# Brown University
**Source**: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/econ/
**Parent**: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/
Economics is the study of how individuals, businesses, and governments allocate resources to satisfy their objectives. The study of economics helps students understand markets, firms, financial organizations, and public debate about economic policy, including taxation, government expenditure, trade, globalization, health, and welfare. The concentration in Economics prepares students for graduate study in fields such as business and law, for graduate study leading to teaching and research in economics, and can be a stepping-stone to employment in business, finance, non-profit, and government organizations. Students may choose the standard concentration, the business track, or the public policy track, all of which have a corresponding professional track. If you are interested in declaring a concentration in Economics, please refer to this page for more information regarding the process.
Students are required to begin with [ECON 0110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200110 "ECON 0110"), an introductory course that stresses current economic issues, and the concepts and principles of economic analysis. Intermediate level courses in microeconomics ([ECON 1110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201110 "ECON 1110") or [ECON 1130](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201130 "ECON 1130")), macroeconomics ([ECON 1210](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201210 "ECON 1210")), and econometrics ([ECON 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201620 "ECON 1620") followed by [ECON 1629](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201629 "ECON 1629") or [ECON 1630](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201630 "ECON 1630") ) round out the list of foundation courses for the concentration. Economics concentrators must also fulfill a math requirement ([ECON 0170](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200170 "ECON 0170")).
The economics department sponsors a number of concentration options. The most popular is the standard economics concentration, described below. The standard concentration has an optional Business Economics track, as well as a Public Policy track, both described below. Three additional concentration options are administered jointly with other departments and are described separately under their respective titles. They are the concentrations in applied mathematics–economics, mathematical-economics , and computer science–economics. The first two are especially recommended for students interested in graduate study in economics.
All concentrators in economics programs are encouraged to consult their concentration advisors regularly. Economics concentrators who wish to study abroad should consult first with the department transfer credit advisor.
### Standard Economics Concentration
| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [ECON 0110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200110 "ECON 0110") | Principles of Economics 1 | 1 |
| [ECON 0170](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200170 "ECON 0170") | Essential Mathematics for Economics | 1 |
| or [MATH 0100](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=MATH%200100 "MATH 0100") | Single Variable Calculus, Part II | |
| or a higher-level math course. 2 | | |
| [ECON 1110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201110 "ECON 1110") | Intermediate Microeconomics | 1 |
| or [ECON 1130](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201130 "ECON 1130") | Intermediate Microeconomics (Mathematical) | |
| [ECON 1210](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201210 "ECON 1210") | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 1 |
| [ECON 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201620 "ECON 1620") | Introduction to Econometrics | 1 |
| or [MATH 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=MATH%201620 "MATH 1620") | Mathematical Statistics | |
| or [APMA 1650](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=APMA%201650 "APMA 1650") | Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Calculus | |
| or [APMA 1655](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=APMA%201655 "APMA 1655") | Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Theory | |
| [ECON 1629](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201629 "ECON 1629") | Applied Research Methods for Economists | 1 |
| or [ECON 1630](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201630 "ECON 1630") | Mathematical Econometrics I | |
| At least five additional 1000-level Economics courses. 3 | | 5 |
| Total Credits | | 11 |
1
: Students who place out of ECON 0110 on the basis of qualifying scores on the AP, IB, or A-level exams must take an additional 1000-level course (6 instead of 5).
2
: Students can satisfy the mathematics requirement with qualifying scores on the AP, IB, or A-level exams (but not the math department's self placement exam). Note that certain advanced economics courses may impose additional math prerequisites.
3
: Students may apply, at most, one Economics course whose number is in the range of 1000 to 1099 toward the concentration. Note that ECON 1960 (thesis course) does not count toward the concentration.
