The Economics Major (A&S Students)

These requirements apply to 4-year students who matriculated at Cornell AFTER June 1, 2017, and to some transfer students (see Requirements for Transfer Students below). If you matriculated prior to June 1, 2017, please contact econdus@cornell.edu with questions.

Admission to the Major

Before applying for admission to the Economics Major, students must be in the College of Arts and Sciences and have completed ECON 1110 and ECON 1120 (or equivalents) with grades of B- or better, and MATH 1110 (or equivalent) with a grade of C or better. These classes must be visible on a student’s transcript.

• Due to university policies enacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, for courses taken in Spring 2020 ONLY, a grade in ECON 1110, 1120, and MATH 1110 of S or a grade that would have been equivalent to S (C- or better) meets the requirements for entry into the major.

After completing these courses, you are ready to declare the major (see Declaring the Major below).

We have prepared this worksheet to help declared majors check off the requirements of the Economics major. Save a copy of the worksheet on your desktop in order to use the fillable fields fully.

Basic Requirements

Twelve courses listed by the Department of Economics, all with grades of C– or better. S/U grade option is not allowed. (Due to policies enacted by the university in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, economics courses taken S/U and for which an "S" is received during Spring 2020 ONLY will count toward the major.) These twelve courses must satisfy the above and following requirements:

(1) Except for ECON 1110 and ECON 1120, all courses must be at the 3000-level or 4000-level.

(2) All students must take four core economics courses:

• Microeconomics: ECON 3030
• Macroeconomics: ECON 3040
• Statistics: ECON 3110 or ECON 3130.
• Econometrics: ECON 3120 or ECON 3140.

(3) All students must take at least three courses at the 4000-level.  

Note: Courses numbered 4900-4989 are seminar courses, which have a writing component and a smaller number of enrollees. The Economics Department recommends taking at least one of the 4000-level seminar courses.

Additional Requirements

• Courses taken to fulfill Requirement (2) MUST be taken at Cornell*.  Majors are strongly advised to complete these courses as soon as possible as they provide foundations for many of the more specialized courses.
• For students who take Economics courses at a Cornell-sanctioned Study Abroad or at another university (e.g., during summer session):
  • At least 8 of your 3000-level or 4000-level Economics Major 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 6 of your 3000-level or 4000-level Economics Major courses must be taken at Cornell*.
• You can take at most 2 courses at another university To obtain Economics Major credit for courses taken away from Cornell (including Study Abroad), you must get approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies (econdus@cornell.edu).

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. 

Before applying for admission to the Economics Major, students must complete ECON 1110 and ECON 1120 (or equivalents) with grades of B- or better, and MATH 1110 (or equivalent with a grade of C or better.

Due to university policies enacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, for courses taken in Spring 2020 ONLY, a grade in ECON 1110, 1120, and MATH 1110 of S or a grade that would have been equivalent to S (C- or better) meets the requirements for entry into the major.

Credits for ECON 1110, ECON 1120 and Math 1110 must be shown on your Cornell University Transcript.  There are no exceptions to these rules. Once these requirements are met, students should complete our online form by clicking the link below:

Application for Admission to the Economics Major 

Once we receive your application, you will be contacted about 7-10 days later to confirm your acceptance into the major and to let you know the name of your Economics Major Advisor. We will have access to your Cornell transcript, so there is no need to send a copy to us.

When to Declare the Major

You are eligible to declare an Economics major once you have completed ECON 1110, ECON 1120, and MATH 1110 (or equivalents). 

You do not need to declare the major as soon as you are eligible.  Some students declare as early as the second semester of their freshman year, but many students declare at the end of their sophomore year --- often after taking one or more intermediate core courses.  

Before declaring the major, you are welcome to speak with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (econdus@cornell.edu) or the Undergraduate Experience Coordinator (economics-uec@cornell.edu) to get general advice about the Economics major.  You are also welcome to seek advice from the instructors of your Economics courses.

Please note that Arts College rules require you to declare at least one major and process all the paperwork by the end of your sophomore year.  If you are declaring Economics as a second major, it is perfectly fine to do so in later semesters.

