<p>Could anyone majoring in econ or that has friends majoring in econ tell me what the program is like? I've been browsing through CC hearing mixed results about the program and I was wondering if anyone could give me a more definitive answer.</p>
<p>In particular, I've heard multiple responses saying that the program is boring and filled with large classes. Is this the case?</p>
<p>The upper level electives are good. The core sucks hard except for Klepper.</p>
<p>Does anyone else know more?</p>
<p>I haven’t taken any econ classes, but econ, like many things at CMU, is extremely heavy on math. I do know a number of people who started out thinking they were going to be econ majors, but when hit with the reality of how mathematically focused econ is, particularly at CMU, dropped the idea.</p>
<p>The two things I’ve heard are that Klepper is amazing and that it’s very heavily math-based.</p>
<p>Hm I’m interested in doing a double major (comp sci and econ) and going to CMU, I would also like to know how the econ classes are.</p>
<p>By “math based” it basically requires you to have a solid grounding in algebra (lots of variables) and be able to take derivatives.</p>
<p>Klepper for intro econ is THE MAN and regardless of how much you actually like the subject, you will go to class just to listen to him.</p>
<p>The later core courses, micro and macro, are way less polished. The material is relatively easy but the teaching is horrendous. Groeger for micro, unless he has changed, is a jackass. He once spent an hour on a true/false question without ever saying the words “true” or “false”. Petrosky for macro is an alright professor, but his lecture style is very unexciting and his grades are very ambiguous since he curves but doesn’t disclose how much. </p>
<p>Electives within econ however, are much better and they serve as your reward if you survive kleppernomics, micro, and then macro. The content is varied and interesting and allows you to explore specific topics that pique your interest without having to slog through tedious model building and algebra.</p>
<p>My son is a double major cs/econ (junior), and says the econ classes are pretty easy. CS classes are far more difficult, you can’t even compare them.</p>
<p>I second everybody saying how amazing Klepper is. I do believe he has won what is equivalent to the nobel prize of economics.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback!</p>