School of Economic Sciences > Courses in Economic Sciences

Courses in Economic Sciences

The online catalog includes the most recent changes to courses and degree requirements that have been approved by the Faculty Senate, including changes that are not yet effective. Courses showing two entries of the same number indicate that the course information is changing. The most recently approved version is shown first, followed by the older version, in gray, with its last-effective term preceding the course title. Courses shown in gray with only one entry of the course number are being discontinued.

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EconS Courses

  • 101 [SSCI] [S] Fundamentals of Microeconomics 3 Course Prerequisite: MATH 101, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 171, 201, 202, STAT 205, or 212; or concurrent enrollment in Math 106, 107, 108, 171, 201, 202, or STAT 212; or ALEKS placement score of 40% or higher. Theory and policy of human responses to scarcity; how this affects business competition, international trade, industrial organization, investment, and income distribution. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 102 [SSCI][S] Fundamentals of Macroeconomics 3 Course Prerequisite: MATH 101, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 171, 201, 202, STAT 205, or 212; or concurrent enrollment in Math 106, 107, 108, 171, 201, 202, or STAT 212; or ALEKS placement score of 40% or higher. Theory and policy related to unemployment, inflation, foreign trade, government spending, taxation, and banking. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 102 (Effective through Summer 2015) [SSCI] [S] Fundamentals of Macroeconomics 3 Course Prerequisite: MATH 101, 103, 105, 106, 107, 108, 171, 201, 202, STAT 205, or 212; or concurrent enrollment in Math 106, 107, 108, 171, 201, 202, or STAT 212; or ALEKS placement score of 40% or higher. Theory and policy related to unemployment, inflation, foreign trade, government spending, taxation, and banking. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 198 [S] Economics Honors 3 Course Prerequisite: Admitted to the Honors College. Introduction to economic theory and policy issues. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 301 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory with Calculus 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198; MATH 171 with a C or better, or MATH 202 with a C or better. Calculus-based intermediate microeconomic theory for majors in the School of Economic Sciences. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 302 Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 102 or 198; MATH 171 with a C or better, or MATH 202 with a C or better. Income, employment, and inflation theory with policy implications. Recommended preparation: ECONS 101 as required background. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 305 Intermediate Microeconomics without Calculus 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Price determination and market behavior under different market structures and the problems posed for public policy; not calculus-based. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 305 (Effective through Summer 2015) Intermediate Microeconomics without Calculus 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Price determination and market behavior under different market structures and the problems posed for public policy; not calculus-based. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 311 [M] Introductory Econometrics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101, 102, or 198; STAT 212 or MGTOP 215; MATH 171 with a C or better, or MATH 202 with a C or better. Methods of empirical analysis in the context of economic analysis and forecasting problems. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 320 Money and Banking 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 102 or 198. Analysis of banking institutions and monetary policy in the US, with comparison to abroad. Recommended: ECONS 101. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 321 Economics of Sports in America 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Economic aspects of American sports; fan demand; advertising; team output decisions; league/conference organization; government and sports. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 322 Public Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Theory and practice of the public sector; taxes, expenditures, and administration at local, state, and federal levels. Typically offered Fall.
  • 322 (Effective through Summer 2015) [M] Public Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Theory and practice of the public sector; taxes, expenditures, and administration at local, state, and federal levels. Typically offered Fall.
  • 323 Labor Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Functioning of labor markets; introduction to collective bargaining and labor law. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 324 [M] The Economics of Health Care 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. The economics of allocating, financing and delivering medical care services. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 324 (Effective through Summer 2015) The Economics of Health Care 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. The economics of allocating, financing and delivering medical care services. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 325 [M] The Economics of Organization, Contracting, and Law 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Examination of the economic and legal aspects of contractual and non-contractual ways of organizing transactions by business.
  • 326 Aspects of Sustainable Development 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Ecological, economical, and sociological aspects of sustainable development. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 326, SOC 375). Typically offered Spring and Summer.
  • 327 International Trade and Finance 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198; ECONS 102 or 198. Analysis and description of international trade flows; commercial policy; multinational firms, foreign exchange markets; open economy macroeconomics; international monetary systems. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 327, I BUS 470). Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 330 Natural Resource Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. The role of economics in natural resource management and policy. Course equivalent to OSU’s AREC 351. Typically offered Fall.
