Hello! I was hoping to get some more information on Cal Berkeley’s economics undergrad program. I have done research via other forums/their website, yet my ultimate question still remains unresolved: I know that their econ program is excellent, but I would like to know how it functions. For an example, I would be a prospective student looking for an econ program that is more creative rather then “mathy,” and would also like to be afforded the opportunity to focus on different arenas of economics that might go hand in hand with, say, international relations/affairs. Does anyone have any insight on their program? Thanks so much!
What are the math prerequisites for the econ classes? I have never heard of creative Economics before and as an undergraduate you need to start with the basics. Most highly competitive schools are math heavy in the traditional degree track for Economics. As a Freshman, my son took single variable calc, multivariable calc and linear algebra all freshman year on top of a theoretical math class during his short semester at the end of the year which was 5 weeks 5-6 hours a day of proofs and a weekly exam. Its hard to escape math in traditional Economics but some schools do stop at Calc 1.
what you are talking about is a major called Political Science
I have to believe that to excel at UCB Econ, a math/analytical acumen is paramount.
The UCB economics major (see https://www.econ.berkeley.edu/undergrad ) requires three core junior/senior level courses:
ECON 100A or 101A: intermediate microeconomics
ECON 100B or 101B: intermediate macroeconomics
ECON 140 or 141: econometrics
The 100A/100B/140 option requires single variable calculus and introductory statistics. The 101A/101B/141 option requires multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and statistcs, and is the option recommended for those who want to do PhD study in economics (additional more advanced math and statistics is recommended in this case).
Beyond those three junior/senior level courses, five junior/senior level electives in economics complete the major. You can check the catalog for a list of offerings: http://guide.berkeley.edu/courses/econ/
Note that a 3.0 GPA in the prerequisite courses (introductory economics, single variable calculus, introductory statistics) is needed to declare the economics major at UCB.