The Department of Economics is home to over 1500 undergraduate students. Economics majors can enroll in a broad array of economics courses, ranging from economic history to advanced macroeconomics. Students are encouraged to study abroad, participate in research, and take advantage of the many opportunities Berkeley has to offer.
Declaring the Major
As a popular major, declaration of the Economics major is admission-based and students must meet specific criteria in order to be admitted. Students who want to apply to the economics major must have completed or be currently enrolled in all the major prerequisites. Students admitted to Berkeley as freshmen must apply by their fifth semester of post-high school coursework unless they have fewer than 80 total units. This total includes coursework in-progress but excludes high school enrichment units, e.g., Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other college units earned prior to high school graduation. Transfer students required to enroll in remaining prerequisites and apply to the major during their first semester at Berkeley. The 80 unit cap does not apply to transfer students.
Students interested in graduating with honors in economics should consult with a faculty adviser no later than the second semester of their junior year. The department recommends a student for graduation with honors based on evidence of superior performance provided by a thesis written in the senior year and the student's course grade record overall and in the major. The minimum major grade point average (GPA) requirement is 3.5 in upper division economics courses and 3.3 GPA overall. The senior thesis may be an extension of a seminar paper prepared under the continued guidance of a faculty member through enrollment in ECON H195A/ECON H195B.
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
No more than two upper division courses may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and an additional major program. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters & Science.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.
For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages.
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade.
The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.
College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.
The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.
College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements
The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.
Unit Requirements
120 total units
Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units
Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements
For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.
Senior Residence Requirement
After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.
You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.
Upper Division Residence Requirement
You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.
Plan of Study
For more detailed information regarding the courses listed below (e.g., elective information, GPA requirements, etc.), see the College Requirements and Major Requirements tabs.
This is a sample program plan. This plan assumes that the student has completed the Entry Level Writing, American History and Institutions, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language requirements prior to admission, and does not require MATH 32.
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To declare the Economics major, students admitted as freshmen must complete all prerequisite courses and apply to the major no later than their fifth semester at Berkeley. A minimum prerequisite GPA of 3.0 is also required.
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The economics major is impacted and cannot guarantee enrollment in specific courses.
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Students are strongly advised to work with an academic advisor to determine a personal program plan. Your program plan will differ depending on previous credit received, your course schedule, and available offerings.
For students intending to complete the Economics Honors Program, one approved research course can be used to fulfill both the "Research Requirement" for the Honors Program and an upper division elective. Discuss your plans for this program with an Economics advisor. The Economics Honors Program is optional.
For students considering graduating in less than four years, it is important to acknowledge the reasons to undertake such a plan of study. While there are advantages to pursuing a three-year degree plan such as reducing financial burdens, they are not for everyone and do involve sacrifices; especially with respect to participating in co-curricular activities, depth of study, and summer internships, which typically lead to jobs upon graduation. All things considered, please see the tables for three and three and a half year degree options.
Economics is the study of how people make choices under conditions of scarcity and the results of those choices for society. Limited resources make tradeoffs necessary for consumers, businesses, and nations. Microeconomics studies how consumers make choices in using their time and spending their income and how businesses make choices in producing and selling goods and services. Macroeconomics studies the determination of national income and how it deviates from its potential (full employment) over the business cycle. The important outcomes for the national economy are income and how it is distributed, unemployment, inflation, economic growth, and how well financial markets and international trade are functioning. Economics is important in studying the impact of government policies, ranging from regulatory activities in individual markets to general measures for stabilizing and steering the economy at large. The effect of alternative economic policies on the welfare of the population is a core concern in economics. Undergraduates should have the following knowledge and skills when they graduate with an economics major from UC Berkeley. The Department of Economics wants their majors to have knowledge of economics principles with the skills to apply this knowledge in the following ways.
Learning Goals of the Major
Critical Thinking Skills
Apply economic analysis to evaluate everyday problems.
Apply economic analysis to evaluate specific policy proposals.
Compare two or more arguments that have different conclusions to a specific issue or problem.
Understand the role of assumptions in arguments.
Quantitative Reasoning Skills
Understand how to use empirical evidence to evaluate an economic argument.
Interpret statistical results.
Conduct appropriate statistical analysis of data and explain the statistical problems involved.
Obtain and/or collect relevant data using specific qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.
Problem-Solving Skills
Solve problems that have clear solutions.
Propose solutions for problems that do not have clear answers and indicate under what conditions they may be viable solutions.
Specialized Knowledge and Application of Skills
In specific content areas (fields) of economics, develop deeper critical and quantitative thinking skills, and apply problem-solving skills to complex problems.
Communication Skills
Communicate effectively in written, spoken, and graphical form about specific economic issues.
Formulate a well-organized written argument that states assumptions and hypotheses, which are supported by evidence.
Present an economic argument orally.
