Department of Economics

Undergraduate Program

The Undergraduate Program

There are three different undergraduate degrees that a student may earn in economics at Penn State. In the College of The Liberal Arts a student may choose to pursue either a bachelor of arts (ECLBA) or a bachelor of science degree (ECLBS) in economics. In The Smeal College of Business a student may choose to pursue a bachelor of science degree in economics (BA EC). A minor in economics is open to students enrolled in any college. A departmental Honors Program provides a small group of outstanding students an opportunity for independent research and close contact with faculty and fellow students.

A student in any economics major must complete:

45 credits of General Education,
requirements for the major,
University requirements for the bachelor of arts degree if that degree is chosen,
college requirements, and
sufficient elective credits to make the total number of credits earned equal to 120.

In order to count a course for any part of the requirements for the major, a grade of C or better must be earned. Courses passed with a grade of D may be counted towards General Education or elective requirements. Students must also take one 3-credit "Writing Across the Curriculum" course (either Economics 404W or another "W" course offered within the college of enrollment) and meet the University's "Intercultural and International Requirement" by completing a GI designated course. The Writing and Diversity courses can also be used to satisfy part of General Education, major, B.A., college, or elective requirements, but the credits for the course can only be counted once.

The degree programs in Liberal Arts will, in general, require the student to take more course work in social sciences, humanities, and arts whereas the majors in Business require more credits in basic business subjects. All majors except the ECLBS require the student to reach the 12th-credit level of proficiency in a single foreign language. Instead of foreign language, the ECLBS major requires specific quantitative skills courses.

The economics minor requires the student to pass with C or better 18 credits of courses in economics: Economics 002 (GS), 004 (GS), 302 (GS), 304 (GS) and any two 400-level courses in the economics department. Upon graduation, the student's transcript will state that the economics minor has been completed. The diploma received at graduation will not indicate that a minor has been completed. To apply for a minor in economics, you must fill out the Application for Admission to Minor Program form, have it signed by your advisor, and return the completed form to the Economics Undergraduate Office, Room 609 Kern Graduate Building.

Academic advisers are available in the Economics Department to discuss the details of these programs with you. They will also be able to help you evaluate your own skills and preparation for these majors as well as provide you with current information about career prospects for economics majors. For further information see the advising schedule at the Economics Department web page under the Undergraduate Program.

Program Goals and Assessment Mechanisms

(Note: This is a draft statement that will be reviewed and finalized by the Department’s Academic Programs Committee early in the fall semester. Hence, this statement is subject to change.)

Program Goals

Students who complete an undergraduate major in economics will:

be familiar with intermediate microeconomic theory and intermediate macroeconomic theory.
be able to apply the tools of economic analysis, and most notably the basic supply and demand model, to various issues and phenomena, dealing with individuals, firms, markets, and public policy.
be knowledgeable about at least two applied fields in economics.
be able to write a paper in economics that includes economic analysis and that is coherent, cogent, and grammatically correct.
(B.S. only) be able to carry out quantitative analyses of economic data.

Assessment Mechanisms

Students are required to take ECON 302 (intermediate microeconomic theory) and ECON 304 (intermediate macroeconomic theory); exit surveys, which have been in use by the Department for some time, will be modified to include questions both on these courses and on the students’ sense of mastery of the relevant material.
Students will be required to take at least one 400-level writing-intensive course in economics that typically requires a term paper applying the tools of economic analysis to some question or issue; the Department will poll instructors of these courses to determine that the level of economic analysis is appropriate, and exit surveys will include questions seeking students’ perceptions of their abilities in this area.
In addition to the prescribed courses for the major, Liberal Arts students take six elective courses of 300- and 400-level economics. We will evaluate student records to ensure that each student’s electives in economics cover at least two different fields in the discipline.
As noted above, students will be required to take at least one 400-level writing-intensive course in economics; the Department will poll instructors of these courses to determine that the economic analysis and the use of the English language are both satisfactory, and exit surveys will include questions on students’ perceptions of their ability to write good papers in economics.
B.S. students in economics take ECON 490, Introduction to Econometrics, which teaches them the theory and practice of quantitative analysis in economics. Exit surveys will include questions on the 490 course and on the students’ sense of mastery of quantitative economic analysis.

