Economics Credit Policies

This page describes Economics Department policies regarding when credit for various courses can be applied towards the Economics Major.

For information on transferring Economics credit from another institution, see Transferring Economics Credit from Another Institution.

To apply credit for ECON 1110 or ECON 1120 toward the Economics Major, students must receive credit with a B- or better. In particular:

• As a prerequisite for the Economics Major, students must receive credit for both ECON 1110 and ECON 1120 with a B- or better.

• To count ECON 1110 or ECON 1120 as one of the 12 courses required to complete the Economics Major, students must receive credit with a B- or better.

• As a prerequisite for ECON 3030, students must receive credit for ECON 1110 with a B- or better.

• As a prerequisite for ECON 3040, students must receive credit for ECON 1120 with a B- or better.

Credit for ECON 1110 Introductory Microeconomics and/or ECON 1120 Introductory Macroeconomics with a B- or better can be obtained in the following three ways:

• taking these courses at Cornell and receiving a B- or better, 

• taking courses at another college or university that are approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies to count as ECON 1110 or ECON 1120, or 

• completing BOTH of the following:
  (i) receiving advanced placement from one of these three sources:

  • receiving a score of 5 on the associated A.P. Exam (A.P. Microeconomics for ECON 1110 Introductory Microeconomics, A.P. Macroeconomics for ECON 1120 Introductory Macroeconomics), 

  • receiving a score of A on the GCE "A" Level Examination in Economics, or 

  • receiving a score of 7 on the IB Higher-Level Examination in Economics.

(ii) passing a placement exam administered by the Economics Department (exception: a placement exam is not required for students who matriculated as a full-time student at a college or university prior to May 1, 2026).

Note: Some universities offer a single semester “Principles of Economics” course that covers both introductory microeconomics and introductory macroeconomics. Such courses will NOT be approved to count as ECON 1110 or ECON 1120.

Math Prerequisite

The math prerequisite for the Economics Major is MATH 1110. In particular:

• As a prerequisite for the Economics Major, students must receive credit for MATH 1110 with a C or better.

• In addition, MATH 1110 is a prerequisite for many ECON courses, including the core courses ECON 3030, ECON 3040, ECON 3110, and ECON 3130 (which also requires MATH 1120).

• Please also note that any subsequent courses that require ECON 3030, ECON 3040, ECON 3110, or ECON 3130 also implicitly require MATH 1110.

Credit for MATH 1110 with a C or better can be obtained in the following three ways: 

• taking this course at Cornell and receiving a C or better,

• taking a course at another college or university that is approved by the Department of Mathematics to count as MATH 1110 (see the Department of Mathematics webpage on Transferring Math Credit from Another Institution). https://math.cornell.edu/transfer-credit

• receiving placement credit such that MATH 1110 appears on your transcript (see the Department of Mathematics webpage on Advanced Placement for Calculus). https://math.cornell.edu/ap

Note: If a student does not have credit for MATH 1110 on their transcript (or receives below a C in MATH 1110), they can instead satisfy the math prerequisite for the Economics Major by taking a subsequent calculus course and receiving a grade of C or better. Specifically, a C or better in any of the following courses is acceptable: MATH 1120, MATH 1910, MATH 1920, MATH 2220, MATH 2240

Note: MATH 1106 at Cornell cannot be used to satisfy the math prerequisite for the Economics Major. If a student takes MATH 1106 and wants to major in Economics, they will need to either take MATH 1110 (and give up their credit for MATH 1106) or take one of the subsequent calculus courses listed above.

We strongly recommend that Economics Majors take either ECON 3110 or ECON 3130, and not one of the other probability & statistics courses on campus. ECON 3110 and ECON 3130 directly prepare you for our econometrics courses (ECON 3120 and ECON 3140), and are focused on economics examples.

Some alternative probability & statistics courses can serve as a prerequisite for our econometrics courses (ECON 3120 or ECON 3140) depending on the level of mathematical rigor and our assessment of whether those courses will provide a sufficient preparation. However, even if an alternative probability & statistics courses can serve as a prerequisite for an econometrics course, in most cases we do not permit it to count toward the Economics Major since it does not have sufficient economic content. Hence, when using such courses, students will need to take an extra economics elective to reach the total of 12 ECON courses need to complete the Economics Major.

Here is our current policy on some specific alternative probability & statistics courses:

• MATH 4710 & MATH 4720: If a student takes both MATH 4710 and MATH 4720, this combination of courses can count fully in place of ECON 3130 and as a prerequisite for either ECON 3120 or ECON 3140. This combination can be counted as one course toward the Economics major.

• MATH 4710: If a student takes MATH 4710 (and not MATH 4720), this course can serve as a prerequisite for either ECON 3120 or ECON 3140, but it cannot be counted toward the Economics major.

• STSCI 3080/BTRY 3080/ILRST 3080: This course can serve as a prerequisite for either ECON 3120 or ECON 3140, but it cannot be counted toward the Economics major.

