Note: Although the Economics major is an option for the Bachelor of Arts degree within the College of Arts & Sciences, the Economics Department is housed within the Zimpleman College of Business.
The information on this page pertains to program requirements for students who matriculated in the 2024-2025 academic year. View requirements for previous catalog years here.
The economics program offers the opportunity to study prices, markets, and incentives (microeconomics) and economic growth and business cycles (macroeconomics).
The economics major provides preparation both for students planning to enter the world of work directly after Drake and for students planning to attend professional or graduate school. The B.S.B.A program prepares students well for the job market. Both the B.A. and the B.S.B.A. programs prepare students well for professional study in law, business, or public administration because economics is an important analytical tool used in these professions. Students interested in graduate study in economics or a closely-related field (finance, public policy, international relations) will need more math and statistics than the regular economics major provides and should consider the quantitative economics major.
The economics major requires 30 credits of economics, 3 credits of mathematics, and 6 credits of statistics.
| Course | Credits |
| ECON 002 - Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 010 - Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 170 - Introduction to Econometrics | 3 |
| ECON 173 - Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 174 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis | 3 |
| ECON 190 - Seminar in Economics | 3 |
| Four additional economics courses numbered 100 or above | 12 |
| MATH 028 - Business Calculus, or MATH 050 - Calculus I |
3 3 |
| STAT 071 - Statistics I | 3 |
| STAT 072 - Statistics II | 3 |
All candidates must also satisfy the requirements of the Drake Curriculum.
In addition to the requirements above, B.S.B.A candidates must complete the required business core curriculum, including BUS 195 as the Capstone.
The economics minor requires 18 credits of economics and 3 credits of mathematics.
Candidates for the minor in economics must complete the following courses:
| Course | Credits |
| ECON 002 - Principles of Microeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 010 - Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| ECON 173 - Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis, or ECON 174 - Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis |
3 3 |
| Three additional economics courses numbered 100 or above | 9 |
| MATH 028 - Business Calculus, or MATH 050 - Calculus I |
3 3 |
It is recommended that candidates for the minor complete both ECON 173 and ECON 174. The second course counts toward the three additional 100-level courses.
The information in this catalog does not constitute a contract between the university and the student. The university reserves the right to make changes in curricula, admission policies and processes, tuition and financial aid, academic standards and guidelines, student services and any other regulations or policies set forth in this catalog without giving prior notice.