  • 335 Business Finance Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ACCTG 230; ECONS 101 or 198; MATH 107 or 201; STAT 212 or MGTOP 215. Financial management, decision making, and analysis for small businesses; capital market institutions and valuation processes. Typically offered Spring.
  • 335 (Effective through Spring 2016) Business Finance Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ACCTG 230; ECONS 101 or 198; MATH 107 or 201; STAT 212 or MGTOP 215. Financial management, decision making, and analysis for small businesses; capital market institutions and valuation processes. Typically offered Spring.
  • 350 Introduction to Farm and Ranch Management 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Decision making, planning, implementation and control of farms and ranches using economic principles, records, financial reports, budgeting and investment analysis. Typically offered Fall.
  • 351 Introduction to Food and Agricultural Markets 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Introduction to futures and options; selected topics related to markets for and the marketing of food and agricultural products. Typically offered Fall.
  • 352 Business Management Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198. Introduction to the economic concepts, techniques and applications of organizational, marketing, financial, operations, and resource management in a firm. Typically offered Spring.
  • 391 Special Topics in Economics V 1-3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198; ECONS 102 or 198. Current topics in economics. Typically offered Spring and Summer.
  • 404 Economics for Managers 3 Topics in the application of economics for business decision making with an introduction to calculus. Credit not granted to graduate students in the School of Economic Sciences. Typically offered Summer Session.
  • 420 Monetary Theory and Policy 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301; ECONS 302. Current issues in monetary economics with a special emphasis on policy. Typically offered Spring.
  • 424 Strategy and Game Theory 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301. Strategic behavior of firms, consumers, and political parties in everyday interaction. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 425 Industrial Organization 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301. Economic theories of firm behavior and the influence of market industry parameters; buyer/seller concentration, information asymmetries, product differentiation, and entry conditions.
  • 426 Transportation Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301; ECONS 311. Transportation economics and relevant transportation modeling; policy issues and concerns.
  • 427 Economic Development 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301 or 305. Development theories, policies, and performance of Third World economies; population, land reform, foreign trade, aid, investment, debt, dependency.
  • 427 (Effective through Summer 2015) Economic Development and Underdevelopment 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301; ECONS 302. Development theories, policies, and performance of Third World economies; population, land reform, foreign trade, aid, investment, debt, dependency.
  • 428 [T] Global Capitalism Today: Perspectives and Issues 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 102. Logic and consequences of capitalism as global system; multinational corporations; underdevelopment and overdevelopment; external debt, population, and environmental crisis.
  • 430 [T] Managing the Global Environment 3 Study of policy and management tools to address environmental issues of global significance.
  • 431 Economic Analysis of Environmental and Natural Resource Policies 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301. Nature and practice of environmental policy analysis using economics concepts and the analysis of models applied to natural resource problems and issues.
  • 433 Topics in International Environmental Law, Policy and Institutions 3 Interdisciplinary study of the political development of the European Union and its impact on modern Italy; natural resource, environmental and agricultural policy and law. Typically offered Spring.
  • 450 [M] Advanced Farm and Ranch Management 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 101 or 198; ECONS 350. Business and financial principles applied to organization and operation of farms and ranches. Typically offered Spring.
  • 451 Advanced Food Economics and Marketing 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301, 305, or 351; ECONS 311. Institutions, practices, policies, problems, and empirical analysis of food economics and marketing. Typically offered Spring.
  • 452 [M] Advanced Business Management Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301; MATH 171 or MATH 202; MGTOP 215 or STAT 212. Topics in business management economics and strategy, from demand and supply to bargaining, contracting, pricing strategies, and market structure. Recommended preparation: ECONS 350 or ECONS 352 as required background. Typically offered Fall.
  • 453 International Trade and Marketing 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301; ECONS 311. Application of economic theory to the analysis of international trade and marketing. Typically offered Spring.
  • 483 Special Topics: Study Abroad V 1-15 May be repeated for credit. Typically offered Spring and Summer.
