Degree Offered
- Bachelor of Arts
Nature of the Program
The program leading to the B.A. degree is designed for students who wish to combine fundamental training in economics with a liberal arts education. In addition to the general education and related requirements, students have in excess of forty credit hours of unrestricted electives.
Economics students are taught to identify the costs and the benefits of a decision, which are often not obvious. The economist has the skill to identify the real consequences of a decision. That skill is valued highly in many aspects of business and government. Economics is a useful major for anyone interested in a career in banking, business, foreign service, law, public policy, and any other field in which the ability to make or analyze decisions is important. The demand for people with degrees in economics, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, is high. In recent years firms such as Amazon and Microsoft have hired a number of economists to improve pricing, strategy, and evidence-based decision-making within the company.
All students must earn at least one minor to earn the degree. For more information, please consult the list of available minors and their requirements. Please note that a student may not earn a minor in their major field.
Faculty
Chair
- Feng Yao - Ph.D. (Oregon State University)
Theoretical Econometrics, Applied Econometrics
Professors
- Roger Congleton - Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
Public Economics, Public Choice, Constitutional Political Economy - Joshua Hall - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Public Economics, Public Choice, Urban and Regional Economics - Brad Humphreys - Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University)
Urban and Regional Economics, Sports Economics - Jane Ruseski - Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University)
Health Economics, Sports Economics - Feng Yao - Ph.D. (Oregon State University)
Theoretical Econometrics, Applied Econometrics
Associate professors
- Arabinda Basistha - Ph.D. (University of Washington)
Empirical Macroeconomics, International Finance - John Deskins - Ph.D. (University of Tennessee)
Public Economics - Daniel Grossman - Ph.D. (Cornell University)
Health Economics - Scott Schuh - Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University)
Applied Macro Theory, Monetary Economics, Household Finance - Cathleen Johnson - Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
Experimental Economics, Economic Education - Shuichiro Nishioka - Ph.D. (University of Colorado at Boulder)
International Trade, Economic Development - Adam Nowak - Ph.D. (Arizona State University)
Applied Econometrics, Urban and Regional Economics
Assistant Professors
- Nathaniel Burke - Ph.D. (University of Arkansas)
Experimental Economics, Economics of Education, Group Identity - Terrence Jewell - Ph.D. (Clemson University)
Urban & Spatial Economics, Housing Economics - Kole Reddig - Ph.D. (Carnegie Mellon University)
Health Economics, Industrial Organization, Applied Microeconomics - Palak Suri - Ph.D. (University of Maryland)
Urban Economics, Labor Economics
Lecturer
- Joylynn Pruitt - Ph.D. (West Virginia University)
Adjunct Professors
- David Martinelli - Ph.D. (University of Maryland)
- Levan Elbakidze - Ph.D. (Texas A&M University)
- Victor Chow - Ph.D. (University of Alabama)
- Randall Jackson - Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
- Alicia Plemmons - Ph.D. (Georgia State University)
- Brad Price - Ph.D. (University of Minnesota)
- Peter Schaeffer - Ph.D. (University of Southern California)
- Paul Speaker - Ph.D. (Purdue University)
- Heather Stephens - Ph.D. (The Ohio State University)
Professors Emeriti
- Brian Cushing
- Stratford Douglas
- Clifford Hawley
- Ming-jeng Hwang
- Patrick Mann
- William Reece
- Tom Witt
Admissions for 2027-2028
For specific information regarding the admissions requirements for First Time Freshmen to the John Chambers College of Business and Economics, please visit Chambers admissions.
Students who are direct admitted to the major as first-time freshmen must possess an overall university GPA of at least 2.5 and have completed the course prerequisites listed in the table below with minimum grade of C-, unless otherwise noted, to be eligible to enroll in upper-division course work.
Students who are not direct admitted to the major (i.e. Business) will declare the major during the semester in which they satisfy the course prerequisites listed below. Applicants also must possess an overall GPA of at least 2.5 to be considered for admission to the major.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 201 & ECON 202 | Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics * | 6 |
| ECON 225 | Elementary Business and Economics Statistics | 3 |
| or STAT 211 | Elementary Statistical Inference | |
| Choose one of the following: | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
| Accelerated Academic Writing | ||
| Choose one of the following; a minimum of D- is needed in MATH 150, MATH 154, or MATH 155 | 3-6 | |
| Algebra with Applications and Applied Calculus | ||
| Pre-Calculus Mathematics and Calculus 1 | ||
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus 1a with Precalculus and Calculus 1b with Precalculus | ||
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Total Hours | 15-21 | |
- *
At minimum, one B- and one C- are required in ECON 201 and ECON 202 for admission to the program.
- **
A minimum grade of D- is required in MATH 150 for admission to the program. A grade of D- in MATH 154 or higher college calculus course also satisfies the calculus requirement for admission to the program.
Major Code: 2138
General Education Foundations
Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.
NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations | ||
| F1 - Composition & Rhetoric | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
or ENGL 103 | Accelerated Academic Writing | |
| F2A/F2B - Science & Technology | 4-6 | |
| F3 - Math & Quantitative Reasoning | 3-4 | |
| F4 - Society & Connections | 3 | |
| F5 - Human Inquiry & the Past | 3 | |
| F6 - The Arts & Creativity | 3 | |
| F7 - Global Studies & Diversity | 3 | |
| F8 - Focus (may be satisfied by completion of a minor, double major, or dual degree) | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 31-37 | |
Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.
