Holy Cross Economics Major Requirements

The Economics Major

The Major Program

Students interested in majoring in economics are required to take the following minimum 9 courses within the department, in addition to a year of Calculus (in the Math department). Students at Holy Cross enroll in 4 courses each semester and must fulfill certain distribution requirements. This program listing features economics major requirements only. The College Catalog is the final authority on college and department policy. The Catalog should always be consulted when planning your curriculum.

Required courses

ECON 111 Principles of Macroeconomics
ECON 112 Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 249 Statistics
ECON 255 Microeconomics
ECON 256 Macroeconomics
One year of college Calculus, or the equivalent.
- Majors are encouraged to enroll in the MATH 131-132 sequence.
- Acceptable alternatives are MATH 125-126, 133-134, 136, or a minimum score of 4 on all sections of the AP Calculus BC exam

Elective courses

Four electives in the Economics Department (designated ECON). Three of the four electives must be courses which have ECON 255 or ECON 256 as prerequisites. These courses are numbered between ECON 301 and ECON 399. The fourth course may be another of these upper level electives or may be a lower level elective which only requires the principles sequence as a prerequisite.

Recommended course of study

First year: Take ECON 111 Principles of Macroeconomics and a Calculus course in the fall. Take ECON 112 Principles of Microeconomics and the second Calculus course (if needed) in the Spring. It is very important to take Calculus in the first year so the required intermediate required courses be taken in the second (or third) year. Taking calculus early is especially important for students planning on studying abroad junior year.
Second and Third Year: Take ECON 249 Statistics, ECON 255 Microeconomics, ECON 256 Macroeconomics, and a lower level elective. If planning on studying abroad, make sure to take Microeconomics before you leave for your program.
Fourth year: Take unfilled requirements and take the minimum three upper-level electives.Note that upper level electives are typically only available to fourth year students.

Notes

Majors may elect to take up to 14 total courses in the department (including ECOA courses).
Students may use advanced placement (AP) credit for Principles of Macroeconomics (ECON 111), Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 112), or Statistics (ECON 249) by earning a score of 4 or 5 on the appropriate exam. Students who elect to apply AP credit must still take 9 courses in economics, and so must take additional electives in place of the principles or statistics course(s).
Many economics majors enroll in courses offered by the department's Accounting faculty members (designated by ECOA). Although these courses do not fulfill any major requirements, they provide an excellent complement to a student's economics program.
A brief description of the course offerings is available.
Students may participate in the department's Honors program.
If planning on studying abroad or participating in the Washington Program, make sure to plan your course of study carefully. See the study abroad and Washington Program pages for guidance.

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