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Economics

"The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed, the world is ruled by little else."
—John Maynard Keynes

"The man of the future is the man of statistics and the master of economics."
—Oliver Wendell Holmes

The study of economics helps students develop analytical tools to understand how modern economies allocate scarce resources to produce goods and services and how economic performance is affected by policies, technology, and institutions. It also provides students with a rigorous way of thinking about individual, business, and household decision-making.

Basic Track

This track of the Economics major provides ideal training for those interested in law, business, journalism, or public policy.

Mathematical Economics Track

This track further prepares students for graduate studies in economics (including YU's own Masters in Quantitative Economics program) and for careers in quantitative fields such as finance and consulting. 

The economics minor complements many majors including mathematics, other social sciences, physics, and pre-engineering.

For non-majors, the introductory sequence of microeconomics and macroeconomics is an essential component of a liberal arts education and provides the background for a wide array of electives.

For more information about the Economics Department at Yeshiva College, please contact Professor James Kahn at james.kahn@yu.edu or 212-960-5400 ext. 6964.

Program Information

Undergraduate Courses

Please see the Schedule of Classes for the current semester’s offerings.

  • ECO 1010 Principles of Economics 
    3 credits
    Introduction to the principles of micro- and macroeconomics: supply and demand, the behavior of firms and consumers; theory of comparative advantage; how markets work; market failures; policy issues such as taxation regulation, and redistribution of income,  general equilibrium, business cycles, inflation, unemployment; national income accounting; monetary and fiscal policy; public debt and social insurance international trade and exchange rates; long-term growth. (This is a one-semester course that replaced ECO 1031 and ECO 1041 beginning in the Fall, 2015 semester.)
  • ECO 1101 Intermediate Microeconomics
    3 credits

    Theory of elasticity; indifference curves and applications; cost of production; output markets; externalities; input markets; linear programming; optimization theory with use of calculus.
    Prerequisite: MAT 1412 (may be taken contemporaneously), or Instructor's permission. ECO 1010 recommended.
  • ECO 1170 Contemporary Microeconomic Issues
    3 credits

    Use of economic tools to explore issues of public policy and private decision making. Topics vary by term but may include uncertainty and information in economics, crime, government regulation of business, education, charity, immigration, contracts, discrimination, medical care, transportation, congestion, geographic location, income distribution.
    Prerequisite: ECO 1010, MAT 1412, or Instructor's permission.
  • ECO 1177 Game Theory
    3 credits

    Development of models of rational behavior in interactive situations through the theory of non-cooperative, cooperative, and evolutionary games. Game theory is used for decisions and strategy whenever people interact to strike mutually agreeable deals or to resolve conflicts in such diverse fields as international relations, economics, business, politics, psychology, philosophy, or even evolutionary biology.
    Prerequisite: ECO 1101, MAT 1412 or Instructor's permission.
  • ECO 1201 Intermediate Macroeconomics
    3 credits

    National income accounting; national income determination models; consumption functions; investment theory; business cycle theory; stabilization policy; LM-IS-BP analysis; aggregate demand and aggregate supply analysis; economic growth and development theories.
    Prerequisite: MAT 1412 (may be taken contemporaneously), or Instructor's permission. ECO 1010 or 1101 recommended.
  • ECO 1221 Money and Banking
    3 credits

    Nature of money; organization and functioning of the commercial banking system; description of financial markets and financial institutions; hedging mechanisms, yield curves, Federal Reserve System and financial intermediaries; national income determination models; monetarist-fiscalist debate; LM-IS-BP analysis; role of money in international finance. Prerequisite: ECO 1010 or Instructor's permission.
  • ECO 1421 Econometrics
    3 credits

    Application of regression techniques to the problem of testing and forecasting in economics. The two variable regression model is fully developed; analysis is extended to consider the multivariate model, functional form issues, dummy variables, and distribution lag models. Covers problems associated with autocorrelation, multicollinearity, heteroskedasticity, and system models.
    Prerequisites: ECO 1010 or 1101 or 1201, STA 1021.
  • ECO 1501 Public Finance
    3 credits

    Social balance, personal, and corporate income taxes; sales and property taxes; current economic thought on taxation and public debt, expenditure analysis, energy, transportation, housing, education, pollution control, poverty, and quotas; externalities, public goods, public choice.
    Prerequisites: ECO 1010 or 1101 or 1201
  • ECO 1701 International Economics
    3 credits

    The theory of international trade, international finance, commercial policy, balance of payments, the foreign exchange market, competitiveness in the global economy, international macroeconomics, and foreign direct investment. Emphasis on the determinants and effects of international linkages, including the roles of consumers, firms, and government policies, in the context of the international economic environment.
    Prerequisites: ECO 1010 or 1101 or 1201
  • ECO 2005 Economics of the Law
    3 credits

    The relationship of legal institutions and laws to economic efficiency and social goals, such as justice. Economics of property rights, environmental control, administrative processes, contracts, and liability; public utility and antitrust regulation; individual rights and discrimination.
    Prerequisite: ECO 1010 or 1101 or 1201.
  • ECO 2201 Labor Economics
    3 credits

