BA in Economics

Catalog Year: 2022-2023

Banner Code: LA-BA-ECON

Economics is about more than money and profits. It is a way of looking at the world through the lens of incentives, choices, and markets to help uncover new solutions to the persistent problems in our society. This economic perspective sheds light on important issues in the areas of production, education, crime, the environment, international trade, immigration, health care, economic growth, poverty, and more. The Bachelor of Arts in Economics is designed for students with a strong interest in the liberal arts. It is appropriate for those who prefer a less quantitative degree program than the Bachelor of Science in Economics and may be especially appropriate for students planning to attend law school or graduate programs in business or public administration. 

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on program requirements and courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes. Requirements may be different for earlier catalog years. See the University Catalog archives.

Honors in the Major

Students pursuing departmental honors must complete 6 hours of ECON 495 RS: Honors Thesis in Economics (Mason Core) culminating with an original work of research and an oral presentation. Requirements for departmental honors are in addition to the coursework required for the major. Students must complete ECON 495 RS: Honors Thesis in Economics (Mason Core) with a grade of B or higher to receive departmental honors.

Economics majors who have completed 90 credits with an overall GPA of 3.50 and a GPA of 3.50 within the major are eligible to apply. Not all applicants who meet the minimum requirements are guaranteed acceptance.

Applications will be available starting May 1st of each year. Applications are due by August 1st.

To be accepted into the program and enroll in ECON 495 RS: Honors Thesis in Economics (Mason Core) students must submit a research proposal. Research proposals can be developed independently or by completing ECON 494 Introduction to Independent Research in Economics with a grade of B or higher. Completion of ECON 494 Introduction to Independent Research in Economics is not required for departmental honors.

Degree Requirements

Total credits: minimum 120

Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.

Some economics courses may fulfill the Mason Core requirement in global understanding or the college requirement in non-Western culture. Check with the departmental advising office for more information. 

Core Courses without Concentration

Required Courses

ECON 103 Contemporary Microeconomic Principles (Mason Core) 3
ECON 104 Contemporary Macroeconomic Principles (Mason Core) 3
ECON 306 Intermediate Microeconomics 3
ECON 311 Intermediate Macroeconomics 3
ECON 309 Economic Problems and Public Policies 3
Select one from the following: 3
Introductory Calculus with Business Applications (Mason Core)  
Applied Calculus  
Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (Mason Core)  
Total Credits 18

Statistics

Select 6 credits from the following: 6
Business Analytics I (Mason Core)
and Business Analytics II
 
Introductory Statistics I (Mason Core)
and Introductory Statistics II
 
Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists I
and Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists II
 
Total Credits 6

Electives without Concentration

Select 18 credits of electives from courses in economics at the 300 or 400 level 1 18
Select 6 credits of electives from courses in economics at the 400 level or higher. 6
Total Credits 24

Core Courses with Concentration in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)

The 70-73 credit concentration in philosophy, politics, and economics offers students a program that explores the interdisciplinary connections between philosophy, political science, and economics.

Economics

ECON 103 Contemporary Microeconomic Principles (Mason Core) 3
ECON 104 Contemporary Macroeconomic Principles (Mason Core) 3
ECON 306 Intermediate Microeconomics 3
ECON 311 Intermediate Macroeconomics 3
Choose one of the following: 3
Game Theory and Economics of Institutions  
Austrian Economics  
Public Choice  
Law and Economics  
Select one from the following: 3
Introductory Calculus with Business Applications (Mason Core)  
Applied Calculus  
Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (Mason Core)  
Total Credits 18

Statistics

Select one from the following: 4-6
Business Analytics I (Mason Core)
and Business Analytics II
 
Introductory Statistics I (Mason Core)
and Introductory Statistics II
 
Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists I
and Probability and Statistics for Engineers and Scientists II
 
Total Credits 4-6

Electives with Concentration

Select 18 credits of electives in economics at the 300 and 400 level or higher. 1 18
Total Credits 18

Philosophy

PHIL/GOVT 324 Modern Western Political Theory 3
or PHIL/GOVT 327 Contemporary Western Political Theory
PHIL 357 Philosophy of the Social Sciences 3
or PHIL 371 Philosophy of the Natural Sciences
PHIL 358 Ethics and Economics 3
or PHIL 311 Philosophy of Law
PHIL 429 Advanced Topics in Social and Political Philosophy 3
Total Credits 12

