BS Economics at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

A major in Economics gives students a greater understanding of how people, businesses, and governments respond to their economic environments. Many of the issues that fill the newspapers—jobs, wages, taxes, the cost of living, inequality, pollution, poverty, and economic growth—are, in fundamental ways, economic issues. The daily decisions of businesses and consumers are largely economic.

Faculty: College of Letters & Science | Department: Economics | Duration: 120 credits | Study mode: full-time | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires 120 credits in total. Courses listed in the requirements include MATH 221 Calculus and Analytic Geometry; ECON 310 Statistics: Measurement in Economics (Recommended); ECON 400 Introduction to Applied Econometrics; ECON 410 Introductory Econometrics; STAT 311 Introduction to Theory and Methods of Mathematical Statistics I; STAT 324 Introduction to Statistics for Science and Engineering.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applies to College of Letters & Science, not specific to this major: Declaring the Major Complete one calculus course, MATH 211 , MATH 221 or MATH 222 ( MATH 221 or MATH 222 for the Mathematical Emphasis option), and Complete any one ECON course (except ECON 100 ) at UW–Madison, and Achieve a 2.000 GPA in all ECON courses and major courses (i.e., calculus) at the time of declaration. Students may not be declared in both the Economics major and the Certificate in Economic Analytics. For instructions on how to declare the Economics major, visit https://econ.wisc.edu/undergraduate/declaring-an-econ-major/

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

First-year entry terms: Fall (Early Action and Regular Decision) and Spring. Transfer entry terms: Fall (Priority and Regular Decision) and Spring.

First-year Fall Early Action: application deadline November 1, materials deadline November 9, decision on or before January 31. Fall Regular Decision: application deadline January 15, materials deadline January 22, decision on or before March 31. Spring Regular Decision: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. First-year fall and spring applications open August 1. Early Action is non-binding.

Transfer Fall Priority: application deadline February 1, materials deadline February 16, decision on or before March 31. Fall Regular: application deadline March 1, materials deadline March 15, decision on or before April 30. Spring Regular: application deadline October 1, materials deadline October 15, decision on or before December 31. Fall transfer applications open December 1; spring transfer applications open August 1.

Apply via the Common Application or the Universities of Wisconsin Application. The application fee is $80 US and is non-refundable; fee waivers are available for applicants with financial hardship. ACT and SAT scores are optional for students applying for admission through the spring 2028 term (application deadline October 1, 2027).

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