<p>hey guys whats up? I'm prob. going into law, or business. My major is going to be art history (i'm going with the liberal arts approach), but i will minor in either econ. or business. my ? is, do you have to be good at math to be good at econ? I'm ok at AP calculus, like a B-, and ok at stats. anyway, how much "math" is really needed to minor in econ?</p>
<p>Sounds like Michael Lewis of "Liar's Poker" :P
As for the math, you will be fine as long as you know your calculus.</p>
<p>i'm ok at calculus, i mean i understand all of the basics and everything. i would do a business minor but several of the LA schools i'm applying to only have econ.</p>
<p>for upper level econ, if you plan on doing graduate work, you need a crapload of math... even for undergraduate econ, for advanced microeconomics (intermediate requires calc 3 and some lagrange), the prerequisites are linear algebra plus a corequisite of analysis and optimization</p>
<p>granted that may not be advanced math, but for graduate studies math is definitely necessary</p>
<p>You can do it. Believe in yourself. Sorry for this obscene comment I was just watching sesame street and they are so hopeful on that show. Anyway, as long as you are not getting a master's in Econ you are fine. Plus if you get a BA in Econ as opposed to a BS you need less math courses.</p>
<p>would a major in econ. at a liberal arts school be do-able? like i said, i'm not the greatest at math, although i did always make a's up until ap calculus. i understand the stuff, mostly, but i have to really go over the material. i was wanting to pair an art hist. major w/ an econ. minor, but looking at job prospects i may reverse them. thanks</p>
<p>BA econ DOESN'T mean it's just some stupid humanity-like degree that requires no math and just bunch of theories/policy like poli science and/or sociology.</p>
<p>You still need to know 3 terms of calculus, 1 terms of algebra, 2 terms of stats and 2 terms of econometrics in order to graduate. Those aren't exactly easy wizzy courses if you absolutely suck at math.</p>
<p>So if you suck at math, don't think you'll get away with a BA in economics thinking it requires little to no quantitative materials. It just ain't happening in ANY economics courses.</p>
<p>If you can't handle it, might as well just minor in business or accounting.</p>
<p>abcboy,
Although I'm sure there are undergraduate programs out there that require that many math classes, and I'm sure you will find one. But the vast majority of undergraduate econ programs require many fewer math classes.</p>
<p>Take Princeton, which has a notoriously tough undergraduate econ department, for example. Princeton only requires a stat class (Econ 202) two Math classes, Math 103 and 104 which can be placed out of with only AB calculus or even a score above 760 on the SAT math section, and an econometrics class: <a href="http://www.econ.princeton.edu/undergrad/information.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.econ.princeton.edu/undergrad/information.html</a></p>
<p>To answer the original poster's question, if you only want to pick up a minor in economics I don't think you will have a problem with the math. I can't say for sure because I don't know what school you're going to and every school is different. </p>
<p>Most likely to get a econ minor you will need to take a micro principles class, a macro principles class, an intermediate micro class, and intermediate macro class, a stat class, and possibly a few electives. The two principles class (especially the micro class) may require a basic knowledge of calculus. On the other hand, these classes may not require any knowledge of math at all. At my school, UVA (which I hope you will agree is one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the country) these two classes require absolutely no math.</p>
<p>The stat class is a stat class, so you pretty much no what you're getting yourself into.</p>
<p>The intermediate micro class will require a basic knowledge of calculus. If you can take a derivative, and solve an optimization problem (which it sounds like you can), you will be all set.</p>
<p>The amount of math needed for the intermediate macro class really depends on how your school teaches it. Regardless, if you've taken stat, and know a little calculus, you will be fine. The math in all likely hood will probably not be worse than the econ class.</p>
<p>If you desire, you will probably be able to find electives that aren't too math intensive. That is if you even have to take any to complete the econ minor.</p>
<p>Although I'm not sure I would advise you to complete an econ minor because you think it will look good, I would not let the math hold you back. Hope this helps.
Holla9</p>
<p>For a minor in economics I wouldn't worry too much about the math. Depending on the requirements of your school, you may not need to know much beyond partial derivatives, lagrange multipliers, and parametric statistics. If you aren't good at those, you WILL GET good in a hurry. (These topics don't require any particular gift in math or anything; they just take some practice.)</p>
<p>Please do not let mathophiles and econometricians pollute your perception of the discipline with "ECON=MATH!!1!!!" Math is a heavily-used (overused?) tool in modern economics. That won't change anytime soon or at least until a new school of thought comes into fashion. But at its core, economics is still about philosophy and ideology, as it was 300 years ago. </p>
<p>DISCLAIMER: This only applies if you are studying economics because of genuine interest in the discipline. If you just want to go on to some job in finance or banking then math is the most important thing because that's what will get you rich quick...right? ;)</p>
<p>one guy: steven levitt. doesnt like math at all, and admits it. but is considered one of the premiere economists in the country, if not the world.</p>
<p>A 'B-' is a good firm grade in AP Calculus. Freshen up your math and you'll do fine in any math courses needed such as stats/calc2/3. Better yet, retake calc 1 and you should do fine from there. Its totally new material(calculus) and some people enjoy the change while others have a little time adapting to it. If I were to rate trig and calculus, calculus is easier for me(because its all new material, not much from back in algebra 1/2).</p>
<p>most schools only require calc 1 to receive a degree in econ.
