The Economics Minor (ILR Students)

This page contains information about the Economics Minor that is offered to undergraduates in the ILR School. Please note that students in other colleges, including Arts & Sciences, are not eligible to minor in Economics. Below, you’ll find the formal requirements and procedures, along with more detailed information.

Register for more information by submitting your contact information on the ILR Economics Minor Interest survey: https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_06DwXb3DdVMQkku

By registering, you will:

• join our active community of undergraduate economics students and interact with economics faculty members.
• be eligible to apply for membership in our chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international economics honor society.
• receive a copy of Ezranomics, a monthly e-newsletter that has the latest news and resources for undergraduate economics students
• be invited to economics events, speakers, and socials.
• gain information about the Cornell Economics Society, the largest and longest-running undergraduate economics and pre-business society at Cornell.
• receive reminders about certifying your ILR Economics Minor and courses that may be of interest to you.

Note: We have prepared this worksheet to help students check off the requirements of the ILR Economics Minor.  Save a copy of the worksheet on your desktop in order to use the fillable fields fully. 

Basic Requirements

Students must be enrolled in the ILR School; student from other colleges are not eligible to minor in Economics. 

Students must have grades of B- or better in ECON 1110 and ECON 1120 (or equivalents) and a grade of C or better in MATH 1110 (or equivalent). 

In addition to having a grade of B- or better in ECON 1110 and ECON 1120 (or equivalents), students must take seven courses listed by the Department of Economics, all with grades of C– or better (S–U grade option is not allowed). These seven courses must satisfy the above and following requirements:

(1) Courses must be at the 3000-level or 4000-level.

(2) All students must take ECON 3030 and ECON 3040.

(3) All students must take econometrics in one of the following ways:

• (i) ECON 3110 and ECON 3120, or
• (ii) ECON 3130 and  ECON 3140

Additional Requirements:

(A) ECON 1110 or ECON 1120 will count toward the nine Economics courses required for the Minor only if the student receives official Cornell credit for the course (see Policy for Intro Course Credit).

(B) ECON 4990, ECON 4991, ECON 4997, ECON 4998, and ECON 4999 cannot be counted toward the nine-course requirement.

(C) A course taken to satisfy the ILR Economics Policy Elective can also be counted toward the Economics Minor as long as it has an ECON course number (you need not enroll in the ECON number).

(D) Courses used to fulfill Requirements (2) and (3), MUST be taken at Cornell*.  Minors are strongly advised to complete these courses as soon as possible.

(E) For students who take Economics courses at a Cornell-sanctioned Study Abroad or at another university (e.g., during summer session):

• (i) At least five of your 3000-level or 4000-level Economics Minor courses must be taken at Cornell*.  The only exception is if you participate in a Cornell-sanctioned two-semester Study Abroad program, in which case at least four of your 3000-level or 4000-level Economics Minor courses must be taken at Cornell*.
• (ii) In addition, you can take at most two non-Study-Abroad courses at another university (and you still must satisfy (i)).
• (iii) To obtain Economics Minor credit for courses taken away from Cornell (including Study Abroad), you must get approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

*Note: Economics courses taken through Cornell Winter Session, Cornell Summer Session, or Cornell in Washington count as being taken at Cornell.  Economics courses taken in a Cornell-sanctioned Study Abroad program or at another university, do NOT count as being taken at Cornell. 

(F) For students who transfer into Cornell with advanced standing:

• (i) For requirements (D) and (E) above, Economics courses taken at your prior institution prior to your enrollment at Cornell and approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies to count toward the Cornell Economics Minor will count as being taken at Cornell.
• (ii) In addition, at least two of your 3000-level or 4000-level Economics Minor courses must be taken during Cornell regular sessions, Cornell Winter Session, Cornell Summer Session, or Cornell in Washington.  Please note that Economics courses taken at your prior institution do not count toward this requirement.
• (iii) Transfer students interested in the Economics Minor should set up a meeting with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to discuss which classes taken at your previous institution(s) can count toward your Economics Minor at Cornell. Please make sure you bring copies of your transcript(s) and course syllabi to this meeting to facilitate a determination of how courses you have taken translate to economics courses at Cornell.

Certification of Minor:

Before you graduate, the Economics DUS must certify to the ILR Registrar that you have completed the requirements for the ILR Economics Minor.  For instructions, see below.

When to certify:

Once you complete all of your Economics Minor courses, and the grades for all of those courses are on your transcript, then you should apply for certification . 

How to certify: 

Once you are ready to certify, you should complete our online form by clicking the link below:

Application for Certification of the Economics Minor 

Once we have received your form and certified your Economics Minor, we will send you a confirmation email (please note that we process certifications every 1-2 weeks).