Lifelong Learning Skills
Possess a working knowledge of information databases (e.g., Econ Lit, Nexis-Lexis).
Know how to locate and use primary data sources (e.g., BLS Household Survey, UN Human Development Index).
Understand and evaluate current economic events and new economic ideas.
Career & Internship Information
Career Services Overview
Our Vision
Cultivate a university-wide culture of career readiness, where every student engages in meaningful experiences, has a supportive professional community, and is empowered to achieve lifelong career success.
Our Mission
We are dedicated to advancing equity and access to career resources for every student and recent alumni of UC Berkeley.
We engage with students on their journey to reflect, discover, and design a personally meaningful career (Career Clarity).
We connect students with alumni, employers, and their larger professional community to forge meaningful relationships that will guide them into their early career (Career Connections).
We empower students to develop the professional confidence and experience necessary to secure the career opportunities they seek (Career Competitiveness).
Berkeley Career Engagement utilizes Handshake, a powerful recruiting platform that uses cutting-edge technology to help students more easily connect with employers, jobs, internships, events, and resources, as well as access to career coaching appointments.
Career and Internship Resources
Berkeley Career Engagement offers a wide variety of programs and resources to support students of all majors and class levels.
24/7 Online Resources: Their Resources on Demand are here to help you engage and grow in your career development.
Career Coaching:They offer a wide variety of scheduled and drop-in appointment options based on major and topic.
Internships: Internship listings, search strategies, FAQs, and more.
Career Exploration: Discover their resources to help you explore career options, identify career goals, and develop effective career plans.
Events and Workshops: They deliver over 100 events each semester including workshops, alumni networking events, career panels, conferences, and Alumni Career Chats.
Career Fairs and Employer Information Sessions: They offer a variety of career fairs each year across different career fields and partner with numerous employers for on-campus information sessions.
Every year the Career Center surveys graduating seniors about their post-graduation plans to better understand the career outcomes of our alumni including: career fields, job titles, specific employers, entry-level salaries, and graduate/professional school destinations. The data profiles by major provide an impressive overview of the diverse interests and achievements of recent graduates from UC Berkeley, including specific data for the Economics Department. Each survey year includes the August, December, and May graduating cohorts for that survey year. This data is designed to provide students, alumni, and employers with critical information about where Cal students go after graduation. As expected, college major does not restrict the employment or graduate school options that Cal students pursue. With careful planning, you can develop career-related skills and experiences that can prepare you for almost any job or graduate school field.
Sample Career Pathways
Economics majors go on to pursue a wide variety of career options including, but not limited to:
Economics: Data collection, research analysis, forecasting, planning, consulting and policy advising roles in many industries including private sector consulting and research firms, retail, insurance, transportation, healthcare, federal, state and local government agencies, public utilities, or labor unions.
Banking and finance: Financial analysis, commercial banking, mortgage and lending services, credit analysis, branch management, securities sales and research.
Management: Business and industry including banks, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, healthcare, manufacturing, government and nonprofit organizations.
Insurance: Claims, underwriting, risk management, sales, loss control, and actuarial science.
Sales: Industrial sales, consumer product sales, financial services sales, advertising sales, ecommerce, high tech forms, and media.
Education: Teaching, research and administrative roles in colleges, universities, and secondary schools.
Visit our Connecting Majors to Careers resource to explore additional career paths most commonly associated with over 80 majors, including Economics.
Major Map
Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.
Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:
The economics student services mission is to advise our students holistically by providing a high standard of service in a supportive and collaborative environment. Professional and peer advisers work as a team to provide accurate information in a timely manner. We partner with faculty to assist students in engaging with the campus and the global economic community. We value fairness, diversity, and the important roles our students, faculty, and staff in the Department of Economics play at the University of California, Berkeley.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
A survey of economics designed to give an overview of the field. Introduction to Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no units for Economics 1 after passing Economics 2.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 6 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 4 hours of lecture and 4 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required, with common exam group.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Econ 2 provides an overview of the field of economics. It covers both microeconomics, the study of consumer choice, firm behavior, and market interaction, and macroeconomics, the study of economic growth, unemployment, and inflation. Econ 2 has longer lectures than Econ 1. Econ 2 covers topics in greater depth with more connection with current economic research. The required material includes both the standard textbook material as well as more technical academic papers from the current economic literature. It is particularly suited for intended economics majors. Introduction to Economics--Lecture Format: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 2 after completing ENVECON 1, ECON 3, or ECON 1.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2011, Spring 2008, Fall 2004
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments. Topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 freshman. Freshman Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
Sophomore seminars are small interactive courses offered by faculty members in departments all across the campus. Sophomore seminars offer opportunity for close, regular intellectual contact between faculty members and students in the crucial second year. The topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 sophomores. Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: At discretion of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 5 weeks - 3-6 hours of seminar per week 10 weeks - 1.5-3 hours of seminar per week 15 weeks - 1-2 hours of seminar per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-5 hours of seminar per week 8 weeks - 1.5-3.5 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Terms offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
Written proposal must be approved by Department Chair. Seminars for the group study of selected topics, which will vary from year to year. Topics may be initiated by students. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session
This course introduces students to the main tools and concepts of microeconomics. These tools and concepts will serve as a foundation for many upper level economics courses. Topics covered include consumer theory, producer theory, equilibrium in a competitive market, monopoly, general equilibrium, and asymmetric information. This course makes use of calculus. Topics covered are similar to those in 101A. Microeconomics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 1 or 2 or C3, or Environmental Economics and Policy 1, and Mathematics 51 (Calculus) or 16A (Analytic Geometry and Calculus), and Mathematics 52 or 16B, or equivalent
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 100A after completing ECON 101A, UGBA 101A, or ECON S100A.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 1.5-4 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
This course introduces students to the main approaches economists use to describe how the economy works at the aggregate level. Topics covered include economic growth, business cycles, the determinants of aggregate employment, unemployment, and inflation, and the effects of monetary and fiscal policy. This course makes use of calculus. Topics covered are similar to those in 101B. Macroeconomics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 1 or 2, and Mathematics 51 (Calculus) or 16A (Analytic Geometry and Calculus)
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 100B after completing ECON 101B, UGBA 101B, or ECON S100B.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-2 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 2-4 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 1.5-4 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required, with common exam group.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course introduces students to the main tools and concepts of microeconomics. These tools and concepts will serve as a foundation for many upper level economics courses. Topics covered include consumer theory, producer theory, equilibrium in a competitive market, monopoly, general equilibrium, game theory, and asymmetric information. Topics covered are similar to those in 100A, but this course uses calculus more intensively and is intended for students with a strong mathematical background. Microeconomics (Math Intensive): Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 2, Mathematics 53 or equivalent or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 101A after completing ECON 100A, or UGBA 101A.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course introduces students to the main approaches economists use to describe how the economy works at the aggregate level. Topics covered include economic growth, business cycles, the determinants of aggregate employment, unemployment, and inflation, and the effects of monetary and fiscal policy. This course uses calculus intensively and is intended for students with a strong mathematical background. Topics covered are similar to those in 100B. Macroeconomics (Math Intensive): Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 1 or 2, and Mathematics 51 and 52 (Calculus)
Credit Restrictions: Students will not receive credit for 101B after taking 100B or Undergraduate Business Administration 101B. A deficient grade in Undergraduate Business Administration 101B may be repeated by taking 101B.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
Introduction to the economics of natural resources. Land and the concept of economic rent. Models of optimal depletion of nonrenewable resources and optimal use of renewable resources. Application to energy, forests, fisheries, water, and climate change. Resources, growth, and sustainability. Natural Resource Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100, or Economics 100A or 100B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Selected topics illustrating the application of mathematics to economic theory. This course is intended for upper-division students in Mathematics, Statistics, the Physical Sciences, and Engineering, and for economics majors with adequate mathematical preparation. No economic background is required. Introduction to Mathematical Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Math 53 and 54
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2021, Spring 2020
This course explores some issues in advanced microeconomic theory, with special emphasis on game-theoretic models and the theory of choice under uncertainty. Specific applications will vary from year to year, but will generally include topics from information economics and models of strategic interaction. Advanced Microeconomic Theory: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 101A or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2019, Summer 2019 First 6 Week Session, Fall 2018