### Professional Track
The requirements for all undergraduate professional tracks within concentrations are standardized and additional information can be found here:
<https://bulletin.brown.edu/undergradproftrack/>
### Business Economics Track
| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [ECON 0110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200110 "ECON 0110") | Principles of Economics 1 | 1 |
| [ECON 0170](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200170 "ECON 0170") | Essential Mathematics for Economics | 1 |
| or [MATH 0100](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=MATH%200100 "MATH 0100") | Single Variable Calculus, Part II | |
| or a higher level math course | | |
| [ECON 0710](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200710 "ECON 0710") | Financial Accounting | 1 |
| [ECON 1110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201110 "ECON 1110") | Intermediate Microeconomics | 1 |
| or [ECON 1130](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201130 "ECON 1130") | Intermediate Microeconomics (Mathematical) | |
| [ECON 1210](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201210 "ECON 1210") | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 1 |
| [ECON 1420](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201420 "ECON 1420") | Industrial Organization 2 | 1 |
| [ECON 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201620 "ECON 1620") | Introduction to Econometrics | 1 |
| or [APMA 1650](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=APMA%201650 "APMA 1650") | Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Calculus | |
| or [APMA 1655](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=APMA%201655 "APMA 1655") | Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Theory | |
| or [MATH 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=MATH%201620 "MATH 1620") | Mathematical Statistics | |
| [ECON 1629](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201629 "ECON 1629") | Applied Research Methods for Economists | 1 |
| or [ECON 1630](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201630 "ECON 1630") | Mathematical Econometrics I | |
| [ECON 1710](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201710 "ECON 1710") | Investments I | 1 |
| [ECON 1720](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201720 "ECON 1720") | Corporate Finance | 1 |
| Two Business Economics electives from the following list: | | 2 |
| [ECON 1090](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201090 "ECON 1090") | Introduction to Game Theory | |
| [ECON 1310](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201310 "ECON 1310") | Labor Economics | |
| [ECON 1400](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201400 "ECON 1400") | The Economics of Mass Media | |
| [ECON 1450](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201450 "ECON 1450") | Economic Organizations and Economic Systems | |
| [ECON 1465](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201465 "ECON 1465") | Antitrust and Competition | |
| [ECON 1470](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201470 "ECON 1470") | Bargaining Theory and Applications | |
| [ECON 1490](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201490 "ECON 1490") | Designing Internet Marketplaces | |
| [ECON 1540](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201540 "ECON 1540") | International Trade | |
| [ECON 1550](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201550 "ECON 1550") | International Finance | |
| [ECON 1660](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201660 "ECON 1660") | Big Data | |
| [ECON 1730](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201730 "ECON 1730") | Venture Capital, Private Equity, and Entrepreneurship | |
| [ECON 1740](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201740 "ECON 1740") | Mathematical Finance | |
| [ECON 1750](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201750 "ECON 1750") | Investments II | |
| [ECON 1760](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201760 "ECON 1760") | Financial Institutions | |
| [ECON 1770](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201770 "ECON 1770") | Crisis Economics | |
| [ECON 1780](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201780 "ECON 1780") | Advanced Topics in Corporate Finance | |
| [ECON 1805](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201805 "ECON 1805") | Experimental and Behavioral Economics | |
| [ECON 1820](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201820 "ECON 1820") | Theory of Behavioral Economics | |
| [ECON 1830](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201830 "ECON 1830") | Behavioral Finance | |
| [ECON 1870](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201870 "ECON 1870") | Game Theory and Applications to Economics | |
| Total Credits | | 12 |
1
: Students who place out of ECON 0110 on the basis of qualifying scores on the AP, IB, or A level exams must take a sixth 1000-level Economics elective (which need not come from the Business Economics group). Note that at most one economics elective in the 1000-1099 range may be applied towards the concentration.
2
: Or Econ 1460, if previously taken (it is not being offered in the near future).
3
: Students can satisfy the mathematics requirement with qualifying scores on the AP, IB, or A-levels exams (but not the Math department's self placement exam). Note the certain advanced economics courses may impose additional math prerequisites.
4
: Students may apply, at most, one Economics course whose number is in the range of 1000 to 1099 toward the concentration. Note that ECON 1960 (thesis course) does not count toward the concentration.
