Economics Minor
Minor Description
The Minor in Economics provides students with a solid historical, theoretical, and analytical basis for understanding the ways goods and services are produced, allocated, and distributed within societal structures. Numerous fields value the skills and knowledge gained from studying economics, including research, quantitative and statistical analysis, strategic problem-solving, and understanding the dynamics of human behavior, markets, and institutions.
Admission to the Minor
Students intending to minor in Economics must complete Introduction to Economic Theory (ECON110). Students can be exempted from the ECON110 course requirement if they have a score of 4 or 5 on both AP Micro and AP Macro or a score of 5, 6, or 7 on IB Economics. The prerequisite for ECON110 is calculus. The calculus prerequisite can be fulfilled by completing ECON102, MATH120, or MATH121. It can also be fulfilled by receiving a score of 4 or 5 in AP Calculus AB or BC, by receiving a 5, 6, or 7 on the IB Higher Math test, or by placing into MATH122 or higher according to the Wesleyan Math Placement test.
To be accepted into the minor, students must also have either completed or be enrolled in Introductory Econometrics (ECON300), Microeconomic Analysis (ECON301), or Macroeconomic Analysis (ECON302). The prerequisites for ECON301 are (i) completion of ECON110 or (ii) receiving the bypass for ECON110 and completing both a 200-level ECON elective and the math prerequisite for ECON110. The prerequisites for ECON300 and ECON302 either (i) completion of ECON110 or (ii) receiving the bypass for ECON110 and completing both a 200-level ECON elective and the math prerequisite for ECON110. In addition, ECON300 and ECON302 require probability and statistics. The probability and statistics prerequisite can be fulfilled by completing ECON103, MATH132, or PSYC200, or by receiving a score of 4 or higher on AP Statistics or a 5 or higher on the IB Higher Math test.
A student who fails to obtain a grade of C+ or better in ECON110 may be admitted to the minor only after obtaining a grade of C+ or better in ECON300 or ECON301 or ECON302. Prospective economics minors are strongly encouraged to complete ECON301 and ECON302 by the end of sophomore year.
Minor Requirements
The Economics Minor curriculum consists of three types of courses: Introductory, Core, and Electives. All students minoring in economics must complete five courses (three core courses and two electives) in addition to completing or passing out of ECON110 . All courses counted toward the economics minor must be taken for a letter grade. All core courses must be taken at Wesleyan.
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The elective courses are numbered 201 and higher.
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One of the two electives must be an upper-tier elective, numbered 303 to 399.
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No courses numbered 401 or higher may count toward the minor.
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No courses in other departments, including CSS, may count toward the minor.
One elective course in economics taken at another institution may count toward the minor as the lower-tier elective only, subject to the department chair’s approval