Economics Major

Requirements for the Major

A major in economics requires the successful completion of:

1. One year of Principles of Economics (ECON 051 PZ & ECON 052 PZ ) - AP courses do not count towards this requirement.
2. One year of Economic Theory (ECON 104 PZ & ECON 105 PZ )
3. One semester of Economic Statistics (ECON 091 PZ )
4. One semester of Econometrics (ECON 125 PZ )
5. Four additional upper-level courses in economics.
6. Senior Seminar in Economics (ECON 198 PZ ).  This course must be taken at Pitzer and in the Fall of the student’s final year.
7. Senior thesis for honors candidates.

Completion of MATH 030 PZ  or equivalent is required before taking Macroeconomic Theory and Microeconomic Theory. Upper-level courses are those that both (1) have Economics 51 and/or Economics 52 as a prerequisite and (2) are numbered 100 or above. Please consult with an Economics advisor in advance for courses requiring only Economics 50 as a prerequisite.  Accounting and Business Law courses do not fulfill the upper-level elective course requirement.  Senior Seminar must be taken at Pitzer; it is offered only in Fall semesters; students should plan accordingly in consultation with their advisors.

Students planning to study abroad or wanting to transfer in courses taken at institutions outside of the Claremont Colleges consortium should consult with an Economics advisor beforehand. Only two courses taken at an institution outside of the Claremont Colleges consortium can be counted towards the major.  Within this limit of two, at most one course counted can be taken while participating in studying abroad and at most one course counted can be taken online. Econometrics generally cannot be taken outside the Claremont Colleges consortium. Overall, students should not assume that classes taken outside the Claremont Colleges consortium will be automatically counted for the major or minor; there is no guarantee. It is best to discuss with a professor in Economics prior to enrolling in class to confirm. These limits apply to the major, combined major, special majors, and to the economics courses in the Mathematical Economics major.

Honors:

Honors candidates will be expected to achieve excellence in the above, maintain a 3.5 grade point average in the major and overall, and to submit a worthy senior honors thesis.