ECON-BA - Economics (BA)
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Program Overview
The undergraduate program in Economics aims to acquaint students with the economic aspects of modern society, familiarize them with techniques for analyzing contemporary economic problems, and develop an ability to exercise judgment in evaluating public policy. The program introduces students to macro- and microeconomic theory, teaches them to think and write clearly about economic problems and policy issues and apply essential economic analysis tools. The undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree provides an excellent background for those who plan government and private enterprise careers and those pursuing graduate degrees in professional schools or economics.
Preparing for the Major
Students will be required to complete course (or equivalent) to be eligible to enroll in the ECON 50 series (a core major requirement). Students should plan to complete the MATH prerequisites early in their academic career. Some higher level ECON Field and Elective courses may also require more advanced MATH courses, such as course. Students should plan accordingly to complete these prerequisites.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
- 2144841
- 1132501
OR 2266401 - 1132521
- 1132571
- 1132801
- 1132811
All Core Courses must be taken for a letter grade. In Fall 24 and onward, students must earn a C or better in all courses completed for the ECON Core.
Must be taken at Stanford in California and must be taken for a letter grade. The economics major does not require following a specific track or concentration; however, students may go to economics.stanford.edu to see the economics courses (listed below) sorted by focus areas.
- 2196001
- 1406151
- 2226661
- 2239971
- 1132921
- 2149101
- 2234901
- 2263803
- 1133011
- 2276521
- 2147461
- 1133571
- 2067641
- 2216731
- 2092251
OR 1133331
OR 2250931 - 2041841
- 1133291
- 1133391
- 2079941
- 1133411
- 2121091
- 1170222
- 2264641
- 1133561
- 2241411
- 1133581
- 1133591
- 1133621
OR 2254771
OR 2131431 - 1133661
- 2078231
- 2274381
- 2250312
- 2147771
- 2020291
- 2260053
- 1170542
- 1133971
any 200-level course with permission of DUS and course instructor. Students should contact the department Student Services Officer once a course is approved.
Students may not count units from Econ 140, ECON 141, and Econ 135 toward their major as the courses are too similar in content.
Students may count toward the econ field course requirement Econ 160, Econ 167G, or 180. The others may count as electives.
Students complete 20-27 units in addition to the field courses taken; choose from any ECON courses offered for a letter grade.
If a student waives course, they must complete another 5 units of electives to make up for the unit credit.
If the Field Course requirement of 5 courses does not add up to 25 units, the missing units can be made up with elective units.
Advanced undergraduate majors with strong quantitative preparation may enroll in Econ graduate (200-level) courses with the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the course instructor.
(Optional) In addition to ECON courses, up to 10 units of this requirement may be satisfied by some combination of the following:
Upper division math, statistics, and computer science courses (see list below).
Approved non-economics courses, including those from the Bing Overseas Study Program, Stanford in Washington, and Stanford in New York (see list below).
Approved Transfer Credit
Approved units of course (Directed Reading).
The department does not give credit for internships.
- 2209371
- 1056871
- 1057301
- 2050301
- 1057481
- 1057501
- 2122941
- 1172961
- 1056642
- 1173031
- 2041911
- 1173071
- 2021881
- 1173351
- 1173461
- 1173491
- 2089891
- 1173521
- 2254121
- 2259461
- 2045041
- 1045921
- 1254161
- 1254201
- 1254211
- 1254241
- 1254251
- 1254261
- 2235031
- 2216372
- 1254311
- 1254321
- 2021882
- 2220121
- 2057051
- 2029161
- 1254511
- 1254911
- 2033861
Students may petition courses outside of this list to be reviewed by the DUS for approval. For more information, please visit https://economics.stanford.edu/undergraduate/major
Completing course (5 units) or at least 5 units of course will meet the WIM requirement for the ECON BA.
These courses also complete the Capstone Requirement. See Capstone section below for more information.
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- 1133971
NOTE: course is only open for enrollment by students accepted to the ECON Honors Program. course must be taken at Stanford in California. This course is only open to students in the final year of coursework, and should be taken only after completing course Economic Analysis II and course Economic Analysis III, course Applied Econometrics, and at least two field courses. See Capstone section for more information.
The Economics capstone experience will consist of two components.
To be completed in fall quarter of junior year: All students must submit an electronic portfolio of their work in the major. Submissions will be graded for completeness by the Economics Major Faculty Advisor. Students must be declared Econ BA Majors BEFORE completing this requirement.
During their senior year, students may choose 1 of two paths to complete the second half of the economics Capstone requirement. Both options also fulfill the Writing in the Major (WIM) requirement for the major (students choosing to complete an honors thesis must complete at least 5 units of course to fulfill their WIM requirement).
Graduating seniors may request permission to enroll in the Economic Policy Seminar Course, course, during the Fall, Winter, or Spring quarter of their final year of coursework.
course is only available to students completing their final year of coursework, and enrollment is limited by application at the start of each school year. Student placement notifications will be sent out before the term starts. course must be taken at Stanford California and may only be taken after completing course, course, course, and at least two field courses.ch and write an honors thesis.
- 1132781
Research and write an honors thesis under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
Students wishing to apply for the Economics Honors Thesis program must meet the following requirements by the fall quarter of their senior year:
Achieve a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 for the units required for the Economics major. Units of course or course do not count in the computation of the GPA requirement for honors. The GPA will be calculated at two points: (1) when the student applies to the honors program, and (2) at the end of the quarter in which the student graduates. If the GPA is below 3.5 at the end of the quarter in which the student graduates, the student will have to drop honors in order to graduate.
Complete course (a core program requirement) and at least two Econ upper division courses relevant to the proposed topic of the honors thesis by the end of junior year.
More information about program requirements and expectations can be found at: https://economics.stanford.edu/undergraduate/honors-program
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NOTE: Students must complete at least 5 units of 199D to meet their Writing in the Major (WIM) Requirement. See Writing in the Major section above for more information.
The honors program offers independent research, creativity, and achievement opportunities. It is designed to encourage a more intensive study of economics than is required for the typical major, with course and research work of exceptional quality. Honors students submit their theses in writing and present them during the Honors Research Symposium during spring quarter. The honors program requires:
Completing all requirements for the ECON BA major plus five additional units, bringing the total to 85 units.
Achieving a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 for the required courses of the Economics BA major (excluding course Directed Reading and course Honors Thesis Research). See details in the Information Book for Economics Majors.
Complete course Applied Econometrics (a core program requirement) and at least two Econ upper-division courses most relevant to the proposed topic of the honors thesis by the end of the junior year. (These can be included in the basic 80 units.)
Candidates must write and present an honors thesis in their senior year for one to nine credit units in their thesis advisor’s section of Econ 199D. Additionally, winter registration for one unit of Honors Thesis Research under the Director of the Honors Program section number (199D-20) is mandatory for all honors students. The thesis must be of very high quality and written under the direction of a member of the department or its affiliated faculty.
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Application Details:
Prospective candidates should communicate with the Director of the Honors Program as soon as possible.
At the start of fall quarter of senior year, prospective candidates for the honors program must submit the following items to the Honors Program Application Form:
A one-page description of the proposed thesis topic and research question
A one-page proposed timeline
Other information requested in the application form. For example, some courses taken, student information.
After you submit your application, your thesis advisor and the Director of the Honors Program will review it and (if everything is satisfactory) approve it. After you are given the go-ahead, you can declare the Econ BAH in Axess and register in course units.
See https://economics.stanford.edu/undergraduate/honors-program for current application deadlines/requirements and more information.