Johns Hopkins UniversityEST. 1876

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Major Requirements

Economics > Undergraduate > Major Requirements

Students who entered Johns Hopkins in this academic year should refer to the current Academic Catalog for a current list of major requirements. Students who entered Johns Hopkins University in a previous academic year should refer to the catalog of that academic year.

The B.A. in Economics offered at Johns Hopkins University has a STEM classification with CIP code 45.0603. This code is included in the Department of Homeland Security’s STEM Designated Degree Program List.

Meaning of course numbering:

  • 100-level courses have no prerequisites.
  • 200-level courses have at least one of AS 180.101 or AS 180.102 as prerequisites. Some have both.
  • 300-level courses (except 301 and 302) have either 301 or 302 or both as prerequisites. Some 300-level courses have additional prerequisites; see individual course listings.

Contact your DUS

Nick Papageorge
[email protected]

Requirements for the major are as follows:

  • 180.101 and 180.102 Elements of Macro and Micro with grade of C or higher
  • 180.301 and 180.302 Micro and Macro Theory
  • 180.334 Econometrics
  • Three elective courses at either the 200 or 300 level
  • Two elective courses at the 300 level
  • One semester of calculus (prerequisite for 180.301 and 180.302). This requirement can be satisfied by 110.106, 110.108, 110.113, with AP placement out of one of these courses, or with Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) approval for other calculus courses.
  • One semester of statistics (prerequisite for Econometrics 180.334). The current list of such courses offered by various departments are: AS.280.345, EN.553.111, EN.553.112, EN.553.113, EN.553.211, EN.553.310, EN.553.311, EN.553.420, EN.553.430, EN.553.435, EN.560.348, EN.560.435, or AP credit for any of these courses.

As per KSAS requirements, Economics majors must complete 120 total degree credits in order to graduate with a B.A. in Economics.

Internships, independent studies, and the senior thesis cannot be counted toward the 10-course major requirement.

There are also specific guidelines for the economics senior thesis, which is one of the requirements for a degree with Honors in Economics.

Graduate Study Preparation

The following courses are NOT required for the economics major but are recommended as preparation for graduate study in economics:

  • 110.113 Linear Algebra
  • 110.112 Calculus III
  • 553.311 Introduction to Probability
  • 553.312 Introduction to Statistics

AP Policy

Students who use credits to satisfy the 180.101 Elements of Macroeconomics and 180.102 Elements of Microeconomics requirements must take additional courses to reach a total of ten courses in the department (or DUS-approved transfer or study-abroad courses; see below) to complete an economics major or six courses for the minor.

Academic credit is not automatically awarded for completing the AP Macro/Micro or HL IB Economics Exams.  Students who score a 5 on the AP Macro Exam, a 5 on the AP Micro Exam, or a 7 on the Economics HL IB Exam who wish to receive credit for AS.180.101: Elements of Macroeconomics and/or AS.180.102: Elements of Microeconomics must complete an additional oral diagnostic test over zoom with the JHU macro and/or micro course instructors as explained below. This is to ensure adequate mastery of concepts not covered in-depth in the AP/IB curriculum. 

The students should reach out to Dr. Muhammad Husain ([email protected]) to reserve a slot for the Micro diagnostic test. The students should contact Dr. Hellen Seshie-Nasser ([email protected]) or Dr. Bob Barbera ([email protected]) to reserve a slot for the Macro diagnostic test. Slots will be allotted on a first come, first served basis. There will be a maximum of six tests administered per day for each of Micro or Macro.

The specific dates in which the AP/IB diagnostic tests for AY 25-26 will be administered are below.

  • Micro diagnostic tests: August 19, 20 and 21. 
  • Macro diagnostic tests: July 8, 9 and 10.

Transfer Credits

Study Abroad Courses, Courses from Other Outside Institutions, and Cross-Listed Courses

All transfer courses from outside institutions need to be approved by the director of undergraduate studies (DUS). The following general guidelines govern our policy:

  • At least 5 of the 10 required economics courses of the major must be taken at JHU.
  • Courses directly equivalent to JHU courses from study abroad programs (e.g., SAIS Europe) or taken at other universities may be allowed to count towards requirements towards the Economics major, subject to approval by DUS.
  • Students planning on transferring credit from a year abroad program must contact the DUS prior to studying abroad. Courses taken abroad count toward the major only if approved by the DUS. We urge students planning to take summer courses or other courses from other universities to also obtain pre-approval since approval “after-the-fact” is not guaranteed.
  • Non-direct equivalent courses may count as electives, also subject to approval by the DUS.
  • A course that overlaps in terms of material covered with at least 70% of a course offered by our department can transfer as a direct equivalent, i.e., it counts the same as is having taken the course offered by the Economics Department. Courses that are of sufficient rigor but that do not have a direct equivalent may possibly be accepted for credit of an elective at the 200- or 300-level. Whether or not courses transfer as direct equivalents or at all, and at what level they transfer (e.g., at the 200- or 300-level), will be determined by the DUS in consultation with the instructor(s) of similar courses offered by the economics department. This procedure includes a detailed review of the potential transfer course syllabus.
  • Summer courses offered by the Department of Economics may be counted toward the economics major on the same basis as those offered during the academic year.
  • Internships, independent studies, and intersession courses do not apply towards major requirements.

Note: It is possible to satisfy some elective requirements by taking “cross-listed courses,” which are courses offered by other departments and have been accepted by the Economics Department for credit towards the major by the DUS. Please note, however, that courses may not transfer at a level suggested by the course number in the department offering the course, i.e., an advanced course in another department with a .3xx, .4xx, .5xxx, or .6xxx designation will often count as a 200-level elective in Economics.

Currently (effective Fall 2024), the three courses will count as 200-level electives for the Economics major or Economics minor:

  • AS.197.327 People, Power, and Pay: The Economics of the Workplace
  • AS.192.225 Economic Growth and Development in East Asia
  • AS.192.404 Autocracy, Democracy and Development: Korea, Indonesia and Myanmar
Students planning to transfer credits from courses taken during a year abroad program must contact the DUS prior to studying abroad. Courses taken abroad count toward the major only if approved by the DUS.

We urge students planning to take summer courses to also obtain pre-approval since approval “after-the-fact” is not guaranteed.

For study abroad credit, the appropriate procedure is as follows.
  1. Look through course offerings at the institution where you will be studying and consider what courses are of interest and, crucially, what courses contain economic content or are similar to courses offered in the economics department. To avoid lengthy discussions about what will or will not transfer, please note that courses outside of economics (including courses in accounting, entrepreneurship, or business) will generally not count as economics courses.
  2. Once you have identified courses that have substantial economic content or that overlap with one of our courses, please send the syllabi to the DUS who will then evaluate the course for transfer credit.
  3. Once the DUS confirms that a course will transfer (and at what level), a pre-approval form is submitted to the DUS specifying how each course will be counted and the DUS signs the form.