### Professional Track
The requirements for all undergraduate professional tracks within concentrations are standardized and additional information can be found here:
<https://bulletin.brown.edu/undergradproftrack/>
### Public Policy Track
| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [ECON 0110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200110 "ECON 0110") | Principles of Economics 1 | 1 |
| [ECON 0170](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%200170 "ECON 0170") | Essential Mathematics for Economics 2 | 1 |
| or [MATH 0100](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=MATH%200100 "MATH 0100") | Single Variable Calculus, Part II | |
| [ECON 1110](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201110 "ECON 1110") | Intermediate Microeconomics | 1 |
| or [ECON 1130](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201130 "ECON 1130") | Intermediate Microeconomics (Mathematical) | |
| [ECON 1210](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201210 "ECON 1210") | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 1 |
| [ECON 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201620 "ECON 1620") | Introduction to Econometrics 3 | 1 |
| [ECON 1629](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201629 "ECON 1629") | Applied Research Methods for Economists | 1 |
| or [ECON 1630](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201630 "ECON 1630") | Mathematical Econometrics I | |
| Five Public Policy Electives from the list below: 4 | | 5 |
| [ECON 1000](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201000 "ECON 1000") | Using Big Data to Solve Economic and Social Problems | |
| [ECON 1070](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201070 "ECON 1070") | Race, Crime, and Punishment in America | |
| [ECON 1225](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201225 "ECON 1225") | Advanced Macroeconomics: Monetary, Fiscal, and Stabilization Policies | |
| [ECON 1255](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201255 "ECON 1255") | Unemployment: Models and Policies | |
| [ECON 1310](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201310 "ECON 1310") | Labor Economics | |
| [ECON 1330](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201330 "ECON 1330") | Gender and Development | |
| [ECON 1340](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201340 "ECON 1340") | Economics of Global Warming | |
| [ECON 1345](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201345 "ECON 1345") | Climate Change and the Commons | |
| [ECON 1350](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201350 "ECON 1350") | Environmental Economics and Policy | |
| [ECON 1355](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201355 "ECON 1355") | Environmental Issues in Development Economics | |
| [ECON 1360](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201360 "ECON 1360") | Health Economics | |
| [ECON 1370](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201370 "ECON 1370") | Race and Inequality in the United States | |
| [ECON 1385](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201385 "ECON 1385") | Intergenerational Poverty in America | |
| [ECON 1390](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201390 "ECON 1390") | Inequality of Income, Wealth, and Health in the United States | |
| [ECON 1410](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201410 "ECON 1410") | Urban Economics | |
| [ECON 1420](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201420 "ECON 1420") | Industrial Organization | |
| [ECON 1430](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201430 "ECON 1430") | The Economics of Social Policy | |
| [ECON 1440](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201440 "ECON 1440") | The Economic Analysis of Political Behavior | |
| [ECON 1480](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201480 "ECON 1480") | Public Economics | |
| [ECON 1500](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201500 "ECON 1500") | Current Global Macroeconomic Challenges | |
| [ECON 1520](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201520 "ECON 1520") | Culture, History and Comparative Development | |
| [ECON 1530](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201530 "ECON 1530") | Health, Hunger and the Household in Developing Countries | |
| [ECON 1540](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201540 "ECON 1540") | International Trade | |
| [ECON 1550](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201550 "ECON 1550") | International Finance | |
| [ECON 1560](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201560 "ECON 1560") | Economic Growth | |
| [ECON 1570](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201570 "ECON 1570") | The Economics of Latin Americans | |
| [ECON 1600](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201600 "ECON 1600") | Education, the Economy and School Reform | |
| Interdisciplinary requirement. Two courses outside of the economics department that relate to better understanding the implementation and/or evaluation of public policies (may be below or above 1000-level).Several departments offer such courses, and availability varies from year to year. Some pre-approved options are | | 2 |
| [AFRI 1920](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=AFRI%201920 "AFRI 1920") | Health Inequality in Historical Perspective | |
| [CPSY 0220](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=CPSY%200220 "CPSY 0220") | Making Decisions | |
| [CPSY 0700](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=CPSY%200700 "CPSY 0700") | Social Psychology | |
| [PHP 0310](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=PHP%200310 "PHP 0310") | Health Care in the United States | |
| [PHP 0330](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=PHP%200330 "PHP 0330") | Health Law and Policy | |
| [PHP 0850](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=PHP%200850 "PHP 0850") | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | |
| [POLS 0010](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=POLS%200010 "POLS 0010") | Introduction to the American Political Process | |
| [POLS 1050](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=POLS%201050 "POLS 1050") | Ethics and Public Policy | |
| [POLS 1823Z](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=POLS%201823Z "POLS 1823Z") | Gender and Public Policy | |
| [SOC 1330](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=SOC%201330 "SOC 1330") | Remaking the City | |
| [URBN 0210](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=URBN%200210 "URBN 0210") | The City: An Introduction to Urban Studies | |
| Students may also request advisor permission for other courses | | |
| A capstone project in the senior year. This can be satisfied in different ways: (a) the capstone is automatically fulfilled if one of the public policy electives completed is designated as a capstone course (see the list of capstone courses on the economics department website); or (b) a capstone project is otherwise arranged and completed for a public policy elective; or (c) an honors thesis is completed, under the guidelines of honors in the economics concentration; or (d) completion of an undergraduate research assistantship (URA). In cases (a), (b) and (d), a capstone form must be submitted to the department. 5 | | |
| Total Credits | | 13 |
1
: Students who place out of ECON 0110 on the basis of qualifying scores on the AP, IB, or A level exams must take a sixth 1000-level Economics elective (which need not come from the Public Policy group).