  • 490 [CAPS] [M] Economics Capstone 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301; ECONS 302; ECONS 311; average of these three courses needs to be a 2.0 GPA or better. Integration of economic theory and field courses; assessment. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 491 Advanced Topics in Economics V 1-3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 301; ECONS 302; ECONS 311. Advanced topics in economics. Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 495 Instructional Practicum V 1-3 Academic experience in teaching and tutoring undergraduate courses in economics. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
  • 497 Economics Internship V 2-12 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 12 hours. Course Prerequisite: By department permission. Professional off-campus internships arranged or coordinated by departmental faculty according to student’s field of specialization. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
  • 499 Special Problems V 1-4 May be repeated for credit. Independent study conducted under the jurisdiction of an approving faculty member; may include independent research studies in technical or specialized problems; selection and analysis of specified readings; development of a creative project; or field experiences. S, F grading. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
  • 499(Effective through Summer 2015) Special Problems V 1-4 May be repeated for credit. Independent study conducted under the jurisdiction of an approving faculty member; may include independent research studies in technical or specialized problems; selection and analysis of specified readings; development of a creative project; or field experiences. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, F grading.
  • 500 Macroeconomic Theory I 3 Introduction to dynamics, growth and investment, overlapping generations models, Ramsey model, consumption and investment. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 500, FIN 500). Required preparation must include intermediate macroeconomics and one year of calculus. Required preparation must include intermediate macroeconomics and one year of calculus. Typically offered Fall.
  • 501 Microeconomic Theory I 3 Microeconomic theory, multivariate optimization, consumer and producer theory, competitive partial equilibrium, introduction to imperfect competition. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 501, FIN 501). Required preparation must include intermediate microeconomics and one year of calculus. Required preparation must include intermediate microeconomics and one year of calculus. Typically offered Fall.
  • 502 Macroeconomic Theory II 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 500. Macroeconomic theory, short-run fluctuations and nominal rigidities, monetary economics and inflation, real business cycle models, unemployment international macroeconomics. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 502, FIN 502). Typically offered Spring.
  • 503 Microeconomic Theory II 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 501. General equilibrium, welfare economics and social choice, market failure, game theory, economics of information. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 503, FIN 503). Typically offered Spring.
  • 504 Production and Consumption Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503. Advanced duality topics, demand and supply system modeling, financial economics and risk. Typically offered Fall.
  • 504 (Effective through Summer 2015) Production and Consumption Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503. Advanced duality topics, demand and supply system modeling, financial economics and risk. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 504, FIN 504). Typically offered Fall.
  • 505 Economics for Agricultural Decision Making 3 Managerial economics with specific applications to agricultural issues.
  • 506 Mathematics Primer for Economists 3 Intensive overview of the essential mathematical tools needed for graduate study in topics of economic sciences. Typically offered Fall.
  • 510 Statistics for Economists 3 Statistical theory underlying econometric techniques utilized in quantitative analysis of problems in economics and finance. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 510, FIN 510). Required preparation must include college calculus and matrix algebra. Required preparation must include college calculus and matrix algebra. Typically offered Fall.
  • 511 Econometrics I 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 510. Single equation linear and nonlinear models; estimation, inference, finite and asymptotic properties, effects and mitigation of violations of classical assumptions. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 511, FIN 511). Typically offered Spring.
  • 512 Econometrics II 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 501; ECONS 511. Econometric methods for systems estimation; simultaneous equations, discrete and limited dependent variable, panel data, and time series data. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 512, FIN 512). Typically offered Fall.
  • 513 Econometrics III 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 512. Linear and non-linear models and maximum likelihood estimation and inference; semi-parametric and parametric methods; limited dependent variable models. Typically offered Even Years – Spring.
  • 514 Econometrics IV 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 512. Constrained estimation, testing hypotheses, bootstrap resampling, BMM estimation and inference, nonparametric regression analysis, and an introduction to Bayesian econometrics. Typically offered Odd Years – Spring.
  • 521 Topics in Economic Sciences V 1-3 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 6 hours. Current topics in the development and application of the economic sciences. Required preparation must include intermediate micro- and macro-economics, and econometrics course work. Typically offered Fall.
