Economics, B.A.
Degree Requirements
To receive the B.A. degree in Economics, students must complete at least 360 units, consisting of the requirements for Mathematics, Quantitative Analysis, Economic Core, Economic Electives, Senior Requirement, University Core, and a Minor.
Mathematics Prerequisites
| Courses | Units | |
| 21-120 | Differential and Integral Calculus | 10-20 |
| or 21-111 & 21-112 | Differential Calculus and Integral Calculus | |
| 21-256 | Multivariate Analysis | 9-10 |
| or 21-259 | Calculus in Three Dimensions | |
Economic Theory Requirements
| Units | ||
| 73-102 | Principles of Microeconomics | 9 |
| or 73-104 | Principles of Microeconomics Accelerated | |
| 73-103 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 9 |
| 73-230 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 9 |
| 73-240 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 9 |
| 70-340 | Business Communications | 9 |
| 70-345 | Business Presentations | 9 |
Quantitative Analysis Requirements
| Units | ||
| 70-207 | Probability and Statistics for Business Applications | 9 |
| or 36-200 | Reasoning with Data | |
| 73-265 | Economics and Data Science | 9 |
| 73-274 | Econometrics I | 9 |
Economics Electives (36 Units)
Students must take four economics elective courses. Economics elective courses are those numbered 73-300 or higher.
Special Electives (18 Units)
Students must take two special elective courses. Students should consult the degree audit system for courses that satisfy the special electives requirement and have the ability to petition a course not included on the sample list for consideration as a special elective.
| Sample List of Special Elective Courses | Units | |
| 19-403 | Policies of Wireless Systems | 12 |
| 19-411 | Science and Innovation Leadership for the 21st Century: Firms, Nations, and Tech | 9 |
| 66-221 | Topics of Law: Introduction to Intellectual Property Law | 9 |
| 79-245 | Capitalism and Individualism in American Culture | 9 |
| 79-262 | Modern China: From the Birth of Mao ... to Now | 9 |
| 79-266 | Russian History and Revolutionary Socialism | 9 |
| 79-280 | Coffee and Capitalism | 9 |
| 79-283 | Anthropology of Energy | 9 |
| 79-288 | Bananas, Baseball, and Borders: Latin America and the United States | 9 |
| 79-300 | History of U.S. Immigration Policy | 9 |
| 79-315 | The Politics of Water in Global Perspective | 9 |
| 79-320 | Women, Politics, and Protest | 9 |
| 79-343 | Education, Democracy, and the Arts | 9 |
| 79-383 | The History of Capitalism | 9 |
| 80-136 | Social Structure, Public Policy & Ethics | 9 |
| 80-249 | AI, Society, and Humanity | 9 |
| 80-305 | Game Theory | 9 |
| 80-324 | Philosophy of Economics | 9 |
| 80-335 | Social and Political Philosophy | 9 |
| 80-348 | Health, Human Rights, and International Development | 9 |
| 84-310 | Policy in a Global Economy 1: International Trade and Trade Policy | 6 |
| 84-318 | Politics of Developing Nations | 9 |
| 84-362 | Diplomacy and Statecraft | 9 |
| 84-387 | Remote Systems and the Cyber Domain in Conflict | 9 |
| 88-411 | Rise of the Asian Economies | 9 |
Senior Work
| Units | ||
| 73-497 | Senior Project | 12 |
| or 73-500 & 73-501 | Tepper College Honors Thesis I and Tepper College Honors Thesis II | |
| Note: Students in the BA in Economics who complete an Honors Thesis in economics may use 73-497 (Senior Project) as an economics elective. | ||
Minor
In order to obtain the degree, students must complete a minor from another academic discipline. For students electing to complete an additional major or dual degree, the minor is waived.
University Core
As part of all Tepper School undergraduate degrees, students must complete general education coursework in the liberal arts and sciences. These courses connect students to the vast array of academic disciplines offered at CMU and offer an opportunity for students to explore intellectual interests in new ways to meet their academic goals.
The University Core offers deliberative choice in selecting courses to meet the general education that aligns with university competencies. Students select courses from particular CMU departments and two courses as free electives. External transfer courses can be used to fulfill University Core Requirements 2-5.
University Core Requirement 1: CMU First Year Writing (9 units)
Semester Long Writing Course:
OR Select 2 Mini Writing Courses:
- 76-106 Writing about Literature, Art and Culture
- 76-107 Writing about Data
- 76-108 Writing about Public Problems
University Core Requirement 2: Scientific Reasoning (9+ units)
- Any Biological Sciences course 03-100 or higher
- Any Chemistry course 09-100 or higher
- Any Computational Biology course 02-100 or higher
- Any Computer Sciences course 15-100 or higher
- Any Physics course 33-100 or higher
- Any Psychology course 85-102 or higher
- Any Robotics course 16-100 or higher
University Core Requirement 3: Information Literacy (9+ units)
- Any Philosophy course 80-100 or higher
- Any Information Systems course 67-100 or higher
- Any Social and Decision Science course 88-100 or higher
University Core Requirement 4: Global, Cultural, and Diverse Perspectives (18+ units)
- Any History course 79-100 or higher
- Any English course 76-200 or higher
- Any Institute for Strategy and Technology course 84-001 or higher
- Any Languages, Cultures, and Applied Linguistics course 82-100 or higher
Please note that this requirement requires at least 18 units (two or more classes) to complete.
University Core Requirement 5: Free Electives (18+ units)
Any Carnegie Mellon academic course excluding Business (70-xxx), Economics (73-xxx), Physical Education (69-xxx), StuCo [Student-Led] (98-xxx), 21-270 Introduction to Mathematical Finance, or any other course within the primary major's curriculum requirements.
Core @ Carnegie Mellon
All undergraduate students are required to take 99-101 Core @ Carnegie Mellon to graduate (completed during the first year).