2
: Students can satisfy the mathematics requirement with qualifying scores on the AP, IB, or A-levels exams (but not the Math department's self placement exam). Note the certain advanced economics courses may impose additional math prerequisites.
3
: [APMA 1650](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=APMA%201650 "APMA 1650"), [APMA 1655](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=APMA%201655 "APMA 1655"), [CSCI 1450](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=CSCI%201450 "CSCI 1450"), or [MATH 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=MATH%201620 "MATH 1620") can substitute for [ECON 1620](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201620 "ECON 1620")
4
: Note that at most one economics elective in the 1000-1099 range may be applied towards the concentration.
5
: A complete list of Capstone courses can be found on the Economics Department [website](https://economics.brown.edu/academics/undergraduate/honors).
### Professional Track
The requirements for all undergraduate professional tracks within concentrations are standardized and additional information can be found here:
<https://bulletin.brown.edu/undergradproftrack/>
### Honors
To graduate with honors, students must satisfy the following requirements **by the end of Junior year**:
- Complete at least 70% of the courses required for the concentration.
- Have earned a grade of “A” or “S with distinction” in at least 70% of grades earned in the economics concentration, or 50% in the joint concentrations in APMA-Econ, CS-Econ, and Math-Econ (excluding courses transferred to Brown without a grade, and those taken Spring 2020).
- *Economics Concentrators*must find a faculty thesis advisor in the economics department.
- *Joint Concentrators*must find a primary faculty thesis advisor in either economics or the partner department. CS-Econ concentrators must have a secondary reader in the other department by the fall of senior year. APMA-Econ and Math-Econ do not require a secondary reader, unless the primary advisor deems it necessary. Joint concentrators need to satisfy the honors requirements of the economics department if their thesis advisor is in the economics department; while they need to satisfy the honors requirements of the partner department if their thesis advisor is in the partner department.
**During Senior year**, thesis writers must:
- Enroll in [ECON 1960](https://bulletin.brown.edu/search/?P=ECON%201960 "ECON 1960") with their thesis advisor in the fall and spring semesters.
- Submit a thesis proposal to their thesis advisor and the Undergraduate Program Coordinator by mid-September.
- Submit their work in progress to their thesis advisor and the Undergraduate Program Coordinator by mid-December.
- Depending on the nature of the thesis work, the thesis adviser may require the student to successfully complete one or more courses from among the [data methods](https://economics.brown.edu/academics/undergraduate/concentrations/combined/course-groupings), [mathematical economics](https://economics.brown.edu/academics/undergraduate/concentrations/combined/course-groupings) and/or [financial economics](https://economics.brown.edu/academics/undergraduate/concentrations/combined/course-groupings) course groups in the fall of senior year, if they have not already done so.
- Complete an honors thesis by the deadline agreed upon with their advisor and obtain the final approval of their advisor by mid-April.
- Thesis writers are encouraged, but not required, to participate in the departmental Honors Thesis Presentation session held in May, with a brief presentation of their work and findings.
- \*Please refer to the [Economics Department Honors Thesis page](https://economics.brown.edu/academics/undergraduate/honors-and-capstones/thesis) for specific deadlines.