Dec 04, 2024  
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Economics, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Concentration, B.A.


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Dr. Ehsan Ahmed, Department Head
Phone:
 (540) 568-3215/3216
Email: ahmedex@jmu.edu
Location: Zane Showker Hall, Room 434
Website: http://www.jmu.edu/cob/economics

Professors
E. Ahmed, J. Doyle, S. Elwood, W. Fields, R. Horn, R. Jerome, B. Rosser, M. Rosser, W. Wood

Associate Professors
V. Bhatt, N. Cavusoglu, W. Grant, S. Milliman, A. Neveu, A. Smith, J. Subrick

Assistant Professor
B. Brunton

Lecturers
P. Heap, Z. Gochenour, J. Robinson, M. Sameni

Mission

The Department of Economics is committed to students’ intellectual development by fostering an understanding and appreciation of economic forms of explanation and their relationships to other social sciences. Economics faculty members are dedicated to sound and effective pedagogy, to scholarship of the highest quality and to outreach to the local and business community.

The department provides an intellectual foundation for the appreciation and understanding of economic theory and policy. This foundation is developed within a broader educational perspective that stresses the importance of imaginative thinking, free inquiry and the pursuit of life-long learning. In this way, the program prepares students with the economic literacy necessary to cope with the challenges inherent in a world of accelerating change.

Goals

  • Help students develop analytical and critical thinking skills.
  • Promote cross disciplinary forms of instruction.
  • Seek continuous improvement in the quality of classroom instruction.
  • Serve the community through outreach services.
  • Help students pursue careers and additional education.

Marketable Skills

  • Analytical thinking capabilities highly valued by business, government and the nonprofit sector.
  • Writing and research skills applicable to a wide variety of careers.
  • Statistical and econometric skills used in business and finance.
  • Preparation in critical thinking valued by graduate schools, including law, business, and arts and sciences.
  • Analytical skills valued by employers for internships in business, government and consulting.

Co-curricular Activities and Organizations

  • Economics Club (open membership)
  • Omicron Delta Epsilon (national honor society in economics)

Admission to the Major

Students wishing to pursue a B.A., B.B.A. or B.S. degree program in economics must be formally admitted to the program in order to enroll in the required core courses ECON 331 ECON 332  and ECON 385 , which all require grades of “C” or better in their prerequisite courses. In order to be admitted as either a B.A. or B.S. candidate, the student must have at least three semesters remaining at JMU to complete the degree requirements. In order to be accepted as a B.B.A. candidate, the student must also meet all of the College of Business admission requirements (described in the College of Business of the catalog).

To declare an economics major, students must submit the “Change or Declaration of Major” form and a copy of an unofficial transcript to the department head’s office in Showker Hall, Room 434.

 

Degree and Major Requirements

Economics majors choose from a B.A., B.S. or B.B.A. degree. The B.A. and B.S. degrees are traditional liberal arts degrees that lead to a variety of career and graduate school options; the B.B.A. is designed to prepare students for careers in business.

Bachelor of Arts in Economics

The minimum requirement for a B.A. degree in economics is 33 credit hours of economics, including 18 credit hours of core courses and 15 credit hours of electives. It is also necessary for the student to complete the foreign language and philosophy requirements for a B.A. degree as well as complete the General Education program.

Credit by Examination

Credit in ECON 200  will be granted to students who achieve a grade of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test in Macroeconomics administered by the Educational Testing Service. Credit in ECON 201   will be granted to students who achieve a grade of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test in Microeconomics. 

The minimum requirement for a minor in economics is 18 credit hours in economics, including ECON 200 ECON 201  and at least six credit hours of either 300 or 400 level economics courses. Students may not receive credit towards the minor in economics for both ECON 270  and ECON 370 .

 

 

 

Degree and Major Requirements


Degree Requirements


Economics majors choose from a B.A., B.S. or B.B.A. degree. The B.A. and B.S. degrees are traditional liberal arts degrees that lead to a variety of career and graduate school options; the B.B.A. is designed to prepare students for careers in business.

The minimum requirement for a B.A. degree in economics is 33 credit hours of economics, including 18 credit hours of core courses and 15 credit hours of electives. It is also necessary for the student to complete the foreign language and philosophy requirements for a B.A. degree as well as complete the General Education  program.

Required Courses


  • General Education  41 Credit Hours 1
  • Foreign Language classes (intermediate level required) 0-14 Credit Hours 2
  • Philosophy course(s) (in addition to General Education  courses) 3 Credit Hours
  • Major requirements (listed below) and electives 62-76 Credit Hours
Total: 120 Credit Hours

Footnotes

1 The General Education  program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.
2 The foreign language requirement may be satisfied by successful completion of the second semester of the intermediate level of the student’s chosen language (typically 232), or by placing out of that language through the Department of Foreign Language, Literatures and Cultures’ placement test.

Major Requirements


Total: 33 Credit Hours

Additional Information

Students need to complete ECON 331 , ECON 332  and ECON 385  with a grade of “C” or better.

Recommended Schedule for B.A. in Economics Majors


First Two Years


During the first two years, students should complete:

Additional Information

Students are encouraged to take ECON 331  and/or ECON 332  in their sophomore year, which can only be taken once the prerequisites of ECON 200 , ECON 201  and the prerequisite math course are completed.

Third and Fourth Years


B.A. economics majors should complete ECON 331 , ECON 332 , and preferably ECON 385  by the end of their junior year. While most majors will complete the 400-level requirements in economics during their senior year, students may take a 400-level course during their junior year if the prerequisite for the course has been met. ECON 488  should be taken during the senior year.

Concentration in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics


Total: 33 Credit Hours


Option A or Option B


In addition, students must choose Option A or Option B.

Option A


For students with specific interests in forests, fisheries and wildlife: 12 Credit Hours

Total: 45 Credit Hours

Option B


For students interested in pollution prevention and control: 9-10 Credit Hours

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