    Labor's place in the American economy; factors affecting supply and demand for labor; wage determination; unionism as a response to labor problems; industrial relations; public policy toward labor.
    Prerequisite: ECO 1010 or 1101 or 1201.
  • ECO 2531 Health Economics
    3 credits

    Application of economic tools and concepts to the analysis of the health care field. Effects of health care on health, hospital behavior, health workforce supply, demand for health care. Role of demographic changes in health care systems. Methodology employed by economists to determine the economic losses suffered in cases involving death and disability. Emphasis on the United States and its current situation. Comparison with other countries.
    Prerequisites: ECO 1010 or 1101 or 1201, or instructor's permission
  • ECO 2601: Financial Economics
    3 credits

    This course is an overview of the theory of financial markets from an economic perspective. The objective is to understand how social interaction in financial markets brings about opportunities for individuals but also risks which go beyond physical or technological uncertainty and create systemic effects on economic and financial variables. The major conceptual tool that we will use to study these phenomena is the notion of economic equilibrium. Our analysis of finance uses the modern theory of microeconomics. It aims at constructing (relatively simple) mathematical models to study the welfare properties of financial markets, and the implications for asset prices.
    Prerequisites: ECO 1101, ECO 1201, MAT 1412, or permission of instructor.
  • ECO 2801 Auctions and Market Design
    3 credits

    This course aims to introduce classical findings and recent developments in the theory of market design. The course basically consists of two parts. The first half covers auctions, first the classical theory of auctions in a stylized environment, followed by observation of what kinds of practical and theoretical difficulties arise and how successfully current attempts deal with these difficulties.  The second part of the course covers matching and related issues. We start from the matching problem (a.k.a. the marriage problem) and its solution concept, stable matching. We then extend the concept of stability to many-to-one and many-to-many matching with contracts. After reviewing the applications of stable matching, we compare it with alternative approaches, such as top trading cycles. We discuss applications including medical residency match, school choice, course allocation, and kidney exchange.  The last few classes will be an overview of some recent developments in the theory of market design, mostly in the context of matching. 
    Prerequisites: ECO 1101 and MAT 1412  or Dept. permission or consent of instructor 
  • ECO 3601  Economic Perspectives 
    3 credits
    Topics are based mainly on symposium themes of the Journal of Economic Perspectives and reflect the most recent work, but may include the following: fiscal policy, revision of LM-IS analysis, advanced consumption theory, regulation of the stock market and hedge funds, organizations and economics, economics and electronic commerce, the economics of higher education, health care reform, state versus private ownership.
    Prerequisites: ECO 1011/1041, ECO 1021/1031; and ECO 1201 or 1221.
  • ECO 4901 Independent Study
  • ECO 4911 Guided Project

Any of the above courses may be offered from time to time in an Honors version, with an H designation.

Students may opt for a Basic or a Mathematical Economics Major Track. These are both considered under the Economics Department:

Economics Basic Track: 34 Credits

Required Courses, 19 Credits:

  • ECO 1010, Principles of Economics, 3 Credits
  • MAT 1412 or 1410, Calculus 1 or Fundamentals of Calculus, 4 Credits
  • STA 1021, Introduction to Statistics, 3 Credits
  • ECO 1101, Intermediate Microeconomics (MAT 1412/1410 pre req), 3 Credits
  • ECO 1201, Intermediate Macroeconomics (MAT 1412/1410 pre req), 3 Credits
  • ECO 1421, Econometrics (STA 1021 pre req), 3 Credits

Regular Economics Electives, 9 Credits

This may include 6 credits for finance and accounting classes, but no more than 3 for accounting

Advanced Economics Electives, 6 Credits

Advanced economic electives are those with either ECO 1101 or ECO 1201 as pre-requisites

Mathematical Economics Track: 36 Credits

Required Courses, 24 Credits:

  • MAT 1412, Calculus 1, 4 Credits
  • MAT 1413, Calculus 2, 4 Credits
  • MAT 1510, Multivariable Calculus, 4 Credits
  • ECO 1101, Intermediate Microeconomics (MAT 1412 pre req), 3 Credits      
  • ECO 1201, Intermediate Macroeconomics (MAT 1412 pre req), 3 Credits
  • STA 1021/ MAT 2461 Intro Stat/ Prob.Theory, 3 Credits
  • ECO 1421/ MAT 2462, Econometrics/ Math Stat, 3 Credits

Regular Economics Electives, 6 Credits*

Advanced Economics Electives, 6 Credits*

*Regular electives are courses that do not require ECO 1101 or ECO 1201 as a pre-requisite. For the math track they may include ECO 1010 or a Finance/Accounting class, but not both. Advanced electives are those that have ECO 1101 or 1201 as a pre-requisite.

Economics Minor: 18 Credits

Required Courses, 6 Credits

  • ECO 1010, Principles of Economics, 3 Credits
  • ECO 1101 or 1201, 3 Credits

Regular Economics Electives, 12 Credits 

If both ECO 1101 and 1201 are taken, one will count toward the required courses and one as an elective. Electives may also include the combination of STA 1021* and ECO 1421 (econometrics).

*STA1021 may count towards the minor only if ECO1421 is also taken.

Note:  Courses within any given major or minor require a grade of a “C-“or better to fulfill its requirement

The following list includes faculty who teach at the Beren (B) and/or Wilf (W) campus.

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