Skip navigation links
Michigan State University
Michigan State University

Department of Economics
Economics > Academics > Undergraduate >

forms-facts-faqs

Forms, Facts, and FAQs

Welcome to the one-stop-shop for all your advising resources as you plan out your academic journey. Plan your student journey with the forms and check sheets, browse courses, and check if we can answer your questions in our FAQs section. 

Forms

The following check sheets are intended as a guide to help you understand the economics degree requirements. Select the form for the semester in which you declared your economics major.

Fall 2021 - Present

Fall 2017- Summer 2021

Facts

FAQs

Scroll to view FAQs organized by topic. 

General/Advising

To make an appointment with an Economics advisor, please use https://student.msu.edu. You are not assigned to a specific advisor. You may schedule an appointment with any of the advisors. 
The Economics department does not hold walk-in advising. To meet with an advisor, please schedule an individual appointment via SIS. If you have a quick question, you can email advising@econ.msu.edu. However, we do not do in-depth advising via email, so you might be asked to schedule an appointment to avoid any miscommunication.
You may email general questions to advising@econ.msu.edu. We try to respond to all emails within 2 business days. We do not provide in-depth advising via email. If your question requires an extensive review of your record, you will be asked to make an advising appointment.
To change your major to Economics, make an appointment with an Economics advisor via https://student.msu.edu. You may schedule an appointment with any of the advisors.

If your GPA is below 2.0, you will be referred to the College of Social Science Student Affairs office after your Economics advising appointment.

To add any of the above Economics designations, make an appointment with an Economics via https://student.msu.edu. An advisor can explain the differences among these options and how they fit into your remaining time at MSU.

Students who have made significant progress toward the Economics minor may email advising@econ.msu.edu to get the minor added to your record.

Primary major requirements can be found on the department website and in the academic programs catalog. Additional majors are required to complete the same 30 credits of Economics courses as EC BA majors, plus the BA STEM requirement and a calculus course. Second degree candidates must complete at least 150 total credits and the same College and Economics requirements as primary majors. Minor requirements can be found in the academic programs catalog.

Students in all EC programs are encouraged to meet with an advisor to review requirements specific to their circumstances. You may also email general questions to advising@econ.msu.edu.

Yes. All students must apply for graduation for the semester in which they expect to complete their requirements. The application is available at student.msu.edu. From the home page, click the “Academic Progress” tile, then “Graduation” and “Apply for Graduation” on the left-side navigation. After you apply, you can view and edit your diploma name and mailing address using the “View Graduation Status” link. Diplomas are mailed to all students 4-6 weeks after the semester ends, regardless of commencement participation.

Overrides/Prerequisites 

No. The Department of Economics does not provide overrides into full courses or for missing prerequisites. For full courses, we suggest you get on the waitlist via SIS.
No. Prerequisites are strictly adhered to and must be successfully completed before the subsequent course can be taken.
If you need to request an override for a reason other than an enrollment limit or to waive a prerequisite, fill out the Override Request Form on the department website.
You may contact a professor with a request to late add a course.  For an EC course, please fill out the online late add form. It will route to the professor for approval. The department will then process the late add if you are eligible for the course (e.g., completed all prerequisites) and there is space in the room.

Transfer Courses

Yes. Students may transfer up to 60 credits from a community college.

Courses that have been evaluated for transfer to MSU can be found on Transfer MSU. If a course is not listed, contact the appropriate department for a transfer course evaluation form. Click here to submit an Economics transfer course evaluation form.

For complex transfer credit issues, you should meet with an advisor before you enroll in a course at another institution in order to verify if and how courses may fit into your degree program.

Economics majors may count a maximum of four economics transfer courses in their economics requirements, including AP and IB credit. A maximum of one of these courses may be at the 400 level.

Economics minors may count a maximum of two economics transfer courses in their economics requirements, including AP and IB credit.  At least one 400-level economics course must be taken at MSU.

