Q: Should I apply for the Honors Micro and Macro Theory courses (EC203 and EC204) and, if so, how do I apply?
A: Honors Micro Theory (EC203): An honors section of micro theory, EC203, is offered in the Fall semester each year. The honors section is highly recommended for students who want to be candidates for departmental honors at graduation. EC203 is a "by Department permission" course for which students must apply. Applicants must have completed both EC131 and EC132 (or have AP placement) by the end of the previous spring semester. EC203 also has a prerequisite of Calc I and Calc II [MT100/101 or MT102/103 (preferred) or 105] or their equivalent. AP-BC calculus is accepted as the equivalent of two calculus courses, whereas AP-AB calculus counts as only one calculus course.
To apply for EC203, download the HONORS MICRO THEORY (EC203) APPLICATION file and deliver a completed paper copy of the application to the Department's Administrative Assistant (412B Maloney Hall), no later than 11 April 2012. Late applications will be considered, but only in a second round after the spring registration period is finished and if the class is not filled in the initial round. The number of available seats is limited and allocated on a competitive basis. Students are expected to have very high grades in both their Principles and calculus courses to gain admission to the course. Students taking a second Principles or calculus course during the Spring semester will have their admittance decision deferred until the end of the semester after the grades for these courses have been recorded.
Students who have already taken Honors Macro Theory (EC204) will generally be accepted into EC203 providing they have earned at least a B- in EC204.
Honors Macro Theory (EC204): Honors Macro Theory is offered in the Spring semester. Students who take Honors Micro Theory in the Fall semester are automatically accepted into Honors Macro Theory in the Spring semester unless their performance is quite poor. Most students in Honors Macro Theory have been in Honors Micro Theory in the preceding semester. Therefore, we do not have an application process for Honors Macro Theory similar to that for Honors Micro Theory. Instead, students who want to take Honors Macro Theory who have not taken Honors Micro Theory should contact Professor Frank Gollop, the Director of Undergraduate Studies (gollop@bc.edu; 2-3693, 488 Maloney Hall).
Internships
Q: How do I register for an Internship and what academic credit do I get for it?
Begin by downloading the Internship Approval Form. (Alternatively, you can pick up the form from your Dean or from Student Services.) Notice that, in addition to some information about the Internship, the form requires signatures from you and your supervisor at the Internship. Bring the completed and signed form to Professor Frank Gollop, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, for his signature (488 Maloney Hall, gollop@bc.edu; 2-3693). If Professor Gollop is not available, one of the department's administrative assistants can sign the form (412B and 412A Maloney Hall). You then bring the form to your Dean, who will approve your registration for EC199, a one-credit, pass/fail course. At the end of the Internship, Professor Gollop will need a brief one or two-sentence e-mail from your supervisor indicating that your Internship was satisfactory. Once he receives your supervisor's e-mail, he will enter a grade of Pass for EC199. The one credit appears on your audit, but does not count towards the credits required for the major, minor, CSOM concentration, or for your BC degree.
NB: The Economics Department does not offer internships. Interested students must find an internship in the private or public sectors. A list of firms and agencies which have offered internships to Boston College economics majors in the past can be found at the Resources link of the department home page. Select the Career Opportunities link.
Registering for the Major, Minor, or CSOM Concentration
Q: How do I register for the Economics major (minor, CSOM Concentration)?
To register for the Economics major (minor, CSOM Concentration), contact our Administrative Assistant, and she will register you. (econ@fmwww.bc.edu; 412B Maloney Hall, 2-3670)
Research Opportunities
Q: I would like to work as a research assistant on a faculty project. How do I apply to be a faculty research assistant?
A natural way to proceed is through Boston College's Undergraduate Faculty Research Fellowship program (UFRF), which was established to provide research opportunities for undergraduates. The UFRF is run through the Deans' offices and supports research assistantships in both the fall and spring semesters and the summer. Application deadlines are typically in the first week in September for the fall semester, mid-December for the spring semester, and mid-March for the summer.
To apply for a Fellowship, send an e-mail to Professor Richard Tresch, the Economics Department's contact person for all fellowship programs (tresch@bc.edu). The e-mail should include an expression of interest in being a research assistant and a copy of your audit. You may also indicate specific research interests, if relevant. Professor Tresch will then forward your e-mail to the Economics faculty. If a faculty member is interested, he or she will contact you and arrange a meeting. If there is a match, the faculty member applies for the Fellowship with your name listed as the research assistant. If the application is accepted, you will be paid by Boston College at an hourly rate--$9.00/hour in 2010--for the duration of the assistantship. As a general rule, the faculty are interested in more advanced students who have completed their Theory courses and Econometrics.
