Mathematics and Economics Major
Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 57
- Grade Requirement: All required courses (both lower- and upper-level) must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a grade of C– or better.
Required Courses*
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CSE 1301 | Introduction to Computer Science | 3 |
| ECON 1501 | Introduction to Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 1502 | Introduction to Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 3150 Introduction to Econometrics or ECON 4150 Introduction to Econometrics With Writing | 3 | |
| ECON 4001 | Intermediate Microeconomic Theory | 3 |
| ECON 4002 | Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory | 3 |
| MATH 1510 | Calculus I | 3 |
| MATH 1520 | Calculus II | 3 |
| MATH 2130 | Calculus III | 3 |
| MATH 3010 Foundations for Higher Mathematics or MATH 3015 Foundations for Higher Mathematics With Writing | 3 | |
| MATH 3300 | Matrix Algebra | 3 |
| SDS 3020 Elementary to Intermediate Statistics and Data Analysis or SDS 3030 Statistics for Data Science I or SDS 4010 Probability | 3 | |
| Total Units | 36 | |
- *
Students who complete the MATH 2801 Honors Mathematics I and MATH 2802 Honors Mathematics II sequence will be considered to have completed MATH 1510, MATH 1520, and MATH 2130. These students are also recommended to bypass MATH 3010/MATH 3015 and MATH 3300, for which they may substitute any other upper-level Mathematics courses.
Elective Courses
Majors must complete seven electives drawn from the lists below. Three electives must be drawn from the Economics list, and three electives must be drawn from the Mathematics list. The remaining elective may come from either department or from the preapproved elective list below.
Economics
One of the three Economics electives can be any Economics course with ECON 4001 or ECON 4002 as a prerequisite, including from an approved study abroad program. The other two Economics electives must come from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ECON 4151 | Applied Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 4160 | Topics in Econometrics: Microeconometrics | 3 |
| ECON 4210 | Topics in Financial Economics: Asset Pricing | 3 |
| ECON 4211 | Topics in Financial Economics: Investments | 3 |
| ECON 4220 | Open Economy Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 4230 | The Economics of Financial Intermediation | 3 |
| ECON 4310 | Behavioral Economics and Experimental Economics | 3 |
| ECON 4312 | Game Theory and Social Behavior | 3 |
| ECON 4315 | Market Design | 3 |
| ECON 4325 | Public Finance | 3 |
| ECON 4335 | Industrial Organization | 3 |
| ECON 4345 | Labor Economics | 3 |
| ECON 4360 | Urban Economics | 3 |
| ECON 4380 | Current Topics in Health Economics | 3 |
| ECON 4410 | Macroeconomics of Inequality | 3 |
| ECON 4420 | Computational Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 4425 | Macro Public Finance: Inequality, Redistribution, and Insurance | 3 |
| ECON 4510 | Development Economics | 3 |
| ECON 4567 | Auction Theory and Practice | 3 |
| ECON 4710 | Game Theory | 3 |
| ECON 4720 | Optimization and Economic Theory | 3 |
Mathematics
The three Mathematics electives must come from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 3180 | Introduction to Calculus of Several Variables * | 3 |
| MATH 3420 | Graph Theory | 3 |
| MATH 3520 | Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems * | 3 |
| MATH 4101 | Introduction to Analysis | 3 |
| MATH 4102 | Introduction to Lebesgue Integration | 3 |
| MATH 4150 | Introduction to Fourier Series and Integrals | 3 |
| MATH 4160 | Complex Variables | 3 |
| MATH 4301 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 4501 | Numerical Applied Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 4502 | Topics in Applied Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 4540 | Partial Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 4560 | Topics in Financial Mathematics | 3 |
| SDS 4010 | Probability * | 3 |
| SDS 4720 | Stochastic Processes | 3 |
- *
Students choosing both MATH 3180 and MATH 3520 must complete four Mathematics electives from the list above. SDS 4010 can be taken for elective credit in the major if SDS 3020 or SDS 3030 is completed to satisfy the core requirements.
Preapproved Electives
One elective in the major can come from the following list:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| SDS 4020 | Mathematical Statistics | 3 |
| SDS 4110 | Experimental Design | 3 |
| SDS 4155 | Time Series Analysis | 3 |
| SDS 4130 | Linear Statistical Models | 3 |
| SDS 4140 | Advanced Linear Statistical Models | 3 |
| SDS 4210 | Statistical Computation | 3 |
| SDS 4310 | Bayesian Statistics | 3 |
| SDS 4430 | Statistical Learning | 3 |
| SDS 4440 | Mathematical Foundations of Data Science | 3 |
Additional Information
- Students cannot declare more than one major or minor in the Department of Economics. This restriction includes dual majors, such as Mathematics and Economics (and Economics and Computer Science). Dual majors are considered "in the department" even if they are declared in another department.
- It is possible to earn the Financial Economics Specialization in conjunction with this major (prime or second).
- With instructor permission, students may use any of the following for economics elective credit: ECON 8010, ECON 8011, ECON 8020, ECON 8021, ECON 8115, or ECON 8710.
- AP credit for ECON 1501, ECON 1502, MATH 1510, and/or MATH 1520 is accepted in the major. Consult with the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Economics for International Baccalaureate and British A-level policies.
Study Abroad
- Majors selecting an approved study abroad program (for one semester) may receive transfer credit for ECON 3150. Note: Many study abroad programs in Europe do not offer the equivalent of ECON 3150 in the spring semester. A grade of C (or higher) is required in study abroad coursework. Preapproval from the Department of Economics’ study abroad advisor is required.
