- Welcome to Carleton and your Bachelor of Economics degree program
- Your Degree Program (B.Econ)
- B.Econ First Year: Core Course Requirements
- B.Econ First Year: Concentration-Specific Requirements
- First-Year Seminar
- Contact
Welcome to Carleton and your Bachelor of Economics degree program
First Year Course Selection Guide
Please read this degree guide prior to registering
Your Degree Program (B.Econ)
Economics is relevant to almost every aspect of our lives. At its core, it is the study of decision making in the face of scarce resources and competing interests. The need to make such choices pervades our day-to-day lives – as individuals, as a community, and as a society. Economics provides causal insights into important social issues such as health care, protecting the environment, reducing inequality, and the best design of social programs and the tax system. Further, technical knowledge gained through the study of economics is portable and highly valued by employers in many areas including banking and financial sector, labour relations, international trade, entrepreneurship, and corporate finance. It can also provide a unique leadership edge in your career.
The Bachelor of Economics (B.Econ) degree is a 20.0 credit, four-year Honours program. Students who wish to focus their studies may choose to complete either one or two of the eight available concentrations:
- Computational Analysis
- Development
- Economic Data Science
- Economic Theory
- Financial Economics
- International Political Economy
- Mathematics and Quantitative Economics
- Natural Resources, Environment, and Economy
The Department of Economics would like to highlight our recently added Concentration in Economic Data Science. The field of Data Science is a rapid-emerging and high-demand area of research and practice that has gained significant momentum in recent years as new technologies have allowed us to gather, store and process large amounts of data (i.e. “Big Data”), and as well, gather data in non-traditional forms (such as user-generated data from websites). Data Science has found application in the hi-tech, retail and financial sectors, in addition to traditional governmental agencies.
The field of Economics offers a unique perspective for Data Science, based on its development and application of Econometric tools and analysis to problems framed through the lens of Economic theory. We think the Concentration in Economic Data Science capitalizes on the momentum of the field to offer an undergraduate concentration to help our students meet the demands of the marketplace. While the Concentration in Economic Data Science includes foundation courses in computer coding and information technology, the overall emphasis is on providing students with training in general econometrics and the application of modern statistical and econometric methods (e.g. machine learning) to economic questions involving both traditional and non-traditional datasets using Economic theory as a guide. Students looking to gain additional computational training can take both the Concentration in Economic Data Science and the Concentration in Computational Analysis, the combination of which will provide students with a strong and broad set of skills for the marketplace.
B.Econ First Year: Core Course Requirements
B.Econ Students should take the following core courses in Year 1 (See “B.Econ First Year: Concentration-Specific Requirements” below for exceptions):
- ECON 1001 Introduction to Economics: Microeconomics [0.5 credit]; fall term
- ECON 1002 Introduction to Economics: Macroeconomics [0.5 credit]; winter term
- ECON 1401 Elementary Mathematics for Economics I [0.5 credit]; fall term
- ECON 1402 Elementary Mathematics for Economics II [0.5 credit]; winter term
- To make up the regular 5.0 credit course load, students should then add electives, which should be highly varied.
- Students taking ECON 1001 & 1002 should consider taking FYSM 1608 Selected Topics in Economics [1.0 credit].
- Students should consider taking special topics Economics courses which have first-year-standing as a prerequisite.
B.Econ First Year: Concentration-Specific Requirements
B.Econ students including the Concentration in Financial Economics in their program and wanting to satisfy their accounting requirement by enrolling in the full year sequence BUSI 1001 and BUSI 1002, instead of only taking BUSI 1003, must first complete the prerequisite BUSI 1800. BUSI 1001 or BUSI 1003 may be used to qualify for ECON 3050 however please note BUSI 1003 cannot be used as a prerequisite for BUSI 1002, BUSI 2501, BUSI 3500, BUSI 3502 and BUSI 3512.
B.Econ students including the Concentration in Computational Analysis and/or the Concentration in Economic Data Science in their programs, should follow the guidelines given above and be sure to take COMP 1005 Introduction to Computer Science I [0.5 credit] as an additional core course in Year 1.
B.Econ students including the Concentration in Mathematics and Quantitative Economics in their programs, should take the following core courses in Year 1:
- ECON 1001 Introduction to Economics: Microeconomics [0.5 credit]
- ECON 1002 Introduction to Economics: Macroeconomics [0.5 credit]
- MATH 1052 Calculus and Introductory Analysis I [0.5 credit]; fall term
- MATH 1152 Introductory Algebra I [0.5 credit]; fall term
- MATH 1800 Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning [0.5 credit]; fall term
- MATH 2052 Calculus and Introductory Analysis II [0.5 credit]; winter term
- MATH 2152 Introductory Algebra II [0.5 credit]; winter term
- To make up the regular 5.0 credit course load, students should then add electives.
- Students taking ECON 1001 & 1002 should consider taking FYSM 1608 Selected Topics in Economics [1.0 credit].
- In addition, students are advised to seriously consider taking COMP 1005 Introduction to Computer Science I [0.5 credit] and a 1000-level Political Science course.
- Students may replace the honours sequence courses MATH 1052 [0.5], MATH 1152 [0.5], MATH 2052 [0.5] and MATH 2152 [0.5], with non-honours sequence courses MATH 1007 [0.5], MATH 1107 [0.5], MATH 2007 [0.5] and MATH 2107 [0.5] respectively (under this scenario, students may take MATH 1007 [0.5], MATH 1107 [0.5] and MATH 1800 [0.5] in Year 1, and MATH 2007 [0.5] and MATH 2107 [0.5] in Year 2). Please be aware however that this substitution will considerably impact which future MATH courses a student can take as part of the Concentration in Mathematics and Quantitative Economics. The honours sequence courses are important prerequisites for courses such as MATH 2000 Multivariable Calculus and Fundamentals of Analysis [1.0] and MATH 3001 Real Analysis [0.5], courses which are an asset for students planning on eventually applying to top PhD programs in Economics in North America. In general, the honours-based MATH courses (such as MATH 1052 [0.5] and MATH 1152 [0.5]) are more rigorous and proof-based than either the non-honours MATH courses (such as MATH 1007 [0.5] and MATH 1107 [0.5]) or Economics-specific introductory math training courses (ECON 1401 [0.5] and ECON 1402 [0.5]).
First-Year Seminar
First-year B.Econ students are encouraged to include First-Year Seminar 1608 (FYSM 1608 [1.0]) in their first-year course load. First-year seminars will get you away from the lecture hall and give you the chance, in a small class setting, to discuss and debate topics with your classmates and professors. You will also receive early and frequent feedback on class assignments and instruction in research, writing, and study skills. Visit the First Year Seminar website for a complete listing and description of the First-year seminars being offered.
Contact
Please do not hesitate to contact the Department of Economics should you have any questions regarding your registration such as concentration suitability or course selection and scheduling.
Phone number: 613-520-3744
Email: economics@carleton.ca
Location: Room C-870, Loeb Building
Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday
Website: carleton.ca/economics
Additional program information: https://carleton.ca/economics/undergraduate-studies/b-econ-honours