International Economics (IECO) Major Requirements
Quick Links
Major Requirements
Required Courses
Students must take a total of 11 courses in the following categories:
- 3 prerequisite courses for entry into the major
- MATH-1350 Calculus I (Spring Year 1 or Year 2)
- ECON-2543 International Trade (Fall Year 2)
- ECON-2544 International Finance (Spring Year 2)
- 4 IECO courses
- ECON 2101 Intermediate Microeconomics (Fall Year 3)
- ECON 2102 Intermediate Macroeconomics (Spring Year 3)
- ECON 2110 Economics Statistics (Fall Year 3)
- ECON 2120 Introduction to Econometrics (Spring Year 3)
- 3 applied courses
- Three IECO applied courses. At least 1 course (3 credits) must be an approved 4000-level ECON course with the IECO applied course attribute
- 1 senior seminar
All prospective IECO students must pass Calculus I to be admitted into the IECO major. The skills mastered in Calculus I will form the basis upon which you will learn to conduct innovative, well-informed, rigorous, quantitative analyses of all aspects of the world economy.
Sample Courses
GU-Q offers a variety of courses that fulfill the IECO major requirements. You can view all current and upcoming IECO courses in the schedule of classes. Recently offered courses include:
- ECON 2611: Economic Development
- ECON 3342: Multinational Corporations
- ECON 3384: Topics in International Economics
- ECON 3387: Money and Banking
- ECON 4411: Economics/Strategy of Sport
- ECON 4061: Industrial Organization
Honors in the Major
The honors program allows you to examine a significant scholarly issue in detail and to focus your time and attention on an important issue in which you are deeply interested. Honors theses are original works of thought and research, not merely summaries of the work and ideas of others. By writing an honors thesis, you get a sense of how much you enjoy the kind of original research done in graduate school. You also demonstrate that you can independently design and carry out a long-term research project – a skill that both employers and graduate and professional schools find very attractive.
Read Ahwaz Aktar’s 2016 honors thesis “Price Dynamics in England from 1820-1864: Corn, Trade Liberalization, and Railway Mania”
How to Apply
- Cumulative GPA of 3.5*, and Major GPA of 3.67, or strong evidence of the capacity to achieve these. (*Note that this Cumulative GPA requirement takes effect for students who are sophomores in academic year 2017-18 and afterwards. Previously, a 3.3 Cumulative GPA was required.)
- Letter of Intent due March 1, or by other posted deadline, of junior year.
Honors Requirements
- Earn an A or A- in both ECON-2101 Intermediate Microeconomics and ECON-2102 Intermediate Macroeconomics or complete ECON-2003 Honors Intermediate Microeconomics on the DC campus during junior year abroad (or similar opportunity).
- Enroll in IECO 3970 Research Project Design in the fall semester of the senior year.
- Enroll in IECO-4980 Senior Seminar in the spring semester of the fourth year and submit a senior thesis on an approved topic that is judged to be of honors quality by the economics faculty. The thesis should be in the range of 50-80 pages. The student should speak with his or her thesis advisor to determine the appropriate paper length. The student will give a formal presentation attended by all IECO faculty in residence during the spring semester in which the thesis is completed.
- Earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.5* and a grade point average of 3.67 in the major by the date of graduation. (*Note that this Cumulative GPA requirement takes effect for students who are sophomores in academic year 2017-18 and afterwards. Previously, a 3.3 Cumulative GPA was required.)
Note that students cannot pursue honors and a certificate simultaneously, due to the heavy workload. If a student wants to complete a certificate in addition to the honors program, then the certificate thesis must be completed during their junior year. The deadline for submitting the certificate thesis in its approved form would be the first day of classes in the student’s senior year.