Economics Major Study Requirements

A major in economics requires completion of 33 credit hours in economics courses and completion of the stats and math requirement. All major coursework must be completed with a letter grade of C or better. At least 18 credit hours of the 33 credit hours must be taken at the University of New Mexico to meet the residency requirement. If you have taken classes at other colleges or universities, please reach out to the Economics Department Advisor as soon as possible to assess whether the courses will transfer and how it will affect your academic timeline.

Coursework includes:

• Six (6) credit hours of lower-division economics core courses consisting of ECON 2110: Macroeconomics Principles and ECON 2120: Microeconomics Principles
• Lower-Division Stats and Math sequence:
  • Stats requirement - MATH 1350: Introduction to Statistics
  • Math requirement - MATH 1512: Calculus I or MATH 1430: Applications of Calculus or ECON 307: Economics Tools
• Nine (9) credit hours of upper-division economics core courses consisting of ECON 300: Intermediate Microeconomics I, ECON 303: Intermediate Macroeconomics I, and ECON 309: Introductory Statistics and Econometrics
• Eighteen (18) credit hours of economics electives with a maximum of three (3) credit hours from 2000-level courses and a minimum of three (3) credit hours from 400-level courses (not including independent research or honors courses). ECON 307: Economics Tools can be taken to fulfill both the math pre-req and upper-division elective requirements

The UNM Economics Degree Roadmap is a draft planning guide that shows one way to earn your degree in economics but there are many paths! Always discuss your learning path with your advisor.

What Minor or Second Major Should I Choose?

The College of Arts and Sciences requires that B.A. students graduate with a minor or a second major. Students should discuss their interests and selection of a minor or second major with their advisor.

Because economics is so far-reaching, and our curriculum provides enough leeway for students to focus on areas of interest, most minors and second majors serve students well. The most popular and recommended disciplines include Biology, Computer Science, Geography and Environmental Studies, International Studies, Management, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology Statistics, and Sustainability Studies. Also, students with specialized interests may design their own minor (a “distributed minor”) and petition the Department Chairperson for approval.

Majors planning to attend graduate school in economics are required by most graduate programs to have completed at least one semester of calculus. If you are considering a Ph.D., you should consider a minor in Mathematics or Statistics.

Departmental Honors Program

The Departmental Honors Program is open to outstanding economics majors, typically in their junior year. After consulting with a faculty member willing to supervise their research, students must enroll in the department’s honors courses, Reading for Honors (ECON 498) and Senior Honors Thesis (ECON 499). These courses are in addition to those required for the major. University requirements for graduating with departmental honors include an overall grade point average of 3.20 and at least 7 credit hours in departmental honors courses. Interested students should contact the economics Undergraduate Director for further information.

Economics Minor Study Requirements

Economics makes an excellent minor for students pursuing majors such as Management, Political Science, Journalism, History, Geography and Biology and for those building a pre-professional bachelor’s degree such as pre-law, pre-M.B.A. or pre-M.P.A. For example, a student with a political science major may consider, in addition to the core economics courses, electives in international economics, public finance or human resource economics. A student with a business major may consider economics electives in public finance and international economics. Students planning for a law degree might consider an economics minor with emphasis on environmental and natural resource economics.

A minor in economics requires completion of 18 credit hours in economics courses, all with a grade of C or better (grades of C- are not accepted):

• Six (6) credit hours of foundational courses consisting of ECON 2110 (Introductory Macroeconomics) and ECON 2120 (Introductory Microeconomics) plus math pre-requisite and stats pre-requisite fulfilled.
• Three (3) credit hours of ECON 300 (Intermediate Microeconomics I) OR ECON 303 (Intermediate Macroeconomics I)
• Nine (9) credit hours of economics electives with a maximum of 3 credit hours from 2000-level courses

Resources

Apply to UNM provides more information about admission to UNM. See the UNM Catalog at the time of student admission for the most up-to-date degree requirements.

Please also refer to the Advisement at the College of Arts and Sciences Center for Academic Success for information on connecting with advisement services, workshops, and orientations.

For economics advisement questions, please contact our Undergraduate Academic Advisor at econadvise@unm.edu. For consultation on course choices, internships, graduate school planning, and careers, please email one of the Undergraduate Directors, Dr. Cristina Reiser at creiser@unm.edu. Emails must be sent from your UNM email and include your UNM ID #.