For Current Students
Although anyone can take economics courses, students must apply for admission to the economics major in the spring of their sophomore year. If you are a current Bucknell student interested in declaring a major in economics, please read more about the application process below.
Economics Major Admission Criteria
Students must have completed ECON 101 prior to their application. A student who has an AP credit for ECON 101 must have completed at least one core intermediate economics course (ECON 202, ECON 203 or ECON 204) prior to their application. Students with a grade in ECON 101 can apply to the major without having completed any of the core intermediate economics courses.
Students who apply for admission to the economics major must also have completed calculus (MATH 192 or MATH 201) with a passing grade prior to their application. AP or transfer credit for Math 192 or MATH 201 will suffice to meet this requirement.
Acceptance to the major is based on academic achievement in core economics courses (ECON 101, ECON 202, ECON 203 and ECON 204). The Department of Economics uses normalized grades (adjusted for the class GPA) to determine which students are admitted.
Any applicant who did not gain admission to the economics major can reapply after they take additional core intermediate economics courses.
Applying for Admission to the Economics Major
The dean’s office will send out information early in the spring semester of your sophomore year about declaring a major and will provide a link you can use to apply to the economics major.