Note that the application form available at the UFRF website is for the faculty, not for the students. Under the UFRF, only faculty can apply to hire an undergraduate research assistant.
Senior Honors Thesis
Q: I am interested in writing a senior honors thesis. What does the thesis involve and how do I apply?
Students interested in writing a senior honors thesis should consult the Senior Honors Thesis Guidelines Cover Letter from Professor Frank Gollop, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and then the Senior Honors Thesis Guidelines prepared by Professor Robert Murphy, the Director of the Honors Program in Economics. The Guidelines document describes the philosophy behind the senior thesis and walks you through the process of selecting a topic, engaging a faculty advisor for your thesis, and registering for the two-semester honors thesis seminars EC497 and EC498. The final pages of the Guidelines provide you with a timetable for preparing and submitting a thesis proposal, along with the application form that accompanies your thesis proposal.
Study Abroad
Q: How do I apply to study abroad and what courses can I transfer back for credit towards my A&S major, CSOM concentration, or minor?
Students interested in studying abroad for a semester or a full year should contact the Office of International Programs (OIP), located in Hovey House. OIP plans and coordinates your study abroad semester or year from beginning to end: from offering advice about various programs; applying to and planning your course of study at whatever program you may choose; and transferring credits and grades to Boston College when you return. A Department's role is largely one of certification, such as determining how many and what courses a student can transfer back for credit towards the major or minor. The Economics Department has a few rules and regulations regarding study abroad to keep in mind.
Restrictions on the number of courses that can be transferred for credit towards the A&S major, CSOM concentration, and minor:
A&S majors in the class of 2012 may transfer up to two electives, total, for credit towards the major from outside the Department. "Outside the Department" includes study abroad, summer programs, and BC's Woods College. For example, if you have already taken one elective before going abroad from the Woods College or in a summer program, you may transfer only one elective for credit towards the major from study abroad.
Exceptions: Students with AP credits in Principles or Statistics, and students going abroad for the entire year, may transfer up to three electives, total, for credit towards the major from outside the Department.
Students in the class of 2012 may also transfer one introductory course (Micro Principles, Macro Principles, and Statistics) from outside the Department for credit towards the major.
A&S majors in the classes of 2013 and beyond may transfer up to three courses, total, for credit towards the major from outside the Department chosen from the following list: one introductory course (Micro Principles, Macro Principles, and Statistics); and two electives. "Outside the Department" includes study abroad, summer programs, and BC's Woods College. For example, if you have already taken one elective before going abroad from the Woods College or in a summer program, you may transfer only one elective from study abroad.
Exceptions: Students with AP credits in Principles and Statistics, and students going abroad for the entire year, may transfer up to four courses, total, for credit towards the major from outside the Department chosen from the following list: one introductory course (Micro Principles, Macro Principles, and Statistics); Econometrics; and three electives.
CSOM concentrators and Economics minors may transfer a maximum of one elective, total, for credit towards the concentration or minor from outside the Department. "Outside the Department" includes study abroad, summer programs, and BC's Woods College. For example, if you have already taken one elective before going abroad from the Woods College or in a summer program, you may not transfer an elective from study abroad.
Exceptions: Students with AP credits in Principles and Statistics, and students going abroad for the entire year, may transfer up to two electives, total, for credit towards the concentration or minor from outside the Department.
Students may also transfer one introductory course (Micro Principles, Macro Principles, and Statistics) for credit towards the concentration or minor from outside the Department.
Preconditions for transferring any electives towards the A&S major, CSOM concentration, and minor.
In order to transfer any electives from abroad for credit towards the A&S major, CSOM concentration, or minor, you must have completed both Principles courses and one of the Intermediate Theory courses before going abroad. In addition, you must have earned a grade of at least a B- in at least one of the Intermediate Theory courses.
Specific courses from study abroad programs that we accept for credit towards the A&S major, CSOM Concentration, and minor.
The Department has collected a list of courses from universities throughout the world that we accept for credit towards the A&S major, CSOM concentration, and minor. For electives, the list also indicates whether the course is accepted as a lower (200) or upper (300)-level elective. The list is updated periodically. See Preapproved Courses. Student Services also has a copy of this list. Therefore, if a course you take is on the list, it will automatically be placed on your audit when Student Services receives the grade from the host university.
The list does not include all the courses that we will accept from study abroad. Courses and programs are continually changing and students find new programs to attend. If you are interested in a course that is not on the list, contact Professor Frank Gollop, the Director of Undergraduate Studies (gollop@bc.edu; 2-3693; 488 Maloney Hall). Professor Gollop will determine if the course is accepted or not and, if accepted, whether as a lower (200) or upper (300)-level elective. If possible, send Professor Gollop a course syllabus and, ideally, the prerequisites for the course. Generally speaking, the same rules apply