Study Abroad Course Plans

A. Little Mathematics or Economics Background

If a student arrives with very little mathematics or economics and wants to study abroad, we encourage them to study abroad the Spring semester of their junior year.

The student will typically take one of their five departmental electives abroad; the other four have to be taken during your senior year unless the student has found room for them before.

B. Strong Mathematics, Little Economics Background

If a student arrives with stronger mathematics but little previous economics, wants to prepare for more-math-track economics courses, and wants to spend Junior Spring semester abroad:

C. Strong Mathematics and Economics Background

If you are exempt from ECO 100 and ECO 101, a student’s planning is much easier and allows more flexibility. To go abroad for the whole junior year, for example, students can follow the third of the programs in Section B above, with the added freedom of not having to take ECO 100 and ECO 101. A student can take ECO 202 in the Fall or Spring of your Freshman year.

D. Combining Study Abroad, Economics Major, and Finance Certificate

ECO 362 and ECO 363 are the core courses of the Finance Certificate. Students cannot take them abroad, but they may be able to postpone ECO 363 until the Spring semester of theirsenior year. You should clear this in advance with Professor Yacine Ait-Sahalia, the Finance Certificate Program Representative (NOT the ECO Director of Undergraduate Studies).

Note also that Intermediate Microeconomics (ECO 300 or ECO 310) is a formal prerequisite for ECO 362. The ECO 362 instructor sometimes allows the two courses to be taken concurrently, but we cannot guarantee that this will always remain the case. Also, ECO 300 or ECO 310 remains a strictly enforced prerequisite for the rest of the finance program.

If a student comes with minimal mathematics and economics background and wants to follow this track, they will have to work really hard at it for their first two years. Almost the only feasible program is:

E. Sophomore Spring Abroad

This option makes matters much easier—either to relieve constraints or to achieve otherwise infeasible combinations. For example, coming with just enough math for placement into MAT 103, a student can progress to the more-math-track and do the Finance Certificate without undue burden: