When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Learning Goals
- Demonstrate understanding of the concept of scarcity of resources and the opportunity cost associated with choices made.
- Demonstrate understanding of basic economic models of supply and demand, the role of prices in efficient allocation of resources, and how changes to supply and demand affect the market price and quantity of a particular good or service.
- Demonstrate understanding of how the national economy works, the role of government in the economy, and the reasons for macroeconomic policy proposals.
- Understand interactions in a global economy setting, the basis for exchange and the sources of comparative advantage that drive trade.
- Demonstrate understanding of international trade issues and the impact of appreciations and depreciations of exchange rates on different sectors of the economy.
- Understand economic data and some basic analysis methods.
Degree Programs in Economics
Susquehanna University has two degree programs in economics. The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is a liberal arts degree earned through the university’s School of Natural & Social Sciences. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in economics choose an emphasis in financial economics, general economics or mathematical economics. The Bachelor of Science (BS) degree is a more technical degree and is earned in the Sigmund Weis School of Business. It integrates extensive business administration coursework into the study of economics.
Major in Economics
Double-counting Restriction
A student can declare two majors within the Sigmund Weis School of Business, but they may not declare a double major in both 1) Marketing, and 2) Luxury Brand Marketing & Management. Students must complete all the requirements for both declared majors. Students may only double-count the courses included in the Business Foundation requirements. Therefore, if a course is used to satisfy a requirement of one major, that same course may not be used to fulfill a requirement of the second major within the School of Business.
Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree — General Emphasis
Majors complete 32 semester hours in economics with a GPA of 2.00 or better. They also complete a required course in statistics and a required course in calculus or quantitative methods. The department recommends two courses in calculus for students planning graduate study in economics. Majors must earn grades of C- or better in all required courses except ECON-201 and ECON-202.
4 ECON-201 Principles of Macroeconomics
4 ECON-202 Principles of Microeconomics
4 ECON-311 Intermediate Macroeconomics
4 Choose from: ECON-313 Intermediate Microeconomics Theory or ECON-315 Managerial Economics
4 ECON-499 Econometrics
4 One statistics course (MGMT-202, MATH-108, MATH-180 or PSYC-123)
4 One course in calculus or quantitative methods
12 12 hours of economics electives selected with faculty adviser guidance. A maximum of 4 semester hours of ECON-503 Internship may be applied to the electives.
Financial Economics Emphasis
The financial economics emphasis is designed to provide both a sound theoretical background in economics and a considerable exposure to finance, all in one package. This degree is especially suitable for students who want to a have a strong liberal arts education combined with several business courses without having to follow the structure of a business program. Students earning their degrees in financial economics will acquire proper skills and connections needed to enter and succeed in rewarding careers. In addition, this degree can facilitate the completion of a minor or a second major.
Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree — Financial Economics Emphasis
Majors are required to complete 48 semester hours, with a GPA of 2.00 or better, as follows:
4 ECON-201 Principles of Macroeconomics
4 ECON-202 Principles of Microeconomics
4 ECON-311 Intermediate Macroeconomics
4 ECON-313 Intermediate Microeconomics Theory or ECON-315 Managerial Economics
4 ECON-330 International Trade and Finance
4 ECON-331 Money, Banking and Financial Markets
4 ACCT-200 Financial Accounting
4 FINC-340 Corporate Financial Management
4 FINC-342 Investment Analysis
4 ECON-499 Econometrics
4 One statistics course (MGMT-202, MATH-108, MATH-180 or PSYC-123)
4 Four hours of electives, chosen with adviser’s guidance from one 300 level and above economics course or POLI-333 Development, Globalization and Society.
A maximum 4 semester hours of ECON-503 Internship may be applied to the electives.
No grade less than C- will be accepted in all required courses except ECON-201 and ECON-202. The department recommends students pursuing the financial economics emphasis take MGMT-340 and MGMT-342 in the fall and spring of the junior year, respectively.
Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Economics
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science with a major in economics successfully complete the business foundation courses as follows and at least 20 semester hours of economics at the 300-level or above as listed below. No grade below a C- will be accepted toward graduation for foundation courses; upon earning a grade below C- in a foundation course, the student must retake the course the next semester in which it is offered. The course descriptions listed later in the catalog identify prerequisites, and these suggest a certain degree of order in completing the foundation. In addition to the foundation, first-semester Weis School students enroll in MGMT-196 Global Business Perspectives (4 semester hours), which provides an introduction to liberal studies and college life, as well as an overview of business functional areas, career opportunities and the Sigmund Weis School curriculum. This course satisfies the First-Year Seminar requirement of the Central Curriculum.
Business Foundation Courses for Economics (B.S.) Majors
Complete one of the following Introduction to Business classes:
4 MGMT-195 Global Business Perspectives
2 MGMT-138 Fundamentals of Business
Complete one of the following statistics classes :
4 MATH-108 Introduction to Statistics
4 MATH-180 Statistical Methods
4 MGMT-202 Business Statistics
4 PSYC-123 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences
Required courses:
4 ACCT-200 Financial Accounting
4 ACCT-210 Legal Environment
4 ACCT-230 Managerial Accounting
4 ECON-201 Principles of Macroeconomics
4 ECON-202 Principles of Microeconomics
4 FINC-340 Corporate Financial Management
4 INFS-174 Data Collection and Modeling
4 INFS-472 Data Insight and Visualization
2 MGMT-105 Introduction to Professional Development
4 MGMT-240 Principles of Management
4 MGMT-400 Business Policy and Strategy
4 MKTG-280 Marketing
Complete at least 20 semester hours of economics, as follows:
4 ECON-311 Intermediate Macro
4 ECON-313 Intermediate Micro or ECON-315 Managerial Economics
4 ECON-499 Applied Econometrics
8 Semester hours of economics electives at the 300-level or higher
No grade less than C- will be accepted to satisfy major course requirements.
Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Mathematical Economics
The Mathematical Economics major is a combined curriculum that incorporates mathematics, economics and statistics to allow students to develop the intellectual and quantitative skills to study questions at the intersection of these disciplines. The major is intended for students with a strong intellectual interest in both mathematics and economics. Students intending to pursue graduate studies in economics are encouraged to consider either the Mathematical Economics major or a double major in Economics and Mathematics. The Mathematical Economics major meets the classification as a STEM discipline according to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) so that international students are eligible for a 24-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension.
Learning Goals
Majors in Mathematical Economics will:
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of economic principles, including scarcity, opportunity cost, and the fundamental models of supply and demand.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the functioning of the national economy, the government’s role, and macroeconomic policy rationales.
- Acquire a basic understanding of the dynamics of a global economy, including trade fundamentals, comparative advantage, and the effects of exchange rate fluctuations on various economic sectors.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply empirical economic and mathematical methods, including multivariate calculus and linear algebra, to gather, interpret and analyze economic data, and effectively communicate their results.
Required courses for Mathematical Economics Major
Economics Core
4 ECON-201 Principles of Macroeconomics
4 ECON-202 Principles of Microeconomics
4 ECON-311 Intermediate Macroeconomics
4 ECON-313 Intermediate Microeconomics
4 ECON-499 Econometrics (Capstone)
Mathematics Core
4 MATH-111 Calculus I
4 MATH-112 Calculus II
4 MATH-201 Linear Algebra
4 MATH-211 Multivariate Calculus
4 CSCI-181 Principles of Computer Science
Economics Electives
8 300- or 400-level ECON classes
Mathematics Electives: choose 2
4 MATH-352 Numerical Analysis
4 MATH-353 Differential Equations
4 MATH-441 Mathematical Statistics
Statistics Course: choose 1
4 MATH-108 Introduction to Statistics
4 MATH-180 Statistical Methods
Double-counting restriction
ECON-201 and ECON-202 (or ECON-105), may double-count toward other majors or minors. Two of the three upper-level courses required for the minor may also be double-counted toward other majors or minors.
