Economics - ECON

The information below lists courses approved in this subject area effective Fall 2015. Not all courses will necessarily be offered these terms. Please consult the Schedule of Classes for a listing of courses offered for a specific term.

500-level courses require graduate standing.

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100 Economic Decisions for Consumers and Families
3 hours. Principles of consumer education. Consumer decision making and consumer responsibility throughout the life-cycle.

104 Introduction to Behavioral Economics
3 hours. Introduction to the economics of decision-making; critical examination of the incentives behind seemingly irrational behaviors. Individual and Society course.

106 Tobacco Addiction and Control
3 hours. A comprehensive, multidisciplinary overview of tobacco use and its consequences, tobacco control, and related issues, from both a US and global perspective. Previously listed as ECON 115. Individual and Society, and Natural World - No Lab course.

110 Economics of Gender
3 hours. The role of gender in the economy; comparisons between men and women in time allocation patterns, education, and earnings; economic implications of diverse family structures. Same as GWS 110.

111 Freakonomics
3 hours. Introduction to how economists think about problems; how economic analysis illuminates current events and puzzles by focusing on people's responses to incentives. Individual and Society course.

120 Principles of Microeconomics
0 TO 4 hours. Scarcity and choice, price system, decision making by consumers, individual and market demand, optimal input decisions by firms, perfect and imperfect competition, international trade. College of Business Administration undergraduate students will enroll for 3 hours and all other students will enroll for 4 hours. Individual and Society, and US Society course.

121 Principles of Macroeconomics
0 TO 4 hours. Determinants of the level of economic activity, inflation, unemployment, interest rates, the roles of fiscal and monetary policies, exchange rates, international trade. College of Business Administration undergraduate students will enroll for 3 hours and all other students will enroll for 4 hours. ECON 121 may be taken before or after taking ECON 120 - this is not a sequence. Individual and Society, and US Society course.

201 Honors Seminar in Economics
1 hours. Selected issues in economics. Topics vary. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated to a maximum of 4 hours with approval. Students may register in more than one section per term. Approval to repeat course granted by the instructor and the Honors College. Prerequisite(s): Membership in the Honors College and consent of the instructor. Honors course.

211 Topics in Economics Taught in Spanish
3 hours. Applications of economic principles to analysis of selected economic issues, taught in Spanish. Specific topics to vary across semesters. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120 and SPAN 303; or consent of the instructor.

212 Law and Economics
3 hours. Economic analysis of law and legal processes; economic theory and applications of property law, contract law, and criminal law. Previously listed as ECON 320. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120.

213 Economic History of the United States
3 hours. Growth and structural changes in the American economy from colonial times to the present; special emphasis on economic causes and consequences of major events in U.S. history. Previously listed at ECON 324. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120.

214 Economics of Education
3 hours. Treatment of educational sector as an industry; demand and supply of education; issues in educational finance; teacher labor market; school choice. Previously listed as ECON 351. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120.

215 Health Economics
3 hours. Supply and demand for health services, the role of insurance in the health care industry, public policy issues, cost and quality regulation. Previously listed as ECON 354. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120.

220 Microeconomics: Theory and Applications
3 hours. The price system, consumer behavior, market demand, the firm's technology and costs, perfect and imperfect competition, government regulation, general equilibrium and resource allocation, applications. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120; and MATH 121.

221 Macroeconomics in the World Economy: Theory and Applications
3 hours. Determinants of the level of economic activity, inflation, unemployment, international economics, impact of domestic and world economy on business decisions, applications of the theory. Same as INST 221. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120 and ECON 121; and MATH 121.

270 Statistics for Economics
4 hours. Descriptive statistics, probability theory, discrete and continuous probability distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing. Credit is not given for ECON 270 if the student has credit for IDS 270. Prerequisite(s): MATH 121.

300 Econometrics
3 hours. Specification of economic models; measurement of variables; estimation of economic relationships and testing of economic hypotheses; ordinary least squares regression and extensions. Credit is not given for ECON 300 if the student has credit in ECON 400. Previously listed as ECON 346. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120 or ECON 121; and ECON 270 or IDS 270.

311 Introduction to Urban Real Estate
3 hours. Introductory survey of urban real estate; business, legal, economic and financial perspectives. Same as FIN 311. Previously listed as ECON 371. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120.

322 Managerial Economics
3 hours. Application of economic theory to decision making by business firms; demand and cost analysis, demand forecasts; pricing policies; capital budgeting; production analysis; globalization, multinational corporations, game theory, and market structures. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220; and IDS 270 or ECON 270.

323 Business Conditions Analysis
3 hours. Application of economic theory to analysis of changes in aggregate income and employment; quantitative economic models and their uses in the prediction of aggregate and more refined levels of business activity; stabilization theory and policy. Prerequisite(s): ECON 221;and ECON 300 or ECON 400 or IDS 371.