Academic Integrity

Guidelines for the Department of Economics, Penn State University 1

The ability of the University to achieve its purposes depends upon the quality and integrity of the academic work that its faculty, staff and students perform. Academic freedom can flourish only in a community of scholars which recognizes that intellectual integrity, with its accompanying rights and responsibilities, lies at the heart of its mission. Observing basic honesty in one's work, words, ideas, and actions is a principle to which all members of the community are required to subscribe.

All course work by students is to be done on an individual basis unless an instructor clearly states that an alternative is acceptable. Any reference materials used in the preparation of any assignment must be explicitly cited. In an examination setting, unless the instructor gives explicit prior instructions to the contrary, whether the examination is in-class or take-home, violations of academic integrity shall consist of any attempt to receive assistance from written or printed aids, or from any person or papers or electronic devices, or of any attempt to give assistance, whether the one so doing has completed his or her own work or not. Other violations include, but are not limited to, any attempt to gain an unfair advantage in regard to an examination, such as tampering with a graded exam or claiming another's work to be one's own.

Violations shall also consist of obtaining or attempting to obtain, previous to any examinations, copies of the examination papers or the questions to appear thereon, or to obtain any illegal knowledge of these questions.

Lying to the instructor or purposely misleading any Penn State administrator shall also constitute a violation of academic integrity.

In cases of a violation of academic integrity it is the policy of the Department of Economics to impose the most severe penalties that are consistent with University guidelines.

1 Part of the text above has been directly obtained from sections of an earlier document concerning academic integrity on Princeton University's website (particularly Rights, Rules, Responsibilities , page 1 and pages 52-65). The most current version of this document can be found here .

Valid Excuses and Missed Evaluative Events

During the course many possible situations may arise that would result in your inability to attend class, attend exams, or perform at a minimally acceptable level during an examination. Illness or injury, family emergencies, certain University-approved curricular and extra-curricular activities, and religious holidays can be legitimate reasons to miss class or to be excused from a scheduled examination.

In the case of your own illness or injury, confirmation from a physician, physician's assistant, a nurse-practitioner, or a nurse is required. Be advised that University Health Services cannot provide such verification unless they have provided treatment and the student authorizes release of information to the instructor. Further, barring extraordinary circumstances, the confirmation must be available to the instructor prior to the missed course event.

With regard to family emergencies, you must provide verifiable documentation of the emergency. Given the vast array of family emergencies the instructor will provide precise guidance as to what constitutes adequate documentation. Unless the emergency is critical you should notify the instructor in advance of your absence from the scheduled course event. In cases of critical emergencies, you must notify the instructor within one week of your absence.

For University-approved curricular and extra-curricular activities, verifiable documentation is also required. The student should obtain from the unit or department sponsoring the activity a letter (or class absence form) indicating the anticipated absence(s). The letter must be presented to the instructor at least one week prior to the first absence.

In the case of religious holidays, the student should notify the instructor by the third week of the course of any potential conflicts.

If a student misses a class during which an evaluative event (e.g., a quiz or an exam) takes place, and the student has a valid excuse, it is the policy of the Economics Department that the missed event may be made up in one of two ways that are to be decided by the instructor:

1. the student will take a make-up version for the missed evaluative event; or

2. the student will be excused from the missed event, and the weight of that event in the overall course grade will be reassigned to either the course final exam or to a subset of the subsequent evaluative events in the course.

Choosing a Program

Your choice of program should depend upon your interests and post-degree plans. Generally, students majoring in economics in The Smeal College of Business Administration will be more interested in executive or administrative careers in business or government than students majoring in economics in the College of the Liberal Arts, who often pursue professional careers in law, politics, teaching, research, or social service. There are many students who do not match interests and programs in this way, so it is usually best to weigh your own special interests and the requirements of each college carefully to reach your own decision.

How Can We Help?

If you have additional questions about the Economics degree programs at Penn State, please send e-mail to David Shapiro, Advisor to honors students; Katelyn Perry, Academic Advisor; or Gay Catherman , Undergraduate Staff Assistant.

Or contact us at:

Economics Office of Undergraduate Studies The Pennsylvania State University 609 Kern Graduate Building University Park, PA 16802-3306 (814) 865-1457