You have a point but I do see additional value in joint programs and a more focused faculty, advising and cohort.
What’s your source of information? He has some questions and would like to reach out to a professor who is directly involved with one of these programs. He is drafting his letters to program faculty at UC schools.
Among the UCs, UCB, UCSD, UCI, and UCSC have high-math (math prerequisite of multivariable calculus or linear algebra) options for the intermediate economics courses, so they may warrant an extra look for those looking at doing economics with more math.
I was at one point interested in mathematical finance so I did some research on related subjects. But you don’t have to be in the know to figure it out. Take the list of courses at the Rice’s program as an example, with the exception of Econ 305, all the courses can be and are probably widely taken by other students including the regular econ majors. So you don’t really have “focused faulty and cohort” teaching and taking courses designed only for the “joint program”.
You can find those courses easily in econ and math departments in other schools. The only difference is in schools like Harvard, Chicago, Penn, etc., students interested in advanced coursework in economics would already be advised (by faculty or even the program website) to take more math courses like real analysis, linear algebra, and differential equations. Those schools just don’t create a separate major and give it a fancy name. Why? Because there’s just nothing special about econ majors taking more math, especially for those that are considering grad schools, especially the top ones. That has been done for a long time; I personally feel a lot of these “joint program” is just marketing or is just there so students interested in the more advanced economics have a curriculum easy for them to follow.
Econ plus a math double major or minor is fine, no need for a special mathematical economics program.
If he’s in CA, lots of choices at the UCs. I attended UCSD for Econ, and there was plenty of math built into the curriculum. I was required to have a minor (I didn’t choose math). I took an extra math course or two. I was required to be proficient in a foreign language.
My D is at an LAC majoring in Econ with a strong math minor. She wants to graduate early so she’ll be just a couple of classes short of a Math double major. She also studied a language abroad and if she was staying for all four years could have double majored with a foreign language minor. I think at her college there’s a finance track within the Econ major.
He could easily double major at an LAC. Some CS is great too and easy to include in his coursework. There’s lots of places to do what he wants.
He wants a combined and structured program and apparently many top colleges offer those. Obviously, he knows about option of double majoring.
I think that people are suggesting that a combined and structured program might be less rigorous than a double major. That tradeoff is fine, as long as the tradeoff is recognized and desired by the student.
In his words, “Math and Econ combo complimented with a finance minor and enough CS courses could make one a quadruple threat”. He wants to do an MBA or a PhD eventually but wants to be comfortably employed with just an undergrad degree as well.
That’s just too much for a person. Math and Econ is all he needs for MBA. He’ll take one or two courses as an elective or major requirement in Finance and CS
Econ and finance are not different enough that one adds value on top of the other. Also, as some time you start running out of time to take classes. To get deep enough with programs for it really to be a draw requires more than a few classes. Many people that have a quant background have picked up some programing along the way. If you really want to do something like this, I would go econ + CS double major. You would likely pickup enough math naturally. Just make sure that your have at minimum multi var, linear algebra, and calc based stats.
A math and econ double major should be enough to provide comfortable employment.
Math and econ are good. The problem is that math he/she will take will be Proof based courses. Those take time and dedication. Not everyone is good with proof based math courses.
If going on to PhD study in economics is under consideration, PhD programs in economics expect applicants to have proof based math courses, such as proof based linear algebra and real analysis.
@ucbalumnus those are good courses to take. OP just has to be careful which math program he attends too. He definitely doesn’t want to take Algebra/topology courses. If those two courses are all he needs then a minor is better.
Calculus with many variables, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, and Real Analysis. Is all he needs which fulfills a minor in math