Economics (ECON)

How to Read Course Descriptions

The bolded first line begins with a capitalized abbreviation that designates the subject area followed by the course number and title. The number of credits earned by taking the courses is also displayed.

The course description is a brief summary of the purpose of the course and the topics covered. Any requisite courses are listed and could include the following:

Courses showing the abbreviation “COREQ” require simultaneous registration with each course named as a corequisite.
The abbreviation “PRE-or-COREQ” means that each course named may have been taken prior to or may be taken concurrently with the course for which it is required.
Courses showing the abbreviation “PREREQ” require the courses named as prerequisites to have been taken previously.

If the course can be applied towards a General Education Objective, the applicable Objective is listed.

To assist with your academic planning, courses in the Undergraduate Catalog are designated according to the semester they are usually offered. Unanticipated faculty vacancies and academic program changes may affect future course scheduling. Therefore, students should always contact the academic department to verify future course offerings, especially when specific courses are needed for graduation.

The following letters which appear after the course descriptions indicate the anticipated course scheduling:

F = Fall Semester, every year
S = Spring Semester, every year
Se = Sequential; a series of courses is presented until all have been taught.
Su = Summer Semester, every year
EF, ES, ESu = Even-numbered years, Fall, Spring, or Summer Semester
OF, OS, OSu = Odd-numbered years, Fall, Spring, or Summer Semester
D = Students should contact the Department to ask when this course will be offered.
R1 = Course is rotated every year, either Fall or Spring
R2 = Course is rotated every two years, either Fall or Spring
R3 = Course is rotated every three years, either Fall or Spring

How to Read Course Descriptions

Courses

ECON 5504 Game Theory: 3 semester hours.

Use game theory to model conflicts, cooperation and strategy, with applications in economics, business, political science, psychology, sociology, anthropology and biology. Equilibrium concepts, information structures, static and multi-period games will be discussed. PREREQ: ECON 2201 and ECON 2202 or ECON 6610/MBA 6610 or permission of instructor.

ECON 5509 Industrial Organization: 3 semester hours.

Industrial organization extends the theory of the firm to examine firms' strategic behavior, including methods to differentiate products and aggressive prizing schemes, and the government's response to these activities. Specific, evaluated graduate-level activities and/or performances are identified in the course syllabus. PREREQ: ECON 2201 and ECON 2202 or MBA 6610.

ECON 5511 Political Economy: 3 semester hours.

A critical introduction to the relationship between economic institutions and social analysis. The social implications of different views on economic concepts, such as the division of labor, capital, and value, are investigated from a classical, neoclassical and an institutional perspective.

ECON 5531 Money and Banking: 3 semester hours.

The study of financial instruments, money, interest rates, the banking industry, and the structure and monetary policies of the Federal Reserve Bank. An examination of past and present monetary policy. Specific, evaluated graduate-level activities and/or performances are identified in the course syllabus. PREREQ: ECON 2201 and ECON 2202 or MBA 6610.

ECON 5533 Economic Development: 3 semester hours.

Theories and principles of economic development, characteristics, and problems of underdeveloped and developing countries, alternative techniques and policies for the promotion of growth and development.

ECON 5534 International Trade: 3 semester hours.

Study government trade policies, trade laws, and national and international trade institutions. Study trade strategy from the perspective of governments and business. Understand the different levels of economic integration among countries and the political economy of trade policies and trade conflicts/cooperations. Specific evaluated graduate-level activities and/or performances are identified in the course syllabus. PREREQ: ECON 2201 and ECON 2202 or ECON 6610/MBA 6610 or permission of instructor.

ECON 5535 International Finance: 3 semester hours.

Study foreign exchange market and theories of exchange rate determination. Discuss the effectiveness of fiscal and monetary policies in an open economy and the implications of international macroeconomic policy coordination/conflict for government officials and business. Learn about foreign exchange hedging and risk management for country and business. Study lessons from recent international financial crises. Specific, evaluated graduate-level activities and/or performances are identified in the course syllabus. PREREQ: ECON 2201 and ECON 2202 or ECON 6610/MBA 6610 or permission of instructor.

ECON 5538 Public Finance: 3 semester hours.

Study of government revenues, expenditures, and debt management, including an analysis of the effects of these governmental activities on the American economy. Specific, evaluated graduate-level activities and/or performances are identified in the course syllabus. PREREQ: ECON 2201 and ECON 2202 or MBA 6610.

ECON 5539 State and Local Finance: 3 semester hours.

Study of taxation, borrowing and spending by state, city, county and other local governments. Taxing and spending patterns are evaluated and compared by states.

ECON 5572 Comparative Economic Systems: 3 semester hours.

Study and comparison of the theories and practices found in various economic systems. Includes a study of both the free market and socialistic planning.

ECON 5574 Senior Seminar: 3 semester hours.

Discussion-driven capstone class that integrates selected topics in economics. Students will be required to do economic research, and write on and discuss current economic issues. Specific, evaluated graduate-level activities and/or performances are identified in the course syllabus. PREREQ: Permission of instructor.

ECON 5581 Independent Study: 1-3 semester hours.

Individuals will be assigned independent problems for research under the supervision of a departmental faculty member. May be repeated up to 6 credits.

ECON 5585 Econometrics: 3 semester hours.

The application of statistical and mathematical methods to the analysis of economic data, with a purpose of giving empirical content to economic theories and verifying them or refuting them.

ECON 5591 Economic Seminar: 1-3 semester hours.

Seminar. May be repeated.

ECON 5592 Economic Seminar: 1-3 semester hours.

Seminar. May be repeated.

ECON 5599 Experimental Course: 1-6 semester hours.

The content of this course is not described in the catalog. Title and number of credits are announced in the Class Schedule. Experimental courses may be offered no more than three times with the same title and content. May be repeated.

ECON 6610 Applied Economics: 3 semester hours.

Applied principles and techniques of analysis in micro and macro economics. Equivalent to MBA 6610.

ECON 6620 Seminar Philosophy of Social Science: 3 semester hours.

The application of mathematical and scientific methods to the study of social, economic, and political life will be considered through the reading of certain seminal writings. Attention will be given to the fundamental assumptions about the nature of scientific rationality. Required of D.A. students.

ECON 6621 Seminar Interdisciplinary Topics in Social Sciences: 3 semester hours.

Examination of selected topics in the social sciences from the analytic orientations and perspectives common and peculiar to the disciplines of political science, economics and sociology. Required of D.A. students.

ECON 6650 Thesis: 1-6 semester hours.

The student will do research of an economic nature supervised by a faculty member in the Economics Department. The research project will be of an interdisciplinary nature and the student will be supervised by faculty members from the department(s) involved as well as from the Economics Department. 1-6 credits. May be repeated. Graded S/U.

ECON 6699 Experimental Course: 1-6 semester hours.