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Mount Allison University

Economics courses and programs

Courses

Find a complete listing of economics courses in the Academic Calendar.

Not all courses are offered every year. Therefore students are advised to pay careful attention to the planned patterns of course rotation and plan their programs carefully to ensure they have completed the pre-requisite courses in time to register for any required core courses. 

Students are invited to seek advice on course planning from the Department as needed.

For a listing of courses offered this year, see the course timetables.

C-minus rule

Students must obtain a grade of at least C- in all courses used to fulfill pre-requisite requirements. Otherwise, written permission of the appropriate department head or program co-ordinator must be obtained.

Mathematics courses for students pursuing programs in economics

Mathematics courses are an excellent complement for studies in economics. Students interested in understanding economic theory and empirical studies will find it essential to develop basic skills in calculus and statistics and are encouraged to develop greater familiarity with calculus and statistics at more advanced levels, along with linear algebra and other areas of mathematics. Mathematics course descriptions can be found in the Academic Calendar.

Required and recommended mathematics courses

For economics majors

Required:

  • Calculus I (MATH 1111)
  • Statistics I (MATH 2311)

Recommended:

  • Calculus II (MATH 1121)
  • Linear Algebra (MATH 2221)
  • Multivariable Calculus (MATH 2111)

Students in the economics majors program are advised to consider other mathematics courses as listed for the honours program to complement their programs of study.

For honours students

Required:

  • Calculus I (MATH 1111)
  • Statistics I (MATH 2311)

Required for students planning to complete the Advanced Theory Courses (ECON 4801, 4811):

  • Calculus II (MATH 1121)

For students planning to complete Econometrics (ECON4700):

  • Required: Linear Algebra (MATH 2221)
  • Strongly recommended: Multivariable Calculus (MATH 2111)
  • Recommended:
    • Discrete Structures (MATH 2211)
    • Differential Equations I (MATH 2121)
    • Real Analysis (MATH 3111)

Programs

The BA major, minor, and honours in economics are built around a core of courses in mathematics, statistics, and economic theory. The core is designed to prepare students for further work in economics at the graduate level.

Degree options

There are a number of degree options in economics:

Honours

If you plan to go to graduate school or complete a professional program, you should consider doing an honours.

If you plan to pursue graduate studies in economics, you should take:

  • Economics 4700, 4801, 4811, 4821
  • Calculus and Linear Algebra (Mathematics 2221) from the Mathematics department — other courses in mathematics are also valuable

Seek advice from a member of the Department of Economics when deciding on a program of study.

Honours in economics can be done as a:

Joint honours can be done in:

Applying for honours

Students intending to do honours need to contact the head of economics. The registrar also requires that students declare their intention to do honours by completing the declaration to pursue honours form by December in year three of the their program.

Eligibility

Eligibility to complete the program will depend on your academic performance at the end of third year. Students need a minimum CGPA of approximately 3.0 on all course work in the prescribed honours program and an overall GPA of approximately 3.0 or higher on all courses undertaken beyond first-year. See details in section 10.10.4 of the Academic Calendar.

Program advisor

Students can contact the program advisor at economics@mta.ca when advice is needed on economics programs.

Timetable

The timetable template can assist you in planning your courses.

Degree audit form

To keep track of the courses you have taken it is useful to fill in a degree audit form.

Field courses

The Department of Economics offers a variety of field courses, which cover important areas of economics. The goal of the field courses is to allow students from all disciplines to deepen their knowledge in a particular area of economic inquiry.

These field courses are generally open to students who have completed the introductory principles course and who have an interest in an in-depth examination of an applied area such as environmental, international, or health economics, Canadian public policy, law and economics, financial markets, etc.

Interdisciplinary study

In addition to work within the discipline, the Economics department has tried to maintain close links with a number of other departments on campus, especially with the Departments of Commerce, Mathematics and Computer Science, Philosophy, and Politics and International Relations. Students are encouraged to develop an interdisciplinary perspective, which incorporates analytical tools from a variety of disciplines.

The Department also contributes to interdisciplinary programs in Canadian studies, environmental studies, and international relations.

Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of systematically combining:

  • values (ethics and political philosophy)
  • logical reasoning (logic, mathematics, and economic theory)
  • empirical evidence (statistics and computer modeling)

to produce critical analysis of policy proposals in business, government, and the non-profit sector.