A survey of the theories of major economists from Adam Smith to Keynes. History of Economic Thought: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2021
This class will provide an introduction to the modern analysis of macroeconomic stabilization policies such as monetary policy and fiscal policy. Students will be introduced to modern techniques such as dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models with rational expectations as well as modern techniques for empirically assessing the effects of macroeconomic policies on the economy. Advanced Macroeconomics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 100A (or Econ 101A) and Econ 100B (or Econ 101B) or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 106 after completing ECON 106. A deficient grade in ECON 106 may be removed by taking ECON 106.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
A non-technical introduction to game theory. Basic principle, and models of interaction among players, with a strong emphasis on applications to political science, economics, and other social sciences. Game Theory in the Social Sciences: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students receive no credit for PS C135/PEIS C135/ECON C110 after taking ECON 104. If PS C135/ECON C110/PS W135/ECON N110 is taken and with a passing grade, students can't take the other versions of the course for additional credit.If PS C135/ECON C110/PS W135/ECON N110 is taken and not passed, students can take the other versions to replace grade.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit under special circumstances: PS C135/ECON C110,PS W135 and ECON N110 are similar in content. See Restriction Description.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Formerly known as: Economics C110, Political Economy of Industrial Soc C135, Political Science C135
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Summer 2022 8 Week Session
A non-technical introduction to game theory. Basic principle, and models of interaction among players, with a strong emphasis on applications to political science, economics, and other social sciences. Game Theory in the Social Sciences: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Economics N110 after completing Economics 104, Political Science C135/Political Economy of Industrial Societies/Economics C110.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 1974
The course will analyze the roles of individual incentives, target group objectives and outcomes and how they are impacted by group decision making systems. A group decision making system is a way of making group level decisions. We examine this through the lens of game theory and mechanism design and other complementary analytic approaches. For example, we would examine the impact of having alternative election systems. This course draws primarily from microeconomic theory as an anchoring framework to evaluate these systems and individual actions. As with much of behavioral economics where we deal with real complex structures, we borrow from psychology (for behavioral theory) and business and politics (for real world examples). Applied Mechanism Design: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: -Required: Math 1A/1B or equivalent, Econ 1 or equivalent, Stats 20, 21, W21, 88, 131A, or 135 or equivalent -Preferred: (not required but nice to have for background) Econ 100A /101A (Intermediate Micro), Econ 110(Game Theory), Econ 140/141 (Econometrics)
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-0 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 2-0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
A survey of the history of the U.S. economy. Emphasis is on economic events, factors, and explanations, with particular emphasis on economic growth, development, and the distribution of gains and losses associated with growth. A key skill developed during the course is the ability to read, understand, and critique econometric results in current economic history research. U.S Economic History: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 1 or 2 or C3, or EnvEcon C1; Econ 140 or 141 or EnvEcon/IAS C118
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 113 after completing ECON N113. A deficient grade in ECON 113 may be removed by taking ECON N113.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2010 8 Week Session, Summer 2009 10 Week Session, Summer 2009 8 Week Session
A survey of the history of the U.S. economy. Emphasis is on economic events, factors, and explanations, with particular emphasis on economic growth, development, and the distribution of gains and losses associated with growth. A key skill developed during the course is the ability to read, understand, and critique econometric results in current economic history research. U.S Economic History: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 1 or 2 or C3, or EnvEcon C1; Econ 140 or 141 or EnvEcon/IAS C118
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON N113 after completing ECON 113. A deficient grade in ECON N113 may be removed by taking ECON 113.
Hours & Format
Summer: 8 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Development of the world economic system with particular reference to world-wide trading relationships. This course is equivalent to History 160; students will not receive credit for both courses. The World Economy in the Twentieth Century: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1 or 2
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 115 after passing History 160.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This seminar course will analyze how scholars think about modern economic growth and how people thought about the idea of economics growth before the onset of modern economic growth in the 19th century. Students will read major works by scholars trying to understand economic growth from different perspectives and discuss what these scholars got right and what they got wrong. Economic Growth Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics 100B or 101B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Spring 2024
This course presents psychological and experimental economics research demonstrating departures from perfect rationality, self-interest, and other classical assumptions of economics and explores ways that these departures can be mathematically modeled and incorporated into mainstream positive and normative economics. The course will focus on the behavioral evidence itself, especially on specific formal assumptions that capture the findings in a way that can be incorporated into economics. The implications of these new assumptions for theoretical and empirical economics will be explored. Psychology and Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
The organization and structure of production in the U.S. economy. Determinants of market structure, business behavior, and economic performance. Implications for antitrust policy. Industrial Organization and Public Policy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2012, Spring 2010, Spring 2009
Seminar on problems in the field of industrial organization. Seminar paper is required. Industrial Organization Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 121 and/or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2014, Spring 2014, Spring 2013
Problems of public policy in the field of industrial organization. Analysis of regulatory consequences with particular attention to economic performance. Government Regulation of Industry: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 121
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