325 Topics in Economic History
3 hours. Analysis of interaction between historical and economic factors in the evolution of economies. Specific topics to vary. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220 or ECON 221 or INST 221.

326 History of Economic Thought
3 hours. Selected topics in the evolution of positive and normative economics from the seventeenth century to the present. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220 or ECON 221.

328 Public Finance
3 hours. The economic effects of taxes and government expenditures on the allocation of resources and income distribution, public goods and externalities, public choice, the principles and application of cost-benefit analysis; optimal taxation. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

329 Industrial Organization
3 hours. Theory of the structure of markets; measures of industrial concentration; monopoly power; mergers and takeovers; price discrimination; product differentiation, advertising; research and development. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

330 Government and Business
3 hours. Theory and survey of U.S. market structure; antitrust policy and monopoly power; economic regulation including price and quality regulation; social regulation. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

331 Labor Economics
3 hours. Application of economic theory to labor markets and related economic phenomena; earnings, employment, unemployment, immigration, education, minimum wages, discrimination. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

332 Urban Economics
3 hours. Survey of economic problems of cities; demand for and supply of housing and urban land; residential segregation; suburbanization; impact of government programs. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

333 International Economics
3 hours. The balance of payments; fixed and flexible exchange rates; capital flows; comparative advantage; tariffs and quotas; the costs and benefits of international trade. Same as INST 333. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220 or ECON 221 or INST 221.

334 Economic Development
3 hours. Characteristics of poor countries, past experience and its relevance, analytical approaches, the role of exposure to foreign factors, planning and other policies. Same as INST 334. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220 or ECON 221 or INST 221.

339 Monetary Theory
3 hours. Modern money supply and demand theory; the role of money in domestic and international financial markets and in determining economic growth and inflation. Prerequisite(s): ECON 221 or FIN 300.

342 Regional Economics
3 hours. Location of economic activity, systems of cities, economic base theory, regional input-output analysis, neo-classical models of factor mobility and local area economic development. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220 or ECON 221 or INST 221.

344 Behavioral Economics
3 hours. Systematic analysis of how people actually make economic decisions, combining microeconomic models with insights from psychology; study of predictably irrational behaviors. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

350 Economics of Sports and Entertainment
3 hours. Analysis of economic issues in the sports and entertainment industries--industrial organization, financing, pricing, labor, and regulatory issues. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

353 Economic Demography
3 hours. Analysis of family decision making focusing on the economics of time allocation, marriage, divorce, fertility, and mortality; relationship between population growth and economic development. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

370 Environmental Economics
3 hours. Analysis of major environmental problems as market and policy failures. Benefit-cost methods evaluated. Equity and efficiency aspects of market-based approaches to environmental policy evaluated. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

390 Special Topics in Economics
3 hours. Exploration of an area not covered in existing course offerings, or study in greater depth of a subject covered in an existing course. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor.

395 Research and Writing in Economics
0 hours. This course is used to identify the "Writing in the Disciplines" requirement. Development of analytical and writing skills in economics. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated. Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Concurrent registration in a designated 300 or 400 level economics course.

399 Independent Study in Economics
1 TO 3 hours. Independent study in an area not covered by existing courses or exploration in greater depth of issues covered in a previously taken course. May be repeated up to 1 time(s). Prerequisite(s): 9 hours of economics courses at the 300-level or above, an overall GPA of at least 3.25 (A=4.00), and consent of a faculty member and the director of undergraduate studies.

400 Honors Econometrics
3 OR 4 hours. Estimation of economic relationships and testing of economic hypotheses; ordinary least square regression and extensions; derivations of estimators, proofs of theorems. 3 undergraduate hours; 4 graduate hours. Credit is not given for ECON 400 if the student has credit in ECON 300. Prerequisite(s): ECON 120 or ECON 121; and MATH 180; and either ECON 270 or IDS 270.

436 Mathematical Economics
3 OR 4 hours. Application of mathematics to theories of consumer and producer behavior, determination of prices in markets, growth and stability features of macroeconomic models. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220; and MATH 180 or MATH 165.

441 Teaching Methods in Economics
3 OR 4 hours. Develops skills in preparing and giving lectures and examinations, computer usage and other aspects of teaching economics and consumer economics at secondary/higher education levels. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Credit earned in ECON 441 may not be used to satisfy Economics credit requirements for the BA, BS, MA or PhD degrees awarded by the Department of Economics. Credit earned in ECON 441 may be applied toward the degree as an elective. Prerequisite(s): For undergraduate students, two 300- or 400-level electives in economics; for graduate students in economics, one course in graduate-level microeconomics or macroeconomics.

