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Requirements + Courses

Blithewood, home of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Photo by Karl Rabe
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The economics major may be combined with interdisciplinary concentrations such as Global and International Studies, and Social Policy. Students may moderate, simultaneously or separately, in the concentration.

Moderation Requirements

Three economics courses are required for Moderation, including Principles of Economics (Econ 100) and two 200-level courses, only one of which may be a theory or statistical methods course. The Moderation board meeting is typically held in the second semester of a student’s sophomore year. The Moderation board should comprise three faculty members, at least two of whom should be from the Economics Program. If a student intends to pursue an interdisciplinary concentration or a joint major, a faculty member from that concentration or program should be asked to serve on the Moderation board. At Moderation, students identify an area of focus and discuss their preliminary ideas for the required Senior Project.

Graduation Requirements

It is recommended that students take several 200-level applied courses during the sophomore and junior years. Core courses should not be taken pass/fail, and course substitutions require permission of the student’s adviser. Graduation requirements include:

  • the theory sequence (Principles of Economics, Intermediate Microeconomics, and Intermediate Macroeconomics)
  • Introduction to Econometrics
  • a course in economic history
  • a course in economic thought
  • at least four electives at the 200 level or above in economics, two of which must be at the 300 level (students with joint majors or interdisciplinary concentrations may replace one 300-level elective with two 300-level courses in a related discipline)
  • Calculus I (Mathematics 141) or the equivalent is a prerequisite for Economics 201 (Calculus II, Mathematics 142, is recommended)
  • the Senior Project

The Senior Project
Yewen Zeng ’16 with her Senior Project adviser, Aniruddha Mitra, associate professor of economics.

The Senior Project

The Senior Project and the economic history and economic thought requirements are distinctive features of Bard’s economics curriculum. The economic thought course introduces students to the analytical history of ideas about how economies work and ought to work. Economic history is the history of actual economies—their growth and decline, their diverse systems for allocating goods and resources, their success (or failure) in meeting economic goals. Both areas are important for understanding the purpose and value of economics as a discipline, and help us to improve the coherence, relevance, and performance of our models and methods.

View Recent Senior Projects

Courses

Students usually begin their study of economics by taking Principles of Economics (Economics 100). The 200-level courses typically assume knowledge of introductory theory and are of special interest to students in political studies, historical studies, sociology, philosophy, human rights, global and international studies, social policy, and environmental and urban studies. Students who have completed introductory theory are encouraged to take at least one 200-level applied course before proceeding to more advanced coursework. The 300-level Upper College courses and seminars provide advanced treatment of theory, research methodology, and applications for moderated economics majors. Students are encouraged to construct their academic program in a sequence of cognate courses that culminates in a Senior Project.

Students contemplating graduate school in economics are encouraged to take advanced theory courses and to develop their quantitative skills with additional courses such as Mathematical Economics (Economics 205), Advanced Econometrics (Economics 329), and related courses in mathematics (Linear Algebra, Proofs and Fundamentals, Probability, and Mathematical Statistics).

For a sample course plan, see the Economics Advising Guide.

View the Current Course List

Mathematics Requirements and Recommendations

Precalculus Mathematics (Math 110) or the equivalent is a prerequisite for Economics 100 and Calculus I (Math 141) or the equivalent is a prerequisite for Economics 201 (Calculus II: Math 142 is recommended). Students should follow the mathematics placement guidelines and take recommended math review workshops if needed before enrolling in the core courses.

Economics majors are encouraged to complete the calculus sequence.

Economics Program at Bard College

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New York 12504
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