Analysis of market structure, conduct and performance in selected industries. See course announcement for current topics. Special Topics in Industrial Organization: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 121
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Theories of externalities and public goods applied to pollution and environmental policy. Trade-off between production and environmental amenities. Assessing nonmarket value of environmental amenities. Remediation and clean-up policies. Environment and development. Biodiversity management. Environmental Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100, Mathematics 16A-16B, or Economics 100A or 101A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
We will study both antitrust law and antitrust economics. Antitrust law governs the accumulation and exercise of market power. It prohibits both monopolization and agreements in unreasonable restraint of trade such as price fixing. It also prohibits anticompetitive mergers and a variety of specific competition problems such as exclusive dealing or tying arrangements. Deciding what qualifies as "monopolization," what qualifies as an "unreasonable restraint of trade," what qualifies as "anticompetitive," and more generally how to interpret the prohibitions of antitrust law invariably involves economic analysis. Such economic analysis commonly goes by the name "antitrust economics". Antitrust Economics and Law: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Intermediate Microeconomics at the level of Economics 100A or 101A is required. Economics 121 is recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course explores how economics can be used to understand and evaluate public policies. We will use both economic theory and empirical evidence to study the varying impacts and incentives created by public policies. An emphasis will be placed on the application of economic tools to policy questions. The course will provide an overview of key research in several policy areas, including inequality and opportunity, the social safety net, education, criminal justice, tax policy, climate change and the environment, health care, and structural barriers to racial equity. The course will also provide an introduction to empirical techniques common in economics and policy analysis, including regression, cost-benefit analysis, and causal inference. Using Economics for Public Policy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics 1 or 2
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-1 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course focuses on the role of the government in the economy from a theoretical and empirical perspective. The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the reasons for government intervention in the economy, analyzing the merits of possible government policies, and the response of economic agents to the government's actions. The course covers the analysis of tax policy, social insurance programs, public goods, environmental protection, and the interaction between different levels of government. Special emphasis is set on current government policy issues such as social security reform, income tax reform, and budget deficits. Public Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A-100B or 101A-101B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2.5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 5.5-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2022
This course provides an introduction to the analysis of economic inequalities and the interplay between inequality and economic growth. It focuses on three sets of core questions: 1) How does inequality evolve over the path of development? 2) What are the theories that can explain the degree of economic inequalities and its dynamic? 3) How do policies affect inequalities, and what types of policies can foster equitable growth? The course addresses these issues from a global and historical perspective: it comprehensively deals with the United States today, but also with inequality in China, India, Latin America, and Europe, as far back as 1700. Global Inequality and Growth: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics 1
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture and 0 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
This course will analyze the macroeconomic challenges and policy responses in the United States over the past century. Among the key topics studied are the Great Depression and the New Deal; boom and bust monetary and fiscal policy in the early post-World War II period; the Volcker disinflation and the Great Moderation; and the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession. Macroeconomic Policy from the Great Depression to Today: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 100B or 101B; and Econ 140 or 141 or EnvEcon/IAS C118
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course examines the idea and reality of economic growth in historical perspective, beginning with the divergence between human ancestors and other primates and continuing through with forecasts for the 21st century and beyond. Topics covered include human speciation, language, and sociability; the discovery of agriculture and the domestication of animals; the origins and maintenance of gross inequality; Malthusian economies; the Commercial and Industrial Revolutions; modern economic growth; international prosperity differentials; OECD convergence and East Asian miracles; the political economy of growth and stagnation; and the stubborn persistence of poverty. Economic Growth in Historical Perspective: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Required: Econ 100B or Econ 101B, and Mathematics 1A or 16A, and Mathematics 1B or 16B Recommended: Data Science 8, or equivalent
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-0 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 2-0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
Analysis of financial assets and institutions. The course emphasizes modern asset valuation theory and the role of financial intermediaries, and their regulation, in the financial system. Financial Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A, and one semester of statistics
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for 136 after taking Undergraduate Business Administration 103. Students intending on majoring in Business should not take 136.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2009 10 Week Session, Summer 2009 8 Week Session, Summer 2008 8 Week Session
Analysis of financial assets and institutions. The course emphasizes modern asset valuation theory and the role of financial intermediaries, and their regulation, in the financial system. Financial Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A, and one semester of statistics
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course is an advanced class in Financial Economics. Topics include moral hazard (principal-agent problems, free cash flow), asymmetric Information (security issurance, dividends), mergers and acquisitions (theory, managerial incentives), corporate governance (separation of ownership and control, internal capital markets, superstar CEOs), corporate fraud (earnings manipulations). This class emphasizes the economic underpinning of financial decision-making and is mathematically and technically demanding. You will be required to do some empirical homework using STATA. Financial and Behavioral Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A, and Statistics 20, 21, or 25 or any upper division statistics course
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2.5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 0-1.5 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022
This undergraduate elective focuses on financial economics, with specific emphasis on
