Economics

Undergraduate Programs

Description

Economics provides students with the basic analytical tools to understand how markets and economies work. It also provides students with the basic tools to analyze data for decision-making purposes. Students learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills suited for a wide variety of careers. Economics is an excellent major for students contemplating careers in business, government, and non-profits. It is also an excellent major for students preparing for graduate education in law school, MBA programs, and Economics.

Majors

 Program Locations Total Credits
Economics BA BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • Mankato
 120
Economics BS BS - Bachelor of Science
  • Mankato
 120

Minors

 Program Locations Total Credits
Economics Minor
  • Mankato
 18

Policies & Faculty

Policies

Admission to Major. Students enrolling in 300-400 level courses must be admitted to the program. Admission is granted by the department. Minimum university admission requirements are: 

  • a minimum of 32 earned semester credit hours.
  • a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 (“C”).

Contact the department for application procedures.

P/N Grading Policy. Up to six credit hours of electives in the major may be taken as P/N grading. ECON 481 and ECON 498 must be taken as P/N grading.

GPA Policy. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required for all courses taken in the required economics core courses and required economics electives for the economics BS or BA major.

Contact Information

112 Armstrong Hall

(507) 389-2969
http://sbs.mnsu.edu/economics/

Faculty

Chair
  • Phillip Miller, PhD
Faculty

100 Level

Credits: 3

Brief description of the operation of the US economic system illustrated by a discussion of current economic policies, issues, and problems. No credit toward a major, minor, or area with economics as a core, or if credit has been earned in ECON 201 and/or ECON 202, or equivalent.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05

Credits: 3

This course will examine the gendered nature of public policy using standard microeconomic tools. It examines the impact of public policy on employment discrimination, reproductive rights, and sexual orientation.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-05

Diverse Cultures: Purple

200 Level

Credits: 3

Emphasis on forces influencing employment and inflation. Current problems of the economy are stressed along with tools government has to cope with them.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05

Credits: 3

Examines decision making by the individual firm, the determination of prices and wages, and current problems facing business firms.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05

Credits: 4

Basic statistical methods including measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, probability distributions, sampling, problems of estimation and hypothesis testing in the case of one and two sample meaans and proportions. Chi-Square, one-way analysis of variance, simple regression and correlation analysis, and brief introduction to multiple regression analysis. Use of computer statistical packages required.

Prerequisites: MATH 112 or equivalent

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-04

300 Level

Credits: 3

This course will introduce the student to the use of mathematics in economic analysis. Topics include optimization methods, comparative statics, and linear algebra.

Prerequisites: ECON 201, ECON 202, ECON 207, MATH 112 or equivalent

Credits: 3

A descriptive and analytical study of the basic principles of money, banking, and finance as they are related to business and public policy.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

Elementary economic background and analysis of housing, medical care, inflation, unemployment dilemma, pollution, poverty and affluence, balance between public and private sectors, transportation, urban problems, and other issues will be covered in this course.

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-08

Credits: 3

This course will provide tools for analyzing the effects of economic globalization on employment, distribution of income, economic development and socio-economic issues from a gender perspective.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 or ECON 202

Diverse Cultures: Purple

Credits: 3

A survey of imperfect competition, multiple-product firms, multiple-plant firms, and interest theory, designed to develop a system of economic thought.

Prerequisites: ECON 201, ECON 202 and ECON 301

Credits: 3

Study of factors determining aggregate level of production, employment, inflation, and implications of monetary and fiscal policies.

Prerequisites: ECON 201, ECON 202 and ECON 301

400 Level

Credits: 3

Employment, wages, and economic security. The structure and impact of labor organizations and labor legislation.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

A detailed examination of the Federal Reserve System and monetary policy. The topics will include a history of the Federal Reserve and its monetary tools and strategies: Monetarism, the demand for money, the money supply process, and the impact of financial deregulation on federal policy.

Prerequisites: ECON 305 

Credits: 3

Students examine the economics of unions, including the history of union activity, the development and impact of labor laws on labor markets, the economics of strikes and alternative dispute resolution systems, and the impact of unions on wages and price levels.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

Economic forces which account for the development of cities and application of principles to some of the major problems of the modern urban community.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

Concepts and techniques for evaluating the alternative uses, management and development of natural resources.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

This course examines the economics of professional and collegiate sports and sports institutions. Students examine the market for sports competitions, the labor market for player talent, and the role government plays in the business of sports.

Prerequisites: ECON 202 

Credits: 3

The economic rationale for interregional trade: emphasis on current problems.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

Fundamental ideas and structure of economics with emphasis on the application of such ideas in the K-12 school curriculum.

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 3

Public expenditures, taxes and other revenues, debts and financial administration at federal, state, and local levels.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

Economic underdevelopment and the relationships between mature economies and developing nations.

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202 

Credits: 3

The study of methods and techniques for building econometric models with the goal of forecasting and measurement of the economic relationships by integrating economic theory and statistics in it.

Prerequisites: ECON 201, ECON 202, and ECON 207 

Credits: 3

This course is designed to cover basic tools in time series analysis and to equip students with quantitative skills to analyze the financial market.Fall

Prerequisites: ECON 207

Credits: 3

This course is an introduction to non-competitive markets using economic models and game theory.

Prerequisites: ECON 201, ECON 202 and ECON 207

Credits: 1-3

Variable

Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202

Credits: 1-3

Variable

Prerequisites: none

Credits: 4

Students learn how to conduct research projects in economics and related fields by using modern econometric tools and undertake a semester-long research assignment.

Prerequisites: ECON 355, ECON 356, ECON 301, and ECON 462. In addition a student must get a minimum of a “C” grade in each prerequisite.

Credits: 1-3

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Prerequisites: none

Credits: 1-3

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Prerequisites: ECON 207, ECON 355, ECON 356

Credits: 1-3

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Prerequisites: ECON 201 and ECON 202