Major Requirements
Economics Course Requirements
To earn distinction in the major a student must write a senior thesis earning a grade of A- or better and receive A- or better in 3/4 of major courses (not including math and introductory micro and macroeconomics). Students must complete two semesters of econometrics in order to write a senior thesis.
Below is a brief summary of the major requirements. For a more complete description of the rules of the major, please see the Yale College Programs of Study page.
A road map of the Economics major can be found on the Registrar's Office website.
Introductory Courses
Math Calculus
Math 110/111*, Math 112, Math 115, Math 116, ENAS 151, or preferably, Math 118 or Math 120.
Math 118 and Math 120 are recommended because they emphasize economics applications.
Any Math course higher than 120 can also be used to fulfill the math requirement.
*Math 110 and Math 111 together count as one course towards the economics major.
Micro
Econ 108 or 110 or 115
Note: You can place out of Introductory Micro based on pre-college testing or other circumstances, but then you have to take an extra elective to fulfill the 12 credits required for the major.
Macro
Econ 111 or 116
Note: You can place out of Introductory Macro based on pre-college testing or other circumstances, but then you have to take an extra elective to fulfill the 12 credits required for the major.
Field Courses
Four Electives
Total courses in the major (including math) must sum to 12. If you place out of an introductory course you must take an additional elective.
Typically you’d need four elective courses (named 159 or above), or three electives plus a second econometrics course.
If you place out of introductory micro (and macro), you’d need five (six).
Core Courses
Micro
Econ 121 or 125
Macro
Econ 122 or 126
Econometrics
Econ 117, 123 or 136
Senior Requirement
Two Advanced Courses
One course from Econ 400-491 must be completed.
A second course from Econ 400-491; must be taken in senior year.
Economics & Mathematics Course Requirements
To earn distinction in the major a student must write a senior thesis earning a grade of A- or better and receive A- or better in 3/4 of major courses (not including math and introductory economics).
Additional information can be found on the Yale College Programs of Study page.
Prerequisites
Multivariate Calculus
Math 120
or
Higher level math course
Micro
Econ 110 or 115
or
Higher level econ course
Macro
Econ 111 or 116
or
Higher level econ course
Economics Requirements
Micro
Econ 121
or
Econ 125*
*Econ 125 is recommended.
Macro
Econ 122
or
Econ 126*
*Econ 126 is recommended.
Mathematical Economics
Econ 350 or 417 or 433
and
Econ 351
Econometrics
Econ 135 and Econ 136*
*With permission of Economics DUS, S&DS 241 and 242 may be taken in place of Econ 135. The two stats courses together would count as one credit toward the economics portion of the major.
Elective
One Economics elective
Math Requirements
Linear Algebra
Students in the Class of 2025 and beyond need to take MATH 222 or 225 or 226.
Students in the Class of 2024 and previous classes may use MATH 231 (in place of MATH 222 or 225 or 226).
Analysis
Students in the Class of 2025 and beyond need to take Math 255 or 256.
Students in the Class of 2024 and previous classes may use MATH 300, 301 or 305 (in place of MATH 255 or MATH 256).
Senior Seminar
Math 480 or 481
Electives
Two (2) math electives required (only one elective is necessary if two semester linear algebra sequence is taken)
Computer Science & Economics Course Requirements
Computer Science and Economics (CSEC) is an interdepartmental major for students interested in the theoretical and practical connections between computer science and economics. The Bachelor of Science in CSEC provides students with foundational knowledge of economics, computation, and data analysis, as well as hands-on experience with empirical analysis of economic data. It prepares students for professional careers that incorporate aspects of both economics and computer science and for academic careers conducting research in the overlap of the two fields. Topics in the overlap include market design, computational finance, economics of online platforms, machine learning, and social media.
Additional information can be found on the Yale College Programs of Study page.
Director of undergraduate studies: Philipp Strack (Economics), Rm. 27, 30 HH
Prerequisites
Prerequisite
Prerequisite to this major is basic understanding of computer programming, discrete math, calculus, and economics. Grades of 4 or 5 on high-school AP computer science, statistics, calculus, microeconomics, and macroeconomics signal adequate preparation for required courses in the CSEC major. For students who have not taken these or equivalent courses in high school, the programming prerequisite may be satisfied with CPSC 100 or CPSC 112; the discrete mathematics prerequisite may be satisfied with CPSC 202 or MATH 244; the calculus prerequisite may be satisfied with MATH 112; the microeconomics prerequisite may be satisfied with ECON 110 or ECON 115; and the macroeconomics prerequisite may be satisfied with ECON 111 or ECON 116. Other courses may suffice, and students should consult the director of undergraduate studies (DUS) Philipp Strack and their academic advisers if they are unsure whether they have the prerequisite knowledge for a particular required course.
Computer Science and Economics Requirements
Requirements of the Major
The B.S. degree program requires successful completion of fourteen term courses (not including courses taken to satisfy prerequisites) and the senior project. Nine of the fourteen courses are listed below; the remaining five courses are electives. With permission of the DUS Philipp Strack and the academic adviser, a student may substitute a more advanced course in the same area as a required course. When a substitution is made, the advanced course counts toward the nine required courses and not toward the five electives.
The required courses include CPSC 201; CPSC 223; CPSC 323; CPSC 365 or 366; ECON 121 or 125; two courses in econometrics (ECON 117 and 123 or ECON 135 and 136); ECON 351; one course in the intersection of computer science and economics (e.g., CPSC 455, ECON 417, or ECON 433). With permission of the DUS Philipp Strack, S&DS 241 and S&DS 242 may be taken instead of ECON 135.
Elective courses are essentially those courses that count as electives in the Computer Science major, the Economics major, or both. Exceptions are courses such as CPSC 455, ECON 417, and ECON 433 in the intersection of computer science and economics that count as electives in CPSC or ECON or both. At least one such course is required for CSEC, and students may not count the same course as an elective for CSEC. At least two electives must be taken in the CPSC department, and at least one must be taken in the ECON department. With the permission of the academic adviser, a student may use as the fourth and/or fifth elective one or two courses in related departments that do not usually serve as electives in CPSC or ECON.
Credit/D/Fail Courses taken Credit/D/Fail may not be counted toward the major.
Senior Requirement
Senior Requirement
In the senior year, each student must complete CSEC 491, a one-term independent-project course that explicitly combines both techniques and subject matter from computer science and economics. A project proposal must be approved by the student’s academic adviser and project adviser, and it must be signed by the DUS by the end of the third week of the term.
Distinction in the Major CSEC majors may earn Distinction in the Major if they receive grades of A or A– in at least three quarters of their courses in the major (not including courses taken to satisfy prerequisites), and their senior-project advisers determine that their senior projects are worthy of distinction.
Advising
Advising
Approval of course schedules Students considering the major but not yet declared should arrange to meet with the DUS during the first week of the term to ensure that their proposed course schedules are appropriate. Similarly, declared majors should meet with their academic advisers during the first week of the term to ensure that they are on track to satisfy all of the requirements of the major. Course schedules must be signed by the DUS Philipp Strack each term, and they must be approved by an academic adviser before the DUS signs them.
Transfer credit Students who take a term abroad or take summer courses outside of Yale may petition the DUS to count at most two courses from outside Yale toward the requirements of the major. Students who take a year abroad may petition to count at most three courses. Many courses taken outside Yale do not meet the standards of the CSEC major; therefore, students should consult with their academic advisers and the DUS Philipp Strack before taking such courses. Courses taken outside Yale may not be counted toward the major requirements in intermediate microeconomics, econometrics, or the intersection of computer science and economics.