<p>Everything that molly4190 said is spot-on. </p>
<p>I’ll add my bit though and will try to be as objective as possible:</p>
<p>Stern is a little bit more selective than CAS, but CAS is not easy to get into by any means. Both programs are filled with very bright students.</p>
<p>The value of Stern degree is, in most cases, noticeably higher in the financial sector but elsewhere the values of a Stern degree and CAS degree are about equal. </p>
<p>Stern is highly pre-professional and in many respects more of a tight-knit and spirited community than CAS. However, Stern has been described as cutthroat while CAS econ is relatively laid-back, but still difficult. Stern has some advantages in terms of networking, but most OCR (on campus recruiting) events are open to all NYU students. Some OCR programs are specifically designated for liberal arts students.</p>
<p>Stern is, on average, considered more difficult academically but this to a degree due to its infamous grade distribution curve. I think a lot of it depends on major; the vast majority of Stern is majoring in finance which makes it much more difficult to do well in that than say, in marketing or management. I’m not 100% sure where Stern Econ fits into this but I think it’s usually considered a secondary major there.</p>
<p>Difficulty of a CAS econ major varies greatly since there is a very broad selection of classes you can take; it is what you make of it. For example, you can go the “easy” route and take more policy-based courses or you can opt to take those which require higher level calc / linear algebra like econometrics, game theory, advanced micro etc. etc. However, on average, a CAS Econ major is probably a nudge easier than Stern Econ / Finance.</p>
<p>Both are fine schools. If you know you want to be in business, shoot for Stern. If you’re still weighing your options, I’d advise being in CAS.</p>
<p>Source: CAS Econ major.</p>