Economics at schools without a BS degree

College Majors
1

<p>I've been looking more closely at the schools that I applied to as I have been getting back decisions, and I have begun to notice that some of them actually lack a BS degree in Economics. Some simply have a BA, and some have a BBA on top of that, which from what I understand is more focused towards business and involves even less math and economics than a BA. </p>

<p>I've tried looking at the course requirements for these degrees, but I don't know enough about what is needed for employment/masters/phd to make a good decision about them. Are the differences between a BA and BS large enough that I should pick a college that has a BS over one that just has a BA? Is it reasonable to assume that if the college only offers a BA, then it probably includes some of the programs that would have been a part of the BS if it were a separate major? Is it sufficient to get a BA and then either double major, minor, or take electives in the missing math classes over getting the actual BS? </p>

2

<p>Don’t worry about the title of the degree (BS vs. BA). Consider the content in terms of course work.</p>

<p>If you intend to go on to an economics PhD program, you may want to do the following:

  • Choose an undergraduate school with math-intensive intermediate economics and econometrics courses (with math prerequisites higher than frosh calculus), if possible. Schools with electives in mathematical economics are also desirable.
  • Take additional math courses, such as the usual sophomore level courses (multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations, and junior level courses like real analysis and proof oriented linear algebra.
  • Take in-depth calculus-based probability and statistics courses.</p>

<p>Here are some recommendations for preparing for an economics PhD program:
<a href=“Preparation | Department of Economics”>Preparation | Department of Economics;
<a href=“Mark Borgschulte, University of Illinois - berkeleyclassesirecommend”>https://sites.google.com/site/markborgschulte/berkeleyclassesirecommend&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>Thanks! That was a really helpful read. I was kind of interested to read the bit about classes like physics and engineering helping when it comes to applying for an econ PhD. This never really occurred to me and as a result I didn’t take physics C this year because I didn’t think that I would need it for my potential majors. Now that I think about it, I can definitely see how the logic and problem solving may come in handy for economics. </p>

<p>Anyway, I will try to go through the course lists to see which schools have the courses you mentioned.</p>

4

<p>Some more information on preparing for grad school in economics:
<a href=“Econ Grad School”>http://academics.davidson.edu/economics/foley/gradschool.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>In terms of math for an econ PhD:</p>

<ul>
<li>Multivariable calculus</li>
<li>Linear Algebra</li>
<li>Differential Equations</li>
<li>Probability and Statistics I, II</li>
<li>Real Analysis</li>
</ul>

<p>For employment straight out of graduation you may want to look into taking a couple finance and accounting courses. Statistics and linear algebra will also be very helpful. If you’re not looking into completing all of the math for a PhD, learning a programming language will only help your resume. But the number one thing to do is to look for work experience. Summers are your resume boosting friends. </p>