General business economics students will focus on applications in business and public policy issues. General business economics supports careers in fields such as banking, business analysis, insurance services, and marketing research. This emphasis is also a solid foundation for graduate programs.

REQUIRED COURSES

The upper-division economics course selected as part of the core requirements cannot count as an economics major course.

• ECO 300 - Data Analytics for Economics and Business (3 credits)
• ECO 312 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 313 - Business Cycles and Growth (3 credits)
• ECO 495 - Senior Economic Project (Capstone) (3 credits)
• ECO elective at the 300- or 400-level (3 credits)
• ECO elective at the 300- or 400-level (3 credits)
• STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)

Quantitative group - choose one:

• MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits)
• MTH 125 - Survey of Calculus (3 credits)
• MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
• PHI 103 - Logic (3 credits)
• MGT 361 - Management Science (3 credits)

GVSU Course CatalogAcademic Advising

This emphasis supports careers such as real estate agent, commercial and residential appraiser, mortgage broker, commercial lender, urban planner, title examiner, location specialist, REIT manager, and regional developer. In addition to the required courses listed as follows, it is highly recommended that students take ECO 490 - Economics Internship in real estate work and ECO 385/GPY 385. Students who obtain the economics B.B.A. with the real estate emphasis must take the following courses.

REQUIRED COURSES

The upper-division economics course selected as part of the core requirements cannot count as an economics major course.

• STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)
• ECO 300 - Data Analytics for Economics and Business (3 credits)
• ECO 312 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 313 - Business Cycles and Growth (3 credits)
• ECO 336 - Urban and Real Estate Economics (3 credits)
• ECO 495 - Senior Economic Project (Capstone) (3 credits)
• FIN 350 - Real Estate Principles (3 credits)

Quantitative group - choose one:

• MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits)
• MTH 125 - Survey of Calculus (3 credits)
• MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
• PHI 103 - Logic (3 credits)
• MGT 361 - Management Science (3 credits)

Certificate in Real Estate

The undergraduate honors emphasis in economics is for students pursuing a B.B.A. degree in business economics. Students must achieve a minimum 3.2 GPA in their economics courses and a 3.2 GPA in their overall degree to receive the honors emphasis designation. Courses cannot be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. The Honors program does not add to the length of a degree in Economics, but instead requires specific classes in place of some of the elective credit hours. Students are required to complete the following classes:

• ECO 210 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 211 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 300 - Data Analytics for Economics and Business (3 credits)
• ECO 312 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 313 - Business Cycles and Growth (3 credits)
• ECO 450 - Advanced Economic Policy and Analysis (3 credits)
• ECO 495 - Senior Economic Project (Capstone) (3 credits)
• STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics (3 credits)

Quantitative group - choose one:

• MTH 122 - College Algebra (3 credits)
• MTH 125 - Survey of Calculus (3 credits)
• MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
• PHI 103 - Logic (3 credits)
• MGT 361 - Management Science (3 credits)

All business core courses acquaint you with various fields in business and help you learn to communicate, to interact, and to assume responsible positions in your chosen field.

For the B.B.A., you must complete the following courses.

• ACC 212 - Principles of Financial Accounting (3 credits)
• ACC 213 - Principles of Managerial Accounting (3 credits)
• BUS 201 - Legal Environment for Business (3 credits)
• BOTH ECO 210 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits) AND ECO 211 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits)
  OR ONLY  ECO 200 - Business Economics (3 credits)
• Upper-division economics course (not ECO 490) (3 credits)
• FIN 320 - Managerial Finance (3 credits)
• MGT 268 - Business Processes and Management Information Systems (3 credits)
• MGT 331 - Managing People and Organizations (3 credits)
• MGT 366 - Operations Management (3 credits)
• MGT 495 - Administrative Policy (3 credits)
• MKT 350 - Marketing Management (3 credits)

Students are required to select one class from the following list. This course may count toward the major or minor if applicable.

• ACC 333 - Corporate Governance and Accounting Ethics (3 credits)
• ECO 440 - Public Economics and Ethics (3 credits)
• FIN 330 - Ethics in Finance (3 credits)
• MGT 340 - Ethics and Business, Social Justice and Sustainability (3 credits)
• MGT 438 - Business Ethics (3 credits)
• MKT 375 - Marketing Ethics (3 credits)

REQUIRED BUSINESS ELECTIVES

Three upper-division business courses are not applied to the major or minor (nine credits total). However, these courses can be applied toward a second business major if one is declared.

ELECTIVES

Students may elect nonbusiness or business courses to fulfill their elective course requirements. Students may apply up to six hours of internship and independent research credit, in any combination, toward their degree requirements. Business majors may not take any of the major courses, except the internship and study abroad courses, on a credit/no-credit basis.

Economics majors may earn a B.S. or B.A., while business economic majors may earn a B.B.A. degree. Completion of the B.A. degree requires demonstrated third-semester proficiency in a foreign language. Students who wish to earn a B.B.A. in business economics should consult the business section of the Grand Valley State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog.

Majors earning a B.S. or B.A. must complete 30 hours of economics, including:

•  ECO 210, ECO 211, ECO 300, ECO 312, ECO 313, and ECO 495.
• All B.A. and B.S. economics majors are required to take STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics as a degree requirement.
• In addition, students must take either PHI 103 - Logic, MTH 122 - College Algebra, MTH 125 - Survey of Calculus, or MTH 201 - Calculus I.

Because economics is a department in the Seidman College of Business, students must achieve a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA, have completed 55 semester hours, and achieved a 2.5 or higher combined GPA in ECO 210, ECO 211, and STA 215 to be admitted to the economics program. To graduate, upper-division economics majors must achieve a 2.5 minimum cumulative GPA and a 2.5 minimum GPA in all economics courses. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.5 will not be permitted to take additional 300- and 400-level economics or business courses. However, such students may repeat 300- and 400-level economics and business courses for which they received a low grade. Students may repeat up to three different economics and business courses in their undergraduate career, but no single economics or business course can be repeated more than once. Exceptions are made only with the approval of the associate dean of the Seidman College of Business. Economics majors are eligible to participate in the business internship program.

Students who plan to enter a graduate program in economics or a related field are highly encouraged to take the following courses: MTH 201, MTH 202, MTH 203, and MTH 204. These students should also consider a mathematics or statistics minor and consult with their advisors at an early date to explore alternatives and plan their coursework.

Social studies group majors who choose an emphasis area in economics should make their economics course selections with the advice of an economics faculty member.

The undergraduate honors emphasis in economics is for students pursuing a B.S., B.A., or B.B.A. degree in economics. Students must achieve a minimum 3.2 GPA in their economics courses and a 3.2 GPA overall to receive the honors emphasis designation. Courses cannot be taken on a credit/no-credit basis. The Honors program does not add to the length of a degree in Economics, but instead requires specific classes in place of some of the elective credit hours. Students are required to complete the following classes, with an honors section of either ECO 210, ECO 211, or both (honors-designated sections require good standing with the Meijer Honors College or a 3.5 GPA overall):

• ECO 210 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 211 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 300 - Data Analytics for Economics and Business (3 credits)
• ECO 312 - Applied Microeconomics (3 credits)
• ECO 313 - Business Cycles and Growth (3 credits)
• ECO 450 - Advanced Economic Policy and Analysis (3 credits)
• ECO 495 - Senior Economic Project (Capstone) (3 credits)