Study Abroad

Many Economics majors study abroad, and they frequently count Economics courses taken abroad toward their Economics major. In recent years, popular programs among Economics majors include:

• University College London (UCL), UK
• Oxford University, UK
• London School of Economics (LSE), UK
• University of Seville, Spain
• University of Paris, France

But Economics majors participate in numerous other programs as well.

All economics classes taken on study abroad must be economics electives (and not introductory or core economics classes). However, you are welcome to take economics electives on virtually any economics topic, and indeed we encourage students to take advantage of their study abroad programs by taking economics courses on topics that are not available at Cornell.

In deciding whether a course taken on study abroad can count toward the Economics Major, we use two main criteria:

• It must be real economics course, and not something econ-adjacent like business, finance, political science, or economic sociology.
• It must be an upper-level economics course in the sense that it has enforced prerequisites of prior economics courses.

With that in mind, as you search for classes (or “modules” at some institutions) to possibly count for the Economics Major, we recommend that you focus on classes that are offered as part of some Economics undergraduate degree program.

Remember that core classes (Econ 3030, Econ 3040, Econ 3110 or 3130, and Econ 3120 or 3140) must be taken at Cornell and thus CANNOT be taken on study abroad. Moreover, we strongly recommend completing as many of these core classes as possible prior to your time on study abroad. Indeed, we may not approve an economics elective on study abroad if you have not yet taken the appropriate core class at Cornell prior to your time on study abroad (e.g., if you have not taken Econ 3030 (Intermediate Microeconomics) prior to study abroad, we will not approve an economics elective in any subfield of microeconomics).

Any courses taken on study abroad that are approved to count toward the Economics Major will be counted as 3000-level ECON electives.

There are limits on the total number of courses taken away from Cornell, including on study abroad, that can be counted towards the Economics Major. Specifically: 

• For students who complete one semester of Cornell-sanctioned study abroad, at most 2 courses taken away from Cornell, including study abroad, can count toward the Economics Major.
• For students who complete two semesters of Cornell-sanctioned study abroad, at most 3 courses from taken away from Cornell, including study abroad, can count toward the Economics Major.

Identify programs that interest you

Your starting point in identifying a program is the Education Abroad website. There, you will find information about study abroad in general and about specific programs. As you consider programs, make sure you are following the Study Abroad Guidelines for Arts & Sciences.

• Note: Now is a good time to connect with your Economics Faculty Advisor and perhaps also your A&S Advising Dean to make sure that, if you go on study abroad, you still have a concrete and workable plan to complete your Economics Major as well as all your other academic requirements on time.

Make your application(s)

Once you identify a program or programs that interest you, you’ll generate an online application via the Education Abroad website. For each application, you will need to complete the online form “A&S Study Abroad Participation and Course Approval – Step 1: Application”, and on this form you will list some possible courses, including possible economics courses, to take at your target program.

• For this step, it is NOT necessary to communicate with the Economics DUS. Indeed, to reduce our workload, the Economics DUS will not review specific courses until students are approved for specific programs by Education Abroad.
• Some economics courses that you propose on Step 1 may be denied by the Economics DUS. If so, there is no need for concern. The goal at this point is merely to give you a sense of what types of courses might be acceptable to count for the Economics Major.

Make your final course-enrollment decisions

If you are accepted into a study abroad program, you typically do not make your official course-enrollment decisions until shortly before your time abroad, and moreover study-abroad students frequently adjust their course enrollments right up to the start of the classes.

As you make your official course-enrollment decisions, now is the time to communicate with the Economics DUS about specific economics electives that you are considering taking while on study abroad. Please feel welcome to email econdus@cornell.edu to inquire about the suitability of specific courses to count towards the Economics Major at Cornell. In these inquiries, please include a link to a site that provides information about the course, and if possible please also include a syllabus.

• Note: These inquiries often take place after you are already abroad; in general, the DUS will try to respond promptly, but responses can be slower during periods with more inquiries.
• Once you are certain that your course enrollments will not change, it is time to complete the online form “A&S Study Abroad Participation and Course Approval – Step 2: Final Enrollments”.
• Note: All pre-approvals for economics courses to count towards the Economics Major are tentative; they will be confirmed only if students provide appropriate course materials after they return (see more below).

Confirm your course approvals after you return

After your study abroad is complete, it is time to complete the online form “A&S Study Abroad Participation and Course Approval – Step 3: Post-Return”.

In addition, for any economics course pre-approved to count toward the Economics Major, you MUST provide course materials upon your return, otherwise approval may be retracted. In particular, please collect and retain syllabus, lecture slides/handouts, problem sets, exams, or other assignments. Ideally, collect these into a Google, Box, or Dropbox folder that you can later share with the DUS upon your return.