Why study economics?

Economics offers the tools you need to understand our increasingly interconnected world. With these tools, you can exploit "Big Data" to explore human behavior in numerous economic settings such as labor supply, consumption patterns, health care choices and energy use.  You can also examine the overall economy by assessing the links among aggregate output, interest rates, inflation, unemployment levels and international exchange rates.

Undergraduate Admission

Admission to KU

All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.

Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.

Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of Admissions website.

Economics Majors

The economics department offers 3 degrees.

• The Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of General Studies degrees in Economics are designed for the majority of students who will attend professional graduate schools (e.g., masters programs) or who will enter the work force.
• The Bachelor of Science degree in Economics is designed for the student interested in attending a doctoral (Ph.D.) program in Economics or a closely related field. It requires the minimum amount of preparation in economics and mathematics required to be successful in doctoral graduate study. Students interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in economics are encouraged to double major in economics and mathematics.

First- and Second-Year Preparation

Students considering an economics major should first enroll in ECON 142 (or ECON 143) Principles of Microeconomics and then ECON 144 (or ECON 145) Principles of Macroeconomics no later than the end of the sophomore year. Students should also have completed 1 course in the calculus sequence (MATH 115 or MATH 125) by the end of the sophomore year.

Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Major

Major Hours & Major GPA

While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:

Major Hours
Satisfied by 30 hours of major courses.

Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.  (At least 3 of the required elective courses must be taken from the KU Department of Economics.)

Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 24 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. At least 9 hours of the required elective courses must be taken from the KU Department of Economics.)

Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.

Major Junior/Senior Major Attempts
Summary includes Economics junior/senior (300+) hours attempted, including F's and incompletes.

Departmental Honors

Graduation with honors in economics is limited to undergraduate majors who have fulfilled these requirements:

1. Completed all economics major requirements and achieved a grade-point average of 3.5 or above in all economics courses at the time of graduation.
2. Completed ECON 697 Senior Research Honors
3. Submitted and defended a research paper before at least 3 faculty members of the Department of Economics.

Honors candidates should consult the department honors coordinator before enrolling in the first semester of the senior year and file a declaration of intent form with the coordinator at that time.