• STSCI 2200/BRTY 3010: This course can serve as a prerequisite for ECON 3120. This course cannot serve as a prerequisite for ECON 3140, and it cannot be counted toward the Economics major.

• ENGRD 2700: This course can serve as a prerequisite for ECON 3120. This course cannot serve as a prerequisite for ECON 3140, and it cannot be counted toward the Economics major.

• ORIE 3500: This course can serve as a prerequisite for ECON 3120.  It might also serve as a prerequisite for ECON 3140, but only with excellent performance and explicit special permission from the instructor of ECON 3140.  This course cannot be counted toward the Economics major.

• Other courses: None of the courses in the group below can serve as a prerequisite for either ECON 3120 or ECON 3140, and none of these courses can be counted toward the Economics major: STSCI 2100/ILRST 2100, PUBPOL 2100, PUBPOL 2101, SOC 3010, AEM 2100.

   

The courses listed below are currently approved to count toward the Economics Major.

Note: In general, undergraduate students majoring in economics should not take graduate ECON courses; however, there is a small set of students who might benefit from taking one or two (most notably, students who are thinking of graduate work in economics). Please discuss with your Economics Faculty Advisor whether taking a graduate course is appropriate given your academic plans.

Remember: Enrollment of undergraduates in graduate ECON courses requires approval from (i) the instructor, (ii) the student’s Economics faculty advisor, and (iii) the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

• ECON 6090: Microeconomic Theory I
• ECON 6100: Microeconomic Theory II
• ECON 6110: Microeconomic Theory III
• ECON 6130: Macroeconomics I
• ECON 6140: Macroeconomics II
• ECON 6170: Intermediate Mathematical Economics I
• ECON 6190: Econometrics I

• ECON 6200: Econometrics II

   

If there is another graduate ECON course that you’d like us to consider, please (i) contact the instructor to see if they are willing to enroll undergraduate students and then (ii) have the instructor communicate with the Economics DUS to see if the course has an appropriate structure to count toward the Economics Major.

Courses taught by other departments can be counted toward the Economics Major only if they are cross-listed with Economics (meaning they have an ECON course number).

• Note: You do not need to register under the Economics course number for it to count towards the Economics major.

Please note:

• Business courses—finance, accounting, marketing, and so forth—cannot be counted toward the Economics Major.

• Independent Study courses (ECON 4999) cannot be counted toward the Economics Major.

• Curricular Practical Training courses (ECON 4997/4998) cannot be counted toward the Economics major.

Economics courses taken at your prior institution previous to your enrollment at Cornell and approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies to count toward the Cornell Economics Major will count as being taken at Cornell.

At least 4 of your 3000-level or 4000-level Economics Major 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.

Upon arriving at Cornell, transfer students should immediately 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 Major 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.

Please send the following to econdus@cornell.edu: 

(1) An email that identifies the institution you are transferring credits from and the course(s) for which you are seeking Economics credit. Let the DUS know whether you've already sent your official transcript from your previous institution to A&S Student Services. Do not send transcripts through email as this is not a secure method of transfer for grades. You may also request a Zoom meeting with the DUS if you'd like to discuss anything.  

(2) A detailed course syllabus including contact hours, credit hours, prerequisites, course description, and basis for evaluation (assignments, tests, etc.). The syllabus must be attached as a PDF or Word file; links or screenshots will not be evaluated. 

(3) A PDF version of the A&S Transfer Credit form; please make sure you've completed all student portions. If the DUS approves your course for Economics credit, the form will be signed and sent back to you. You may then send it to A&S Student Services at as-studentserv@cornell.edu. It is the expectation of the DUS that these instructions are followed carefully; any request that deviates from this format will not be considered until the request is submitted properly.

When you are admitted to the College, students who have taken courses at other institutions are given preliminary transfer credit equivalencies (usually designated by 1000E or 2000E on College of Arts and Sciences student transcripts).  This preliminary evaluation displays how your transfer credit fulfills any College requirements. For questions and information relating to satisfying general College of Arts & Sciences requirements, we suggest that students also meet with an Arts & Sciences advisor.  All economics and math (calculus) transfer credit must be evaluated by the relevant department before applying to the major. 

Please send the following to econdus@cornell.edu: 

• An email that identifies the institution you would like to receive credit from and the course(s) for which you are seeking Economics credit. 
•  A detailed course syllabus including contact hours, credit hours, prerequisites, course description, and basis for evaluation (assignments, tests, etc.). The syllabus must be attached as a PDF or Word file; links or screenshots will not be evaluated. 

If the DUS preapproves your course for Economics credit, then you will receive an email approval that you must save for future reference.

Upon completion of the course, you will need to fill out a PDF version of the A&S Transfer Credit form; please make sure you complete all student portions of the form, then it will be signed and sent back to you.  You may then send it to A&S Student Services at as-studentserv@cornell.edu. 

It is the expectation of the DUS that these instructions are followed carefully; any request that deviates from this format will not be considered until the request is submitted properly.