442 Topics in Economic Education
1 TO 4 hours. Topics vary. Course content is announced prior to each term in which it is given. May be repeated for credit. Students may register for more than one section per term. Credit for this course may not be used to satisfy the minimum number of Economics credit hours needed for the BA, BS, MA or PhD in Economics. It may be used as general elective credit for these degree programs or as the Economic Education course requirement for the Certificate in the Teaching of Economics. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor. Prerequisites may vary according to topic.

450 Business Forecasting Using Time Series Methods
3 OR 4 hours. Autoregressive, moving average, and seasonal models for time series analysis and business forecasting. Forecasting using multi-variable transfer function models. Same as IDS 476. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite(s): IDS 371 or ECON 300 or ECON 400; or consent of the instructor.

472 Real Estate Finance
3 OR 4 hours. Finance principles applied to real estate; financing of residential and income-producing real estate; real estate development finance; secondary mortgage market; taxation and real estate finance. Same as FIN 472. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May not be used to satisfy the Economics credit requirement for the MA in Economics and PhD in Economics. Elective credit only will be applied toward these degrees. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220.

473 Game Theory
3 OR 4 hours. Introduction to the basic ideas of game theory. Static and dynamic games; mixed strategies, imperfect information; economic, political and biological applications. Same as STAT 473. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite(s): STAT 381; or ECON 270; or equivalents.

499 Independent Study in Economics
1 TO 3 hours. Independent study of a topic not covered in a graduate-level course. Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing and consent of the director of graduate studies and the instructor.

500 Managerial Economics
4 hours. Economic analysis applied to business operations; demand theory; production cost analysis; capital theory; pricing policies; capital budgeting. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

501 Microeconomics I
4 hours. Theories of consumer and producer behavior and determination of market price. Systematic treatment of the core of microeconomic theory. Prerequisite(s): ECON 220 and MATH 165.

502 Microeconomics II
4 hours. Advanced microeconomic theory. Theories of consumer behavior, uncertainty, general equilibrium, welfare economics. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501.

511 Macroeconomics I
4 hours. Static and dynamic theories of income, employment and the price level; advanced treatment of consumption, investment, money demand and aggregate production functions; stabilization theory and policy. Prerequisite(s): ECON 221.

512 Macroeconomics II
4 hours. Neoclassical and modern market-clearing models of real and monetary influences on economic growth, inflation and business cycles. Prerequisite(s): ECON 511.

513 Special Topics in Macroeconomics and International Economics
4 hours. Intense study of selected research topics in macroeconomics and international economics. Topics may vary. Prerequisite(s): ECON 512.

514 International Trade Policy
4 hours. Theoretical models on the causes and consequences of international trade and their empirical validation. Effects of tariff and non-tariff trade policies and preferential trade agreements. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501; or ECON 520 and ECON 521.

515 International Monetary Policy
4 hours. Capital mobility and stabilization policy under fixed and flexible exchange rates; optimum currency areas; reform of international monetary system; problems of liquidity adjustment and confidence. Prerequisite(s): ECON 511 or ECON 521.

516 Economic Development in an Interdependent World
4 hours. Theoretical and empirical studies of economic development with intersectoral and international perspectives; structural change and resource reallocation; factor proportions, substitutability, and movement; export-led growth. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520 or consent of the instructor.

519 International Economics for Business
4 hours. Comparative advantage. Trade policy. Custom unions and free-trade areas. Balance of payments and foreign-exchange markets. Capital mobilty and other globalization issues. Stabilization policy. Monetary integration. Credit for ECON 519 may not be used to satisfy Economics credit requirements for the MA or PhD in Economics or for the PhD in Business Administration (Concentration in Economics). Credit is not given for ECON 519 if the student has credit for ECON 333, ECON 415 or ECON 515. Prerequisite(s): ECON 520.

520 Microeconomics for Business Decisions
4 hours. Efficient allocation of resources by consumers, profit and non-profit firms and government, regulation of industry, monopoly and imperfect competition, business ethics and the market place, efficiency versus equity, social welfare. Credit is not given for ECON 520 if the student has credit in ECON 501. Prerequisite(s): MATH 165 or MATH 181 or the equivalent.

521 Macro and International Economics for Business
4 hours. Impact of the macro economy and international economics on business decisions. Determination of economic activity, inflation, interest rates and exchange rates. Role of monetary and fiscal policy. Credit is not given for ECON 521 if the student has credit in ECON 511.

531 Labor Economics I
4 hours. Determinants of wage differentials; analysis of determinants and consequences of investments in human capital (schooling, on-the-job training, health); labor mobility, supply and allocation of time. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

532 Labor Economics II
4 hours. Impact of training, legislation, institutional constraints, and discrimination on the labor market. Focus on demographic groups (race, nativity, ethnicity, gender). Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

533 Economic Development and Human Resources
4 hours. Economic Theory applied to less developed countries, focusing on humann aspects of development. Household economy, employment, earnings; labor productivity, unemployment; migration, population growth, income distribution. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

534 Econometrics I
4 hours. Detailed treatment of the multivariate linear regression model using matrix algebra. Emphasis on formulating and testing static and dynamic econometric models. Prerequisite(s): ECON 346; or consent of the instructor.