i'd say you only need like calc 3 or calc 4 if you want to do like graduate study work or phd.</p>
<p>What kinds of jobs do you plan to pursue in the business world that don't require a good math aptitude? If you are interested in marketing, for instance, as opposed to finance or accounting, you might be better served with psychology or sociology courses rather than econ. Just a thought.</p>
<p>For my school, all you need for a BA in econ is Calc 1. If you want to take econometrics (not necessary for BA), you need Calc 2. If you want to take advanced game theory (again, not necessary for BA), you need linear algebra.</p>
<p>If you're thinking about going for your Ph.D (or even MA/MS), you should have skill with quantitative economics, but other than that, the math is very doable at the undergrad level.</p>
<p>And premedwannabe for the most part is correct about the difference between a BA and BS. A BA in econ is no joke, especially at top schools, but the BS is the one that focuses more on the quantitative areas (Carnegie Mellon being a good example that offers both types).</p>
<p>Job recruiters and grad schools will also look at your coursework, and majoring in Econ having completed only 1 semester of calculus and all other Econ courses is a complete joke.</p>
<p>I don't know how an Econ major cannot have had at least 1 semester of Calc 3, since most Intermediate Micro courses will require multivariable calculus (maximing utility/budget constraints 1/2nd order equations). Advanced classes (not required for major) require at least analysis and optimization, and almost all pure econ courses beyond intermediate micro/macro (which are usually the last of the major requirements) will require significant math.</p>
<p>Econometrics does not require a large amount of math, but you do need a decent statistics background. Econometrics and statistics are practically the same thing (i say practically, not exactly).</p>
<p>At a lot of schools you can't choose between a BA in Econ or a BS, so a BA at some schools will require just as much math if not more than a BS at other schools. Again, this depends on the school...</p>
<p>I also hear that Med-schools like seeing students complete all semesters of calculus, although that is simply what my friends say.</p>
<p>Long story short, if you plan on going into finance, you better be comfortable with your math skills.</p>
<p>I don't know how an Econ major cannot have had at least 1 semester of Calc 3, since most Intermediate Micro courses will require multivariable calculus (maximing utility/budget constraints 1/2nd order equations). Advanced classes (not required for major) require at least analysis and optimization, and almost all pure econ courses beyond intermediate micro/macro (which are usually the last of the major requirements) will require significant math.</p>
<p>Really? Can you list the programs that require multivariable calc? Real analysis? In these courses that require "significant math", what math do they in fact require?</p>
<p>Quit trying to sound like a big shot. You don't know what you're talking about.</p>
<p>Sounds like you're the big shot.</p>
<p>If you think you know something about economics compared to people who actually honours in it, why not show us how easy and mathless are the "never-watered-down" economics classes you learn in your prestigeous business program?? I would never wonder why is it so easy.</p>
<p>You may go ahead and take up an economics degree without any more sophisticated (as in for business students) mathematics in higher years. Chances are you're going to suffer when we're talking about differential equation on GDP growth and you're still wondering how to take the integrals of a simple function. Also you can kiss graduate school goodbye if you follow such route. Clear your ignorance here mr. know-what-you're-talking-about:</p>
<p>yes, you can finish up a business degree without accounting, but what's the point without it.... sorry, i mean math for economics.</p>
<p>Well this really isn't meant for theghostofsnappy, since his opinion is pretty much worthless, but for the OP, to get a general idea of some of econ courses for a BA, here are the requirements.</p>
<p>ECON W3211x and y Intermediate Microeconomics 3 pts. Prerequisites: ECON W1105 or the equivalent; MATH V1101, MATH V1201 (or Math V1207). The determination of the relative prices of goods and factors of production and the allocation of resources. (Math 1201 is calc 3, 1207 is honors, 1101 is calc 1)</p>
<p>ECON W3213x and y Intermediate Macroeconomics 3 pts. Prerequisites: ECON W1105 or the equivalent; MATH V1101 or MATH V1107. National income accounting, output and employment; Keynesian and neo-Keynesian analysis; alternative schools; economic growth. (again calc 1)</p>
<p>ECON W3412x and y Introduction To Econometrics 3 pts. Prerequisites: ECON W3211 or W3213; STAT W1211 or SIEO W4150; and MATH V1201 or V1207. Modern econometric methods; the general linear statistical model and its extensions; simultaneous equations and the identification problem; time series problems; forecasting methods; extensive practice with the analysis of different types of data. (math and stats background needed)</p>
<p>those were the core classes required for a BA. </p>
<p>Electives-
ECON W4211y Advanced Microeconomics 3 pts. Prerequisites: Econ W3211, W3213; Math V2010. Corequisites: Math V2500 or Math W4061. The course provides a rigorous introduction to microeconomics. Topics will vary with the instructor but will include consumer theory, producer theory, general equilibrium and welfare, social choice theory, game theory and information economics. This course is strongly recommended for students considering graduate work in economics. Math 2010 linear algebra, math 2500 analysis and optimization</p>
<p>ECON W4213 Advanced Macroeconomics 3 pts. Not offered in 2006-2007. Prerequisites: ECON W3211, W3213, W3412 and MATH V2010. An introduction to the dynamic models used in the study of modern macroeconomics. Applications of the models will include theoretical issues such as optimal lifetime consumption decisions and policy issues such as inflation targeting. This course is strongly recommended for students considering graduate work in economics. (linear algebra needed)</p>
<p>And of course there are some more higher level econ courses that few undergrads take that require even more math, but the ones I've listed are the major econ courses that a good majority of econ majors take that require math.</p>
<p>In response to theghostofsnappy, you're doing people a disservice by misleading them into thinking economics is not math based. Even then, if you even read my post you would realize that I said the amount of math was school specific. I'm not even going to argue with you any further since it would be complete waste of time.</p>
<p>edit...forgot to copy, logged out.</p>