Transfer Courses

In addition to professor and TA office hours for all EC courses, the department offers Economics Help Rooms for EC 201, 202, 301, and 302. Students may also access a private tutor list here. Please note this list is NOT department approved and all arrangements are made between the tutor and requesting student. Students must enter an MSU netID and password to view the private tutor list.
Counseling and Psychiatric Services has counselors to help students deal with a variety of life issues.

Careers and Graduate School

Graduate study in economics requires strong skills in mathematics and statistics. Math requirements for most programs are calculus (MTH 132, 133, 234), and linear algebra (MTH 309).  Top applicants also take analysis (MTH 320). We also recommend some advanced statistics and econometrics (EC 420, 421).  Also, because graduate study in economics involves research, our EC 499 class with its opportunity to write a research paper, is excellent preparation.
Yes. Please make your request in writing (email is acceptable) and allow a minimum of 2 weeks prior to a deadline. Provide the professor with all relevant information, including the school or company requesting the recommendation and how/where to send it. If the recommendation is to be mailed, please provide all mailing materials. Students should request recommendations from professors in whose classes they performed well and with whom they had some interaction. Students may also want to provide a signed reference release form to allow faculty to provide personally identifiable information, like grades.
One of the most beneficial things about an MSU Economics degree is that the analytical skills acquired in our program are valued in a variety of fields. Most of our students choose to pursue business careers after graduation. Other popular areas include public policy/government and consulting. Many Economics majors continue their education in Ph.D. programs, law school, and business school.  Recent reports from law and business schools show that Economics majors outperform most applicants on LSAT and GMAT exams.
There are many resources available through the Career Services Network to assist you in finding an internship. Register with Handshake to gain access to job and internship listings. Visit https://careernetwork.msu.edu/ to learn about events and services, and to schedule an appointment with a career services advisor.
The College of Social Science offers SSC 493 for students who are interested in earning credit for an internship. To determine if an internship qualifies for academic credit, follow the steps outlined on the SSC 493 web page. You should also meet with an Economics advisor to discuss how internship credits can be applied to your degree program.

Economics Courses

Courses listed with a (W) after the title indicate that they meet the university’s tier II writing requirement. Most of the 400-level EC field courses - those outside micro, macro, and econometrics - are (W) courses. All Economics majors are required to have at least one (W) course. Students are welcome to take more than one for their EC 400-level requirements.
Yes. It is most often available to students in the Honors College who have exceptionally strong backgrounds deemed sufficient for success in the course(s). Interested students should contact the instructor regarding readiness and then submit an override form. The department will review the request, and students will be notified of the decision.
Due to the high demand for seats in 400-level EC courses and to help ensure that students can enroll for these required courses when needed, students may not enroll in more than five 400-level EC courses over the course of their undergraduate program. Students seeking an exception must submit a request to advising@econ.msu.edu.
Students must achieve a 2.0 in both EC 201 and EC 202 (with up to one total repeat) to be an Economics major. Students may declare the major prior to completing EC 201 and 202, but will be required to change out of the major if the 2.0 grade requirement is not met.

Independent Studies, Undergraduate Research, Assistantships, Etc.

Undergraduate Assistantships are paid positions in which students generally assist with EC 201 and 202. The opportunity is open to all undergraduate students. To be eligible, students must meet the following criteria by the end of the Spring semester prior to the academic year for which they are applying:

  • Earned a minimum of 56 credits
  • Have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA AND 3.25 EC GPA
  • Completed EC 201 and EC 301 or 251H, and EC 202 or 252H
  • Be available for an interview (generally in April)   

The application is sent to EC majors during the Spring semester each year. Applications are also available in 110 Marshall-Adams. Applications are generally due in March of each year.

Yes, although this is not common practice. This requires initiative on your part to seek out a professor whose research interests may parallel your own and to inquire whether an opportunity exists for your participation. Most successful students approach a professor with a well-developed research idea and proposal.  You may learn more about our faculty areas of interest by visiting the department website. Following an agreement with a professor, students should meet with an advisor to discuss whether the experience might qualify for credit as an independent study.

Undergraduate

Your Next Step

Contact an Advisor