asset pricing and the valuation of risky cash flows. After developing and studying the
details of consumer decision-making under uncertainty, we use this general framework as
a basis for understanding both equilibrium and no-arbitrage theories of securities pricing,
including traditional models like the capital asset pricing model and newer Arrow-Debreu
theories. Asset Pricing and Portfolio Choice: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Students need a basic understanding of the principles of microeconomic theory. Some exposure to linear algebra, probability and statistics is helpful. Required courses: Economics 100A/101A, or equivalent. Recommended courses: Math 54 (linear algebra half), Statistics 20, or equivalent
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session
This course provides an introduction to statistical and estimation analysis of economic data, also known as “Econometrics”. It covers topics such as the linear regression model and its estimator, Ordinary Least Squares, as well as extensions such as Instrumental Variables models, panel data models, and time series models. Topics covered in this course are similar to those in 141. Econometrics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 1 or 2 or equivalent, Stats 20, 21, W21, 88, 131A, or 135 or equivalent
Credit Restrictions: Students will not receive credit for 140 after taking 141.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 3 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required, with common exam group.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course provides an introduction to statistical and estimation analysis of economic data, also known as “Econometrics”. It covers topics such as the linear regression model and its estimator, Ordinary Least Squares, as well as extensions such as Instrumental Variables models, panel data models, and time series models. While topics covered in this course are similar to those in 140, the treatment in this course is more theoretical and more mathematical. Econometrics (Math Intensive): Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 1 or 2 or equivalent, Stats 20, 21, W21, 88, 131A, or 135 or equivalent, Math 53 and 54 or equivalent
Credit Restrictions: Students will not receive credit for 141 after taking 140.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 4 hours of lecture and 3 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2020
This course focuses on the sensible application of econometric methods to empirical problems in economics and public policy analysis. It provides background on issues that arise when analyzing non-experimental social science data and a guide for tools that are useful for empirical research. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of the types of research designs that can lead to convincing analysis and be comfortable working with large scale data sets. Applied Econometrics and Public Policy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 140 or 141 or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students who completed Econ C142 receive no credit for Econ N142.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-0 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 2-0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course introduces selected advanced data analysis and inference methods appropriate for economic data. Methods are taught in tandem with real world applications as encountered in policy analysis, industry and consulting work. Equal weight is given to theoretical development, computation and application. Exact topics and applications may vary across offerings. ECON C142 and 143 may be taken independently or together in any order. Econometrics: Advanced Methods and Applications: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: (i) A first course in econometrics, intermediate statistics or intermediate data science (Ec 140, Ec 141, ENVECON C118, DATA C100 or STAT 135); (ii) Linear algebra (Math 54, Stat 89A or EECS 16A). (iii) Exposure to economic theory at an intermediate level (e.g., Ec 100A, 101A etc.) is preferred, but not required. Prior exposure to scientific computing is also helpful, but not required
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 1-1 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024
This undergraduate elective is designed for undergraduates in Economics, Statistics, Mathematics, Data Science, and IEOR who are interested in financial economics and econometric methods as applied to financial data. After reviewing important econometric concepts, the course will discuss the short-run time series behavior of stock prices and present the evidence on short- and long-run predictability of stock returns. We will then consider cross-sectional models and static equilibrium theory, including the Capital Asset Pricing Model and Arbitrage Pricing Theory, and intertemporal equilibrium models, including Arrow-Debreu pricing theory and the consumption-based CAPM. Finally, the course will introduce models of volatility and correlation.
Prerequisites: Students need a basic understanding of the principles of econometrics. Some exposure to probability and statistics is helpful. Required courses: Economics 140/141, or equivalent
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024
The class provides an introduction to algorithmic questions in economic design. The class will cover problems of public goods and social choice, as well as allocative questions and private consumption. The focus is on normative questions: From the perspective of social goals, these are efficiency, fairness, and equity. In terms of private goals, the focus is on revenue maximization. The course will cover voting, fair division, pricing and market mechanisms. There is an emphasis on the algorithmic questions that arise naturally in economic design. Algorithmic Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Students should be comfortable with formal mathematical proofs, and will be expected to write proofs on their own
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024
This course will give the undergraduate student the basic computational building blocks needed to be a good consumer and producer of applied economics work. Students will work to acquire data through APIs, access census data, or download from replication repositories. The course will cover wrangling data, working with incomplete or unstructured data, joining and merging data, exploratory data analysis and data visualization. The course will cover many aspects of preparing data for econometric analysis. Practices around literate code, open science tools, reproducibility, and data management will also be covered.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Summer 2022 First 6 Week Session
This course provides a general overview of labor markets primarily in the U.S., using the theoretical and empirical tools of modern economics. Topics include labor force participation, the allocation of time to market work, migration, labor demand and monopsony, investment in human capital like education and on-the-job training, race and gender and discrimination, labor unions, and unemployment. The course will also examine the impacts on work and well-being of government programs such as unemployment insurance, minimum wages, and a negative income tax like the modern earned income credit. Labor Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A, or consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 151 after completing ECON 152. A deficient grade in ECON 151 may be removed by taking ECON 152.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2021, Spring 2020
