Economics, Bachelor of Arts (638)
- Undergraduate
- AB
- Business
- Economics
Overview
Why complete a degree in Economics?
Economics is the study of how people, businesses, and governments make decisions in the face of scarce resources — from money and time to natural resources and public services. The B.A. in Economics is WKU’s most flexible economics path: it pairs core economic theory and data analysis skills with the freedom to add a second major or minor in nearly any field, letting students build a customized, highly marketable combination of skills. Graduates pursue careers in finance, banking, insurance, government, research, and law, and the Joint Undergraduate Master’s Program (JUMP) lets students begin work toward a Master of Arts in Applied Economics while still completing their bachelor’s degree.
What is your path to a degree in Economics at WKU?
The Economics program requires 35 hours of professional and elective coursework, within the 120 hours required for a baccalaureate degree, plus completion of a second major or minor. Rather than a course-by-course list, the path is intentionally structured so each stage builds the skills students need for both certification and career.
Foundational & Theory Courses
Before students can analyze real-world problems, they need a rigorous grounding in how markets, firms, and policy behave. These courses build the conceptual toolkit — supply and demand, optimization, macroeconomic forces — that underlies every other course in the major and every economics-related career path.
Quantitative & Data Courses
Modern economics is a data-driven discipline. These courses build the statistical fluency and econometric modeling skills that let graduates turn raw data into evidence-based conclusions — a skill set in high demand across finance, government, and research roles.
Career & Capstone Courses
A degree means little without the professional polish to use it. These culminating courses connect classroom learning to real career paths, ensuring students leave WKU not just knowledgeable but workforce ready.
Economics Electives (12 hours)
Because economics touches nearly every part of society, electives let students aim their analytical training toward the specific industries or issues that interest them most, sharpening their degree into a tool suited to their own career goals.
Program Concentrations
The B.A. in Economics does not offer formal concentrations. Its flexibility comes instead from the required second major or minor, which lets students combine economic analysis with virtually any other discipline at WKU.
Program Requirements (35 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
The major in Economics requires 120 credit hours of coursework with 35 hours in Economics and leads to a Bachelor of Arts degree. The program requires completion of a second major or a minor.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Economics Courses | ||
| ECON 202 | Principles of Economics (Micro) | 3 |
| ECON 203 | Principles of Economics (Macro) | 3 |
| ECON 206 | Statistics | 3 |
| ECON 302 | Microeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 303 | Macroeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 306 | Statistical Analysis | 3 |
| or ECON 307 | Financial Data Modeling | |
| ECON 399 | Career Readiness in Economics | 1 |
| ECON 465 | Regression and Econometric Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 499 | Senior Assessment | 1 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Select 12 hours from the following, excluding ECON 306, 307, and 497: 1, 2 | 12 | |
ECON 3@ | ||
ECON 4@ | ||
| Total Hours | 35 | |
- 1
Some upper-level ECON electives may satisfy Colonnade Connections requirements: ECON 375 is in the Social and Cultural category, and ECON 385 and ECON 430 are in the Local to Global category. Note, only one of these courses can be used to satisfy the Connections requirement - the rest must be taken from other disciplines.
- 2
ECON 307 is an alternative for ECON 306 in the required courses, so it cannot be taken as an elective. ECON 306 may not be applied to electives. ECON 497 is reserved for Mathematical Economics majors.
Finish in Four Plans
Finish in Four Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences w/o lab | 3 | Colonnade: Arts & Humanities | 3 |
| ECON 202 (Colonnade Explorations - Social and Behavioral Sciences) | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 |
| MATH 123, MATH 136, or MATH 137 | 3 | ECON 203 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | ECON 206 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENG 200 (or another approved Colonnade Foundations - Literary Studies course) | 3 | ECON 303 | 3 |
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences w/ lab | 3 | ECON Elective | 3 |
| ECON 302 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| ECON Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Colonnade: Connections (Systems) | 3 | Colonnade: Connections (Social & Cultural) | 3 |
| ENG 300 | 3 | ECON Elective | 3 |
| ECON 306 or ECON 307 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| ECON Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| ECON 399 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| Colonnade: Connections (Local to Global) | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| ECON 4651 | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 1 |
| ECON 499 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||
- 1
It is recommended that ECON 465 should be taken during the second to last semester as it will help student prepare for the Senior Seminar. ECON 465 should not be taken concurrently with ECON 499.