  • 525 Master’s Econometrics 3 Theory and practice of multiple regression methods; applications to the study of economic and other phenomena; use of computer regression programs. Required preparation must include introductory statistics course. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 526 Mathematical Economics for Economists 3 Masters-level, calculus-based analysis of consumer and producer behavior, partial and general equilibrium, and strategic behavior. Required preparation must include intermediate microeconomics and calculus course work. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 527 Masters Microeconomic Analysis 3 Master’s-level, linear algebra-based analysis of consumer and producer theory, comparative statics and constrained optimization. Required preparation must include intermediate microeconomics and calculus course work. Typically offered Fall. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 528 Master’s Macroeconomics Analysis 3 Master’s-level course to develop a coherent theoretical framework to interpret macro data and to analyze macro policy. Typically offered Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 529 Research Methods V 1-2 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 3 hours. Prepare and communicate professional-quality research with an emphasis on learning how to identify, develop, write, and present research. Typically offered Fall and Spring. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 532 Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 3 Economic principles and models applied to natural resource and environmental problems, issues, and policies. Typically offered Spring.
  • 533 International Trade and Policy 3 International trade theories, policies, and research issues related to world trade with emphasis on agricultural commodity markets. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 534 Production Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 526. Production economics theory and methods applied to problems of production response, economic optimization, technology, policy, risk and dynamics. Cooperative: Open to UI degree-seeking students.
  • 555 Managerial Economics for Decision Making 3 Course Prerequisite: Admission to the MBA program. Optimal economic decision making for business in a global environment. Not open to economics graduate students.
  • 555 (Effective through Summer 2015) Managerial Economics for Decision Making 3 Course Prerequisite: Admission to the MBA program. Optimal economic decision making for business in a global environment. Not open to economics graduate students.
  • 571 International Trade 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Recent developments in trade theory and policy, including international factor movements, empirical analysis of trade flows and strategic trade policies. Typically offered Fall.
  • 572 International Development 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Structural and two-sector growth models of developing countries and countries in transition; empirical estimation of sources of growth. Typically offered Spring.
  • 581 Natural Resource Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Economic dynamics of natural resource systems. Typically offered Fall.
  • 582 Environmental Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Economic theory for environmental issues; externalities, property rights, and welfare analysis; policy design and implementation; non-market valuation and cost/benefit analysis. Typically offered Spring.
  • 583 Public Sector Economics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Public sector and public choice economics, including government debt and tax policy, public decision making, bureaucratic behavior and rent-seeking, with applications. Typically offered Spring.
  • 593 Applications in Microeconomic Topics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Applied topics in healthcare, sports, transportation and other markets. Typically offered Spring.
  • 593 (Effective through Summer 2015) Applications in Microeconomic Topics 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Applied topics in healthcare, sports, transportation and other markets. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 593, FIN 593). Typically offered Spring.
  • 594 Theory of Industrial Organization 3 Course Prerequisite: ECONS 502; ECONS 503; ECONS 511. Theory of market structure and firm behavior, including price and non-price competition, information and strategic behavior, and technological change. (Crosslisted course offered as ECONS 594, FIN 594). Typically offered Fall.
  • 596 Advanced Topics in Financial Economics V 1-6 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 12 hours. Course Prerequisite: Admission to PhD programs in business, or ECONS 500 and ECONS 501. Topics may include financial theory and empirical methods as applied to financial management, investments, international finance, and markets/institutions. (Crosslisted course offered as FIN 596, ECONS 596). Typically offered Fall and Spring.
  • 598 PhD Research Seminar 1 May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 4 hours. Seminar focusing on PhD students presenting their own research and critically assessing the research of other PhD students. Typically offered Fall and Spring. S, F grading.
  • 599 Special Topics in Economics 3 Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer.
  • 600 Special Projects or Independent Study V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent study, special projects, and/or internships. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor before enrolling in 600 credit, which cannot be used toward the core graded credits required for a graduate degree. Typically offered Fall and Spring. S, F grading.
  • 700 Master’s Research, Thesis, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent research and advanced study for students working on their master’s research, thesis and/or final examination. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 700 credit. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, U grading.
  • 702 Master’s Special Problems, Directed Study, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent research in special problems, directed study, and/or examination credit for students in a non-thesis master’s degree program. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 702 credit. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, U grading.
  • 800 Doctoral Research, Dissertation, and/or Examination V 1-18 May be repeated for credit. Independent research and advanced study for students working on their doctoral research, dissertation and/or final examination. Students must have graduate degree-seeking status and should check with their major advisor/committee chair before enrolling for 800 credit. Typically offered Fall, Spring, and Summer. S, U grading.

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Office of the Registrar, PO Box 641035, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-1035, 509-335-5346, bitter@wsu.edu