535 Econometrics II
4 hours. Detailed treatment of simultaneous equations estimation; evaluation of alternative estimators; problems of estimation including PROBIT, LOGIT, TOBIT and error component models. Prerequisite(s): ECON 534.

536 Advanced Mathematical Economics
4 hours. Mathematics theory and applications, including calculus and linear algebra, to theories of consumer and producer behavior, general equilibrium, welfare economics, externalities, and social choice. Prerequisite(s): MATH 181.

537 Business Research and Forecasting I
4 hours. The role of research in business; forecasting methods and techniques, including models and their applications. Same as IDS 582. Prerequisite(s): ECON 534 and at least one statistics course with regression analysis at the 300-level or above.

538 Business Research and Forecasting II
4 hours. The role of research in business; forecasting methods and techniques, including multivariate time series models and their applications. Same as IDS 583. Prerequisite(s):ECON 537 or IDS 582; and graduate standing.

539 Microeconometrics
4 hours. Application of econometric techniques to empirical problems in microeconomics with emphasis on issues of identification and causality; and the selection, implementation and testing of statistical models. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 and ECON 535.

551 Economics of Education
4 hours. Basic concepts and tools of economics applied to education. Economic implications of educational outcomes for the economy, and for socioeconomic structure (e.g., income distribution, fertility patterns, ethnic group differences). Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

552 Economic Demography
4 hours. Economic analysis of fertility (number and timing of children), mortality, marriage and divorce, population age structure, the relationship between population growth and economic development. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

553 Economics of Religion
4 hours. The economic determinants of participation in religious activities; the effects of religion on economic and demographic behavior, health, and well-being. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

555 Health Economics I
4 hours. Applied economic theory that examines the determinants of health, the market for health insurance, and important determinants of the price and quantity of health care services. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520; or consent of the instructor.

556 Health Economics II
4 hours. Economics of health-related behaviors, prevention and health promotion, health disparities, health and development, evaluation of health-related interests. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520; or consent of the instructor.

560 Industrial Organization
4 hours. Analysis of industry structure, behavior and performance; firms in imperfect competition; concentration measurement; oligopoly; theory; cartels; price discrimination; vertical and horizontal integration. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520 or consent of the instructor.

570 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
4 hours. Analytical methods for evaluating the impacts and control costs of pollution externalities and natural resource changes. Consequent implications for public and business policy. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

571 Urban Real Estate and Land Economics
4 hours. Economic analysis of urban real estate and land. Real estate appraisal. Demand for urban land; supply of land and improvements. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

572 Urban Economics
4 hours. Urban economic models and economic analysis of urban problems. Firm location, housing, transportation, local public finance. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

575 Economic Analysis of Public Expenditures
4 hours. Microeconomic theory as applied to public expenditure decisions; public goods, externalities and asymmetric information; measures of surplus; investment criteria; distributional considerations; shadow prices; social insurance; fiscal federalism. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

576 Economics of Taxation
4 hours. Analysis of the effects of taxation on economic behavior; taxation and public choice; the effects of taxation on the distribution of income; theory and empirical analysis of welfare effects of taxes; optimal tax theory; issues in tax policy and tax reform. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520.

593 Internship Program
0 TO 8 hours. Under the direction of a faculty supervisor, students work in government or a private firm on problems related to their major field of interest. Specific credit allotted is determined by the Graduate Curriculum Committee after receiving the supervisor's recommendation. Prerequisite(s): Completion of the core courses in the degree program in which the student is enrolled and approval of the internship program by the graduate adviser and the Graduate Curriculum Committee.

594 Special Topics in Economics
1 TO 4 hours. An intensive study of a selected topic in economics. May be repeated. Students may register in more than one section per term.Topics vary by sections and by term. Prerequisite(s): ECON 501 or ECON 520; or consent of the instructor.

596 Independent Study
1 TO 4 hours. Independent study under faculty supervision. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor.

598 Master's Thesis Research
0 TO 16 hours. Research on M.A. thesis. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated. Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the chair of the thesis committee.

599 Ph.D. Thesis Research
0 TO 16 hours. Research on a Ph.D. thesis. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated. Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the chair of the thesis committee.

Information provided by the Office of Programs and Academic Assessment.

This listing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract. Every attempt is made to provide the most current and correct information. Courses listed here are subject to change without advance notice. Courses are not necessarily offered every term or year. Individual departments or units should be consulted for information regarding frequency of course offerings.