Public and International Affairs

GOVT 103 Introduction to American Government (Mason Core) 3
GOVT/PHIL 323 Classical Western Political Theory 3
GOVT 422 Constitutional Interpretation 3
GOVT 467 Current Issues in Economic Policy 3
Total Credits 12

Capstone Experience Course

GOVT 469 Philosophy, Politics, and Economics 3
or PHIL/ECON 460 Senior Seminar in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Total Credits 3

Writing-Intensive Requirement

The university requires all students to complete at least one course designated as "writing intensive" in their majors at the 300 level or above. Students majoring in economics fulfill this requirement by successfully completing one of the following courses:

The Political Economy of Nonprofit Institutions  
Topics in Economic History  
Effective Writing in Economics  
Economics of Energy  
Economics of Regulation  
Smithian Political Economy I  

Upper Level Requirements

Students seeking a bachelor’s degree must apply at least 45 credits of upper-level courses (numbered 300 or above) toward graduation requirements.

Additional Electives

Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.

College Level Requirements for the BA Degree 

In addition to the Mason Core program, students pursuing a BA degree must complete the coursework below. Except where expressly prohibited, a course used to fulfill a college level requirement may also be used simultaneously to satisfy other requirements (Mason Core requirements or requirements for the major).

Philosophy or Religious Studies
Select 3 credits from the following: 3
 
 
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Select 3 credits of social and behavioral sciences from the following (additional to the Mason Core social and behavioral sciences requirement) 1 3
ANTH  
CRIM  
ECON  
GOVT  
HIST 2  
LING  
PSYC  
SOCI  
Or choose from the following GGS courses:  
Major World Regions (Mason Core)  
Human Geography (Mason Core)  
Introduction to Geoinformation Technologies  
Political Geography (Mason Core)  
Geography of Resource Conservation (Mason Core)  
Population Geography (Mason Core)  
Economic Geography  
Urban Geography  
Geography of the United States  
Geography of Latin America  
Geography of Europe  
Geography of North Africa and the Middle East  
Geography of Eastern Europe and Russia  
Urban Planning  
Geography of Virginia  
Foreign Language
Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language, fulfilled by: 1  
 
Or achieving a satisfactory score on an approved proficiency test
 
Or completing the following ASL three course sequence:
 
American Sign Language (ASL) I  
American Sign Language (ASL) II  
American Sign Language (ASL) III  
Non-Western Culture

Select 3 credits of an approved course in the study of a non-Western culture (additional to the Mason Core requirement in global understanding)