Degree Requirements
To qualify for the Bachelor of Arts in Economics students must meet the following criteria:
- Complete a minimum of 120 credit hours.
- Possess an overall GPA of 2.0.
- Possess a minimum GPA of 2.0 for all major courses, calculated using all attempted GPA hours unless excluded by the D/F repeat policy.
- The John Chambers College of Business and Economics accepts all baccalaureate transferable course work completed at public and private colleges in West Virginia and other regionally accredited institutions. Since the College is AACSB accredited, upper-division courses (courses equivalent to 300/400 level at WVU) must be evaluated by the Dean or designee before they may count toward business core, major core and major restricted electives in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration or Bachelor of Science in Economics program.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| University Requirements | 57 | |
| Economics Program Requirements | 15 | |
| Economics Major Requirements | 48 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
University Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Foundations (GEF) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (31-37 Credits) | ||
| Outstanding GEF Requirements 2, 5, 6, and 7 | 13 | |
| BCOR 191 | First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| General Electives | 43 | |
| Total Hours | 57 | |
Economics Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| BCOR 199 | Introduction to Business | 3 |
| BCOR 299 | Business Communication | 3 |
| Select one of the following (Minimum Grade of C-; may fulfill GEF 1): | 3-6 | |
| Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric and Composition, Rhetoric, and Research | ||
| Accelerated Academic Writing | ||
| Select one of the following; minimum grade of D- in MATH 150 or MATH 155 (may fulfill GEF 3): | 3-6 | |
| Algebra with Applications and Applied Calculus | ||
| Pre-Calculus Mathematics and Calculus 1 | ||
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus 1 | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Economics Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Economics Courses | ||
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics (Minimum Grade of one B- and one C- in ECON 201 and ECON 202; may fulfill GEF 4) | 3 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics (Minimum Grade of one B- and one C- in ECON 201 and ECON 202; may fulfill GEF 4) | 3 |
| ECON 225 | Elementary Business and Economics Statistics (Minimum Grade of C-) | 3 |
| ECON 301 | Intermediate Micro-Economic Theory (Minimum Grade of C-) | 3 |
| ECON 302 | Intermediate Macro-Economic Theory (Minimum Grade of C-) | 3 |
| ECON 425 | Introductory Econometrics (Minimum Grade of C-) | 3 |
| Economics Electives or Law and Economics AOE | 12 | |
Select 12 hours of Economics at the 300 or 400 level or select the AOE | ||
| Required Minor | 15 | |
All B.A. Economics majors must complete a minor (double major or dual degree also will count) | ||
| Capstone Requirement | ||
| ECON 482 | Applied Economic Research | 3 |
| Total Hours | 48 | |
- *
A maximum of six credit hours of 491, Professional Field Experience, may apply towards the 120 credit hours required for the degree. Three may count toward the major and three may be counted as elective credit.
Suggested Plan of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| BCOR 199 | 3 | ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 |
| BCOR 191 | 1 | ECON 201 (GEF 4) | 3 |
| MATH 124 (GEF 3) | 3 | MATH 150 | 3 |
| GEF 2B, 5, 6, or 7 | 3 | GEF 2B, 5, 6, or 7 | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 2 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 202 | 3 | BCOR 299 | 3 |
| ECON 225 | 3 | ECON 301 | 3 |
| ENGL 102 (GEF 1) | 3 | Economics Elective or AOE | 3 |
| GEF 2B, 5, 6, or 7 | 3 | Minor Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 3 | General Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 302 | 3 | ECON Elective or AOE | 3 |
| ECON Elective or AOE | 3 | Minor Elective | 3 |
| Minor Elective | 3 | General Elective | 9 |
| GEF 2B, 5, 6, or 7 | 3 | ||
| General Elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 425 | 3 | ECON 482 | 3 |
| Minor Elective | 3 | ECON Elective or AOE | 3 |
| General Elective | 9 | Minor Elective | 3 |
| General Elective | 6 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total credit hours: 120 | |||
Area of Emphasis
Law and Economics Area of Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 441 | Public Economics | 3 |
| ECON 465 | Health Economics | 3 |
| ECON 443 | Law and Economics | 3 |
| ECON 445 | Government and Business | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
*Those wanting to do this AoE will take these four classes to fulfill their Economics Electives.
Major Learning Outcomes
Economics
Upon successful completion of the B.A. degree, Economics majors will be able to:
- Explain definitions and interpretations of macroeconomic data.
- Analyze the causes and consequences of unemployment, inflation, economic growth, and monetary and fiscal policy.
- Diagram market equilibrium and predict the impacts of exogenous changes on equilibrium outcomes for individuals, firms, and markets.
- Assess the efficiency of competitive market outcomes relative to alternative arrangements.
- Evaluate the theoretical and empirical literature on an economic topic in written form.
- Produce an original research report that formulates a research question, proposes a methodology to answer that research question, and interpret the results' statistical significance and economic importance.