- Majors selecting an approved study abroad program (for one semester) may also receive transfer credit for up to two economics electives. (Majors completing two economics electives abroad are required to complete four economics electives in the major.) A grade of C (or higher) is required in study abroad course work. Preapproval from the department's study abroad advisor is required.
- Majors selecting an approved study abroad program for a full year of study will be handled on a case-by-case basis in terms of meeting degree requirements.
Transfer Credit
- Transfer credit, including study abroad approval, for mathematics courses, for probability/statistics courses, or for CSE 1301 is approved by the respective departments and is accepted by the Department of Economics for major credit.
- Majors may receive a maximum of 6 units of transfer credit from other colleges/universities to replace ECON 1501 and ECON 1502 (3 units of transfer credit per course). A minimum grade of C– must be earned. Preapproval by the Academic Coordinator in the Department of Economics is required.
For further details on policies and procedures, please refer to the Undergraduate Guide and the Department of Economics' website, or schedule a meeting with the department's Academic Coordinator.
Additional Requirements
- A student cannot declare more than one major or minor in the Department of Mathematics. This restriction includes dual majors, such as Mathematics and Economics and Mathematics and Computer Science. These majors are considered "in the department" even if they are declared in another department.
- No upper-level course used to satisfy a major requirement can be counted toward the requirements of any other major or minor (i.e., no double-counting of courses).
- Students may count courses from the Department of Statistics and Data Science (SDS) as Mathematics courses if the student matriculated in 2023–24 or earlier and if the course was previously offered by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, as reflected by the student’s matriculation-year Bulletin.
- Courses transferred from other accredited colleges and universities can be counted, with the following caveats, if they receive department approval:
- Courses transferred from a two-year college (e.g., a community college) cannot be used to satisfy upper-level requirements.
- At least half of the upper-level units required in a major must be earned at Washington University or in a Washington University-approved overseas study program.
- Courses from the School of Continuing & Professional Studies cannot be used to fulfill major requirements.
Latin Honors
At the time of graduation, the Department of Mathematics will recommend that a candidate receive Latin Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude) if that student has completed the department's requirements for High Distinction or Highest Distinction in Mathematics, including an Honors Thesis. The actual award of Latin Honors is managed by the College of Arts & Sciences.
The Honors Thesis
Arts & Sciences mathematics majors who want to be candidates for Latin Honors, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction must complete an honors thesis. Writing an honors thesis involves a considerable amount of independent work, reading, creating mathematics, writing a paper that meets acceptable professional standards, and making an oral presentation of the results.
Types of Projects
An honors thesis can take two forms:
- A thesis that presents significant work by the student on one or more nontrivial mathematics problems.
- A substantial expository paper that follows independent study on an advanced topic under the guidance of a department faculty member. Such a report would involve the careful presentation of ideas and the synthesis of materials from several sources.
Process and Suggested Timeline
Junior Year, Spring Semester:
- Talk with a faculty advisor about possible projects.
- Complete the Honors Proposal Form and submit it to Blake Thornton.
Senior Year:
- By the end of January, provide the advisor with a draft abstract and outline of the paper.
- By the end of February, submit a rough draft, including an abstract, to the advisor.
- The student and the advisor should agree on a date that the writing will be complete and on a date and time for the oral presentation in mid-March (the deadline is March 31).
Departmental Prizes
Each year, the department considers graduating majors for two departmental prizes and also awards a prize to juniors. Recipients are recognized at an annual awards ceremony in April where graduating majors each receive a certificate and a set of honors cords to be worn as part of the academic dress at Commencement. Awards are noted on the student's permanent university record.
Ross Middlemiss Prize
The Ross Middlemiss Prize is awarded to a graduating major with an outstanding record. The award was established by former Professor Ross Middlemiss, who taught at Washington University for 40 years. Middlemiss authored several books, including a widely popular calculus text that was used in courses offered by the School of Continuing & Professional Studies until the late 1970s.
Martin Silverstein Award
The Martin Silverstein Award was established in memory of Professor Martin Silverstein, who, until his death in 2004, was a pioneer in work at the interface of probability theory and harmonic analysis. Graduating students completing any major we offer will be considered for this award, but preference is given to those who have done excellent work in applied mathematics or analysis.
Brian Blank Award
The Brian Blank Award was established in memory of Professor Brian Blank, who passed away in 2018. Each year, the Department of Mathematics selects distinguished juniors who have declared a major in the department to receive this award.
Distinctions in Mathematics and Economics
Distinction
- Complete one additional course in Economics and one additional course in Mathematics, for a total of nine electives. Both courses must be completed at the 4000-level or above with a grade of B or better.
- Maintain a GPA of 3.7 or higher in all the major courses.
- If the student takes additional courses that satisfy these requirements, then the courses with the lowest grades may be omitted when calculating the GPA for this purpose.
High Distinction
- Complete all requirements for Distinction.
- Complete an honors thesis in either department (Mathematics or Economics).
Highest Distinction
- Complete all requirements for High Distinction.
- Complete three additional courses in Economics or Mathematics for a total of 12 electives. At least one of the three additional courses must be taken in each department, and all three additional electives must be completed at the 4000-level or above.
- All 12 electives (including the seven electives for the major, the two electives for Distinction, and the three electives for Highest Distinction) must be completed with a grade of B+ or better.
- If the student takes additional courses that satisfy these requirements, then the courses with the lowest grades may be omitted when calculating the GPA for this purpose.
Contact Info
| Phone: | 314-935-6301 |
| Email: | mathadvising@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://math.wustl.edu |