This course focuses on theoretical and empirical analysis of wage and employment determination in the labor market. In addition, the role of public policy in affecting wage and employment outcomes in the U.S. labor market is examined. Topics include labor supply, labor demand, minimum wages, the economics of education and training, discrimination and the impact of antidiscrimination programs, changes in wage inequality over time, immigration, unions, unemployment, and poverty. Wage Theory and Policy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for ECON 152 after completing ECON 151. A deficient grade in ECON 152 may be removed by taking ECON 151.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 0 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2016, Spring 2014
Starting from Becker's classic book on the economics of discrimination, this course will focus on issues of difference and discrimination accociated with race, gender, or nation of birth, focusing particularly on credit and housing markets, education, and health care. The course looks carefully at the ways in which econometrics is used to address questions of discrimination. Economics of Discrimination: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 140 or 141
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Application of economic theory to urban problems. Topics covered include location theory, housing, transportation, and the fiscal problems of city government. Urban Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Spring 2022
This is an advanced course considering the economic forces governing cities and a host of attendant public policy issues. Topics covered will include theory and evidence on sources of agglomeration economies and urban growth, housing markets, segregation, neighborhood effects, and place-based policies. Cities and Public Policy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Intermediate microeconomics (Economics 100A or Economics 101A) and econometrics (Economics 140 or Economics 141)
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Economics 155A after taking Economics 155.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Summer 2024 8 Week Session, Spring 2024
An economic analysis of policies and institutions in the U.S. health care sector. Topics covered include the supply and demand for health services, conceptual and policy issues relating to the provision of health insurance, and economic analysis of efficient regulatory policies toward the health care sector. Health Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 0 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Fall 2009
Economic behavior under socialism; socialism vs. capitalism. Transition challenges. Stylized facts of transition. Political economy of reform strategies. Liberalization and the macroeconomic environment. Privatization policies and enterprise restructuring. Legal reform, institutional change, and variation in economic performance across countries. Foreign trade and enlargement of the European Union to transition countries. The Washington consensus, transition, and the institutions of capitalism. Economics of Transition: Eastern Europe: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 101A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Fall 2023
The Chinese economy, its institutions, reform and transition to the market, and development. The Chinese Economy: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A-100B or 101A-101B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course explores money, financial institutions, markets, central banking, and the
interactions between these topics. The aim of the course is to help students answer
important questions like: what is money? What are banks? What are central banks and
monetary policy? What are interest rates? What is crypto currency? What determines
the price of goods and services? What the causes and consequences of financial
crises?
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 8 Week Session, Fall 2022
This course covers theory and empirical evidence on the determinants of economic development and the global fight against poverty. The course aims to introduce students to modern empirical research methods that are being used to inform policy making in developing countries. Students also learn how to implement these tools themselves using real-world data sets and widely used statistical software for impact evaluation. Development Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: EnvEcon 100 or Econ 100A or 101A; Econ 140 or 141 or EnvEcon/IAS C118
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course focuses on the process of economic development and growth from a theoretical and empirical perspective. The aim of the course is to provide an understanding of the patterns of socioeconomic development in a selected geographic region (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, South Asia). The course covers trends in comparative global development, theories of economic growth, and the roles of public health, human capital, climate change, political institutions, and historical factors in shaping contemporary economic outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Special emphasis is given to applying the econometric methods used to evaluate public policies and anti-poverty interventions.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
There are a countless number of potential policies and programs to address the causes and consequences of poverty. However, how should one determine which of these is actually effective in improving the lives of the poor? This course explores a variety of empirical tools to rigorously measure the impact of development programs. Through weekly case studies of field research, students will learn impact evaluation theory and methods, and apply them to concrete examples from the development literature. Global Poverty and Impact Evaluation: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Econ 100A or 101A or 100B or 101B; and Econ 140 or 141 or EnvEcon/IAS C118
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
A general introduction to economic demography, addressing the following kinds of questions: What are the economic consequences of immigration to the U.S.? Will industrial nations be able to afford the health and pension costs of the aging populations? How has the size of the baby boom affected its economic well being? Why has fertility been high in Third World countries? In industrial countries, why is marriage postponed, divorce high, fertility so low, and extramarital fertility rising? What are the economic and environmental consequences of rapid population growth? Economic Demography: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics 1 or 2
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5-7.5 hours of lecture and 0-2.5 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Instructor: Lee
Formerly known as: Demography C175, Economics C175
Terms offered: Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2013 8 Week Session
A general introduction to economic demography, addressing the following kinds of questions: What are the economic consequences of immigration to the U.S.? Will industrial nations be able to afford the health and pension costs of the aging populations? How has the size of the baby boom affected its economic well being? Why has fertility been high in Third World countries? In industrial countries, why is marriage postponed, divorce high, fertility so low, and extramarital fertility rising? What are the economic and environmental consequences of rapid population growth? Economic Demography: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics 1 or 2
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Economics N175 after taking Economics C175/Demography C175; Economics 175/Demography 175. A deficient grade in Economics C175/Demography C175 may be removed by taking Economics N175.
