2130Calculus III3
MATH 3010 Foundations for Higher Mathematics or MATH 3015 Foundations for Higher Mathematics With Writing3
MATH 3300Matrix Algebra3
SDS 3020 Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis or SDS 3030 Statistics for Data Science I or SDS 4010 Probability3
Total Units36
*

Students who complete the MATH 2801 Honors Mathematics I and MATH 2802 Honors Mathematics II sequence will be considered to have completed MATH 1510, MATH 1520, and MATH 2130. These students are also recommended to bypass MATH 3010/MATH 3015 and MATH 3300, for which they may substitute any other upper-level Mathematics courses.

Elective Courses

Majors must complete seven electives drawn from the lists below. Three electives must be drawn from the Economics list, and three electives must be drawn from the Mathematics list. The remaining elective may come from either department or from the preapproved elective list below.

Economics

One of the three Economics electives can be any Economics course with ECON 4001 or ECON 4002 as a prerequisite, including from an approved study abroad program. The other two Economics electives must come from the following list:

ECON 4151Applied Econometrics3
ECON 4160Topics in Econometrics: Microeconometrics3
ECON 4210Topics in Financial Economics: Asset Pricing3
ECON 4211Topics in Financial Economics: Investments3
ECON 4220Open Economy Macroeconomics3
ECON 4230The Economics of Financial Intermediation3
ECON 4310Behavioral Economics and Experimental Economics3
ECON 4312Game Theory and Social Behavior3
ECON 4315Market Design3
ECON 4325Public Finance3
ECON 4335Industrial Organization3
ECON 4345Labor Economics3
ECON 4360Urban Economics3
ECON 4380 Current Topics in Health Economics3
ECON 4410Macroeconomics of Inequality3
ECON 4420Computational Macroeconomics3
ECON 4425Macro Public Finance: Inequality, Redistribution, and Insurance3
ECON 4510Development Economics3
ECON 4567Auction Theory and Practice3
ECON 4710Game Theory3
ECON 4720Optimization and Economic Theory3

Mathematics

The three Mathematics electives must come from the following list:

MATH 3180Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables *3
MATH 3420Graph Theory3
MATH 3520Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems *3
MATH 4101Introduction to Analysis3
MATH 4102Introduction to Lebesgue Integration3
MATH 4150Introduction to Fourier Series and Integrals3
MATH 4160Complex Variables3
MATH 4301Linear Algebra3
MATH 4501Numerical Applied Mathematics3
MATH 4502Topics in Applied Mathematics3
MATH 4540Partial Differential Equations3
MATH 4560Topics in Financial Mathematics3
SDS 4010Probability *3
SDS 4720Stochastic Processes3
*

Students choosing both MATH 3180 and MATH 3520 must complete four Mathematics electives from the list above. SDS 4010 can be taken for elective credit in the major if SDS 3020 or SDS 3030 is completed to satisfy the core requirements.

Preapproved Electives

One elective in the major can come from the following list:

SDS 4020Mathematical Statistics3
SDS 4110Experimental Design3
SDS 4155Time Series Analysis3
SDS 4130Linear Statistical Models3
SDS 4140Advanced Linear Statistical Models3
SDS 4210Statistical Computation3
SDS 4310Bayesian Statistics3
SDS 4430Statistical Learning3
SDS 4440Mathematical Foundations of Data Science3

Additional Information

  • Students cannot declare more than one major or minor in the Department of Economics. This restriction includes dual majors, such as Mathematics and Economics (and Economics and Computer Science). Dual majors are considered "in the department" even if they are declared in another department.
  • It is possible to earn the Financial Economics Specialization in conjunction with this major (prime or second).
  • With instructor permission, students may use any of the following for economics elective credit: ECON 8010, ECON 8011, ECON 8020, ECON 8021, ECON 8115, or ECON 8710.
  • AP credit for ECON 1501, ECON 1502, MATH 1510, and/or MATH 1520 is accepted in the major. Consult with the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Economics for International Baccalaureate and British A-level policies.

​Study Abroad

  • Majors selecting an approved study abroad program (for one semester) may receive transfer credit for ECON 3150. Note: Many study abroad programs in Europe do not offer the equivalent of ECON 3150 in the spring semester. A grade of C (or higher) is required in study abroad coursework. Preapproval from the Department of Economics’ study abroad advisor is required.
  • Majors selecting an approved study abroad program (for one semester) may also receive transfer credit for up to two economics electives. (Majors completing two economics electives abroad are required to complete four economics electives in the major.) A grade of C (or higher) is required in study abroad course work. Preapproval from the department's study abroad advisor is required.
  • Majors selecting an approved study abroad program for a full year of study will be handled on a case-by-case basis in terms of meeting degree requirements.

Transfer Credit

  • Transfer credit, including study abroad approval, for mathematics courses, for probability/statistics courses, or for CSE 1301 is approved by the respective departments and is accepted by the Department of Economics for major credit.
  • Majors may receive a maximum of 6 units of transfer credit from other colleges/universities to replace ECON 1501 and ECON 1502 (3 units of transfer credit per course). A minimum grade of C– must be earned. Preapproval by the Academic Coordinator in the Department of Economics is required.

For further details on policies and procedures, please refer to the Undergraduate Guide and the Department of Economics' website, or schedule a meeting with the department's Academic Coordinator.

Contact Info

Contact:Dorothy Petersen, Academic Coordinator
Phone:314-935-5644
Email:dottie@wustl.edu
Website:http://economics.wustl.edu