When you declare an Economics major, you will be assigned an advisor who is a member of the Economics Department.  Your relationship with your advisor is very important and we recommend that you meet regularly with your advisor --- at least once per semester.  This is your chance to develop a long-term relationship with a faculty member, who is there to provide advice, support, and potentially letters of recommendation.

You can meet with your advisor to map out a set of courses for your major and to discuss other courses at Cornell (although since Economics faculty advise only Economics majors, our knowledge of non-economics courses is limited).  You can also see your advisor to discuss career planning or to discuss any issues that you are currently facing. 

Choosing Your Advisor

When you are admitted to the major, you will be assigned an Economics advisor.  On the Major Application Form, you will have the opportunity to list your top three choices for an advisor.  We suggest that you list faculty members with whom you have already developed a relationship, faculty from whom you have taken courses, or faculty who work in a field that interests you. For guidance in making this choice, please see the list below of available advisors along with their fields of interest. 

We will do our best to meet your preferences.  However, we also need to spread advisees relatively evenly across department faculty, and thus we cannot promise that you will get one of your top choices.

Potential Advisors for Economics Majors 

Please note: Faculty members of the Economics Department come from many different colleges at Cornell (Arts & Sciences, the ILR School, CALS, CHE, etc.). Economics majors from the College of Arts & Sciences must have an advisor whose primary appointment is in the College of Arts & Sciences. There are many faculty who teach Economics courses who are ineligible to be your advisor.  You are welcome to get advice from any faculty member at Cornell, even if they are not your official advisor.

Changing Your Advisor

It is possible to change your advisor.  To do so, please email the Director of Undergraduate Studies (econdus@cornell.edu) with a short explanation for why you would like to change your advisor, and your top 3 preferences for a new advisor. We cannot guarantee that you will receive one of your top choices.

Arrangements with Specific Faculty:

If a specific faculty member agrees to take you on as an advisee, please have that faculty member send an email to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (econdus@cornell.edu) stating that they will accept you as their advisee.

Details of the Advisor-Advisee Relationship

Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind as you develop your relationship with your advisor.

Faculty Role

• Your faculty advisor will be available to meet with you, within reason. You should expect to be able to schedule an appointment within a reasonable timeframe via email. You should not expect your advisor to be in the office all the time, or to be able to meet if you stop by outside of office hours.
• If your faculty advisor does not know the answer to one of your questions, you can expect to be referred to someone who can supply that answer. Most frequently, the A&S Office of Advising in KG17 Klarman Hall or the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Student Role

• Make regular appointments with your faculty advisor to discuss your progress, and contact your faculty advisor when questions or problems arise.
• Prepare for meetings with your faculty advisor: have a list of questions prepared and/or (if your meeting is about pre-enroll) prepare a list of desired and alternative courses, as well as your rationale for taking each.
• Be considerate of your faculty advisor: schedule appointments and keep them; arrive promptly.
• Know the degree requirements and other relevant academic policies and procedures. Try using this worksheet to help you check off the requirements of the Economics major. 
• Check DUST at least once a term to keep track of your college requirements. Contact A&S Career Development to plan with them for your future. They can critique your resume, talk with you about possible careers, and help you with internships.
• Seek help when you need it. If you are starting to fall behind or need some other kind of academic help, see your faculty advisor.

Transfer students are subject to the same requirements as non-transfer students.

For students who transfer into Cornell with advanced standing: 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.

Independent Study

This program offers Economics majors an opportunity to work closely with a faculty member and to conduct original research. Students participating in this program enroll in Econ 4999, Independent Study in Economics; this course carries variable credit, and is available both fall and spring semesters. Before enrolling in Econ 4999, the student must submit a proposal for independent study, approved by a member of the Economics Department. ECON 4999 will not count toward the 12 required courses for the Economics major.

To apply for A&S independent study, you will need to complete an online form which you can access via data.arts. The form should be completed within the first two weeks of the semester.  

Econ 4999 will count towards the 100 College of Arts and Sciences course credits needed for graduation however, it will not count toward distribution/breadth requirements. 

For further information, see any member of the Economics Department, and visit the College of Arts & Sciences Academic Advising Center, G17 Klarman Hall.