Hours & Format
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
The theory of international trade and its applications to tariff protection. This course is equivalent to UGBA 118; students will not receive credit for both courses. International Trade: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics100A-100B or Economics 101A-101B
Terms offered: Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 First 6 Week Session
The theory of international trade and its applications to tariff protection. International Trade: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics 100A-100B or Economics 101A-101B
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Economics N181 after passing Economics 181 or Economics C181/Environmental Economics C181. A deficient grade in Economics 181, Economics C181/Environment Economics C181 may be removed by taking Economics N181.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2021, Spring 2021, Fall 2020
The balance of payments, the determination of the trade balance and income under fixed and floating exchange rates, money and prices in open economies, the internationalization of financial markets and its implications, international macroeconomic interdependence, capital flows, and the determination of the exchange rate. International Monetary Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A-100B or 101A-101B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
This small seminar course is designed to introduce students to a set of current policy controversies in international economics and provide an opportunity for them to apply to these policy debates the analytical tools encountered in previous courses (such as Economics 100B or 101B). Students will make a class presentation, write several short papers, as well as submitting a final paper. International Economic Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Economics 100B or 101B or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course studies the following question:How should policymakers and scholars design and analyze environmental policy in a globalized world where much economic activity and pollution crosses political borders? The course addresses issues including climate change, air and water pollution, deforestation, species extinction, and others. The course also analyzes a variety of ways that countries and regions interact, including trade, foreign direct investment, outsourcing, international agreements and treaties, and others. The course also teaches a range of tools used to analyze these issues, including life-cycle(also called environmental footprint) analysis, simple econometrics, environmental market design, non-market valuation, and the data. International Environmental Economics: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: 1. Develop a strong grasp of the main debates and ideas involving international environmental economics
2. Learn to interpret, apply, and critically assess methods used to study international environmental economic issues 3. Build skills in reading basic economic writing involving these issues, including an understanding of their evidence and conclusions, and ability to critically evaluate the basis for these conclusion
Student Learning Outcomes: 1.
A strong grasp of the main scholarly debates and ideas involving international environmental economics
2.
The ability to interpret and critically assess methods used to study international environmental economic issues, including:
life-cycle analysis and input-output tables;
simple econometric estimates;
the design of environmental policy;
non-market valuation;
and the use of remote sensing (satellite) data
The ability to read basic empirical environmental economics papers, understand their evidence and conclusions, and critically evaluate the basis for these conclusions
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites:ENVECON 100, ECON 101a, ECON 100a or or equivalent
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024
Globalization and its consequences have interested economists and the public since Adam Smith and David Ricardo. However, the nature of the global economy has changed dramatically over time. Paraphrasing Ricardo’s famous example, “it’s not wine for cloth anymore.” This course will introduce a modern view on international trade focusing on firms as vehicles of trade. We will study key theoretical models of New Trade Theory and apply them to understand the consequences of a range of trade policies from the recent past, such the NAFTA agreement and China’s entry to the WTO. We will combine theoretical models, empirical econometric tools, and data to understand the impacts of trade and offshoring on trade flows,aggregate welfare,and inequality Advanced Topics in International Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: • Microeconomics (Envecon100, Econ100 or Econ101A): required • Econometrics (EnveconC118, Econ140 or Econ141): required but can be taken concurrently • International TradeEnvecon/EconC181): optional. This course is complementary to C181; a few extra readings will be provided to students who have not taken that class; • Students should have a basic knowledge of calculus (roughly at the level of Mathematics 16A and 16B) and be comfortable understanding mathematical arguments
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course discusses recent research and policy developments. The core objective is to expose students to different aspects of research in economics. A sequence of five different frontier research topics are studied in depth each semester. Each topic lasts three weeks, during which students will familiarize themselves with cutting-edge economic research and methodology. Students will then develop their own research ideas and write two medium- size research papers. Topics in Economic Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 100A or 100B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Preparation for writing a thesis, finding and organizing a topic, gathering data and getting started. H195A is not prerequisite to H195B. Senior Honors Thesis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Senior honors candidates only (students with major GPA of 3.50 or better or permission of instructor.)
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-5 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Preparation and writing of an honors thesis under the supervision of a member of the faculty. H195AS is not a prerequisite to H195BS. Senior Honors Thesis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Senior honors candidates only, with major GPA of 3.5 or better. Permission of undergraduate adviser
Hours & Format
Summer: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Writing a thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. Applications and details through the departmental undergraduate office. H195A is not prerequisite to H195B. Senior Honors Thesis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Senior honors candidates only (students with major GPA of 3.50 or better or permission of undergraduate adviser)
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-5 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Preparation and writing of an honors thesis under the supervision of a member of the faculty. Senior Honors Thesis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Senior honors candidates only, with major GPA of 3.5 or better. Permission of undergraduate adviser
Hours & Format
Summer: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2019
Study in various fields of economics. Topics will vary from semester to semester and will be announced at the beginning of each semester. Special Topics in Economics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper division standing or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 1.5-7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session
Written proposal must be approved by Department Chair. Supervised field studies in economics. Projects may be initiated by the students. Field Studies: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-5 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week 10 weeks - 1.5-6 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Written proposal must be approved by Department Chair. Seminars for the group study of selected topics, which will vary from year to year. Topics may be initiated by students. Directed Group Study: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing and consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-2 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-5 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week 10 weeks - 1.5-6 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Economics/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
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