BA in Economics
Degree Program Description
Economics is a broad discipline that explores the factors that determine production, distribution, and consumption of resources. An Economics degree provides a good foundation on how the economy and the world works and an understanding of the effects of policy issues. The BA degree is designed for students who plan to continue their education in non-economics fields and for students who plan to seek employment after graduation. Post-graduate educational alternatives include law school or programs in the business school, political science and journalism. Graduates in Economics enter a diverse field of jobs in government, banking, insurance or other financial sectors, private sector businesses or even open their own businesses. Frequently, students in humanities or fine arts complete a BA in Economics as a second major in order to increase their employment potential.
Major Program Requirements
Students must earn a grade of C- or higher in all Economics, Mathematics and Statistics courses, and must have at least a 2.0 GPA in Economics courses to earn the degree. In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
Major Core Requirements
| Required Economics Coursework | ||
| ECONOM 1014 & ECONOM 1015 | Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics | 5-6 |
| or ECONOM 1000 | General Economics | |
| ECONOM 3271 | Introduction to Applied Econometric Practice | 3 |
| or ECONOM 4371 | Introductory Econometrics | |
| ECONOM 4351 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 3 |
| or ECONOM 3251 | Managerial Economics | |
| ECONOM 4353 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 3 |
| or ECONOM 3229 | Money, Banking and Financial Markets | |
| Required Mathematics Coursework | ||
| MATH 1100 | College Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 1400 | Calculus for Social and Life Sciences I | 3-5 |
| or MATH 1500 | Analytic Geometry and Calculus I | |
Electives
Students must complete at least five (15 hours) Economics electives, with at least two courses (6 hours) at the 4000- level. One 3000+ level Economics course must be Writing Intensive. Students who double or dual major will be eligible to waive one 3000- level Economics Elective course.
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan will vary based on course choices where options are available.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECONOM 1014 | 3 | ECONOM 1015 | 3 |
| MATH 1100 | 3 | MATH 1400 | 3 |
| Second Language I | 5 | ENGLSH 1000 | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Second Language II | 5 |
| Elective | 2 | Elective | 2 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECONOM 4351 | 3 | ECONOM 4353 | 3 |
| Second Language III | 3 | ECONOM 3271 | 3 |
| Social Science | 3 | American Government or History | 3 |
| Lab Science | 4 | Behavioral Science | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECONOM 3000+ level elective | 3 | ECONOM 4000+ level elective | 3 |
| Behavioral Science | 3 | Humanities | 3 |
| Social Science | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| WI Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECONOM WI Elective | 3 | ECONOM 4000+ level elective | 3 |
| ECONOM 3000+ level elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.