Select 3 credits (additional to Mason Core Global Understanding requirement) 1  
     
ANTH 114 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (Mason Core) 3
ANTH 300 Civilizations 3
ANTH 302 Peoples and Cultures of Latin America (Mason Core) 3
ANTH 307 Ancient Mesoamerica (Mason Core) 3
ANTH 308 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East (Mason Core) 3
ANTH 309 Peoples and Cultures of India (Mason Core) 3
ANTH 313 Myth, Magic, and Mind (Mason Core) 3
ANTH 314 Zombies 3
ANTH 317 East Asian Cultures 3
ANTH 330 Peoples and Cultures of Selected Regions: Non-Western 3
ANTH 332 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Globalization (Mason Core) 3
ANTH 381 Medical Anthropology 3
ANTH 396 Issues in Anthropology: Social Sciences (Mason Core) 3
ARAB 360 Topics in Arabic Cultural Production 3
ARAB 420 Survey of Arabic Literature 3
ARAB 440 Topics in Arabic Religious Thought and Texts (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 203 Survey of Asian Art (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 204 Survey of Latin American Art (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 206 Survey of African Art (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 318 Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt 3
ARTH 319 Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 320 Art of the Islamic World (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 382 Arts of India (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 383 Arts of Southeast Asia (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 384 Arts of China (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 385 Arts of Japan (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 386 The Silk Road (Mason Core) 3
ARTH 482 RS: Advanced Studies in Asian Art 3
CHIN 318 Introduction to Classical Chinese (Mason Core) 3
CHIN 320 Contemporary Chinese Film 3
CHIN 325 Major Chinese Writers (Mason Core) 3
CHIN 470 Special Topics in Chinese Studies 3
DANC 118 Global Dance Perspectives I (Mason Core) 3
ECON 361 Economic Development of Latin America (Mason Core) 3
ECON 362 African Economic Development (Mason Core) 3
FREN 454 Topics in Caribbean Francophone Literature and Culture 3
GGS 101 Major World Regions (Mason Core) 3
GGS 316 Geography of Latin America 3
GGS 317 Geography of China (Mason Core) 3
GGS 325 Geography of North Africa and the Middle East 3
GGS 399 Select Topics in GGS 3
GOVT 328 Global Political Theory 3
GOVT 332 Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa 3
GOVT 333 Government and Politics of Asia 3
GOVT 338 Government and Politics of Russia 3
GOVT 340 Central Asian Politics 3
GOVT 341 Chinese Foreign Policy 3
GOVT 345 Islam and Politics 3
GOVT 433 Political Economy of East Asia 3
HIST 251 Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) 3
HIST 252 Survey of East Asian History (Mason Core) 3
HIST 261 Survey of African History (Mason Core) 3
HIST 262 Survey of African History (Mason Core) 3
HIST 271 Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) 3
HIST 272 Survey of Latin American History (Mason Core) 3
HIST 281 Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) 3
HIST 282 Survey of Middle Eastern Civilization (Mason Core) 3
HIST 326 Stalinism 3
HIST 327 The Soviet Union and Russia Since World War II 3
HIST 328 Rise of Russia (Mason Core) 3
HIST 329 Modern Russia and the Soviet Union (Mason Core) 3
HIST 353 History of Traditional China 3
HIST 354 Modern China (Mason Core) 3
HIST 356 Modern Japan (Mason Core) 3
HIST 357 Postwar Japan (Mason Core) 3
HIST 358 Post-1949 China (Mason Core) 3
HIST 360 History of South Africa (Mason Core) 3
HIST 364 Revolution and Radical Politics in Latin America (Mason Core) 3
HIST 365 Conquest and Colonization in Latin America (Mason Core) 3
HIST 366 Comparative Slavery 3
HIST 367 History, Fiction, and Film in Latin America 3
HIST 387 Topics in Global History (Mason Core) 3-6
HIST 461 Arab-Israeli Conflict 3
HIST 462 Women in Islamic Society (Mason Core) 3
HIST 465 The Middle East in the 20th Century 3
JAPA 310 Japanese Culture in a Global World (Mason Core) 3
JAPA 340 Topics in Japanese Literature (Mason Core) 3
JAPA 380 Japan in Motion 3
KORE 300 Korean Culture and Society 3
KORE 320 Korean Popular Culture in a Global World 3
KORE 385 Introduction to Korean Linguistics 3
MUSI 103 Musics of the World (Mason Core) 3
RELI 211 Introduction to Religions of the "West" (Mason Core) 3
RELI 212 Introduction to Religions of Asia (Mason Core) 3
RELI 272 Islam 3
RELI 312 Islam 3
RELI 313 Hinduism (Mason Core) 3
RELI 314 Chinese Philosophies and Religious Traditions 3
RELI 315 Buddhism (Mason Core) 3
RELI 317 Daoism 3
RELI 318 Korean Philosophy and Religions 3
RELI 338 Qur'an and Hadith 3
RELI 342 Comparative Study of Mysticism 3
RELI 344 Muhammad: Life and Legacy 3
RELI 358 Islamic Thought (Mason Core) 3
RELI 367 Islamic Law, Society, and Ethics 3
RELI 368 Islam, Democracy, and Human Rights 3
RELI 490 Comparative Study of Religions (Mason Core) 3
RUSS 353 Russian Civilization (Mason Core) 3
RUSS 354 Contemporary Post-Soviet Life (Mason Core) 3

 

Mason Core

Some Mason Core requirements may already be fulfilled by the major requirements listed above. Students are strongly encouraged to consult their advisors to ensure they fulfill all remaining Mason Core requirements.

Foundation Requirements  
Written Communication (ENGH 101) 3
Oral Communication 3
Quantitative Reasoning 3
Information Technology and Computing 3
Exploration Requirements  
Arts 3
Global Understanding 3
Literature 3
Natural Science 7
Social and Behavioral Sciences 3
Western Civilization/World History 3
Integration Requirements  
Written Communications (ENGH 302) 3
Writing-Intensive 1 3
Synthesis/Capstone 2 3
Total Credits 40