Course Majors

To graduate as a course major, a student must have at least eight credits in economics, meet the theory, math, and statistics requirements, and, in the senior year, pass the comprehensive exam. See our Academic Program page and the College Catalog for details.

The Comprehensive Examination is given in January or February of each year and covers the theory and statistics requirements. All course majors are required to take the comprehensive examination in their senior year. (Students graduating in December can take the exam in the spring semester prior to their final semester at Swarthmore.) Students should thus complete ECON 011, ECON 021, and ECON 031 before their senior spring semester. Students must take the exam at Swarthmore College. 

To be accepted to the course major, applicants should have completed at least two economics courses at Swarthmore, should have an overall grade average of C or better, should have a grade of B or better in at least one Economics course, and should not have any D's or NC's in any Economics course. These conditions include the grade equivalent(s) for any course(s) taken Credit/No Credit or seminar(s) for which formal grades have not been recorded. Students have one year from the date of their application to satisfy these requirements. Failure to do so within one year will mean rejection. [Note: Regarding the "grade of B or better" requirement, a B in a course taken elsewhere may not suffice. Students who expect to satisfy the requirement with course work done at other schools should consult the chair about grade equivalencies ahead of time. For example, an A- is typically required in the case of a course taken in summer school.]

Students who wish to apply for a double major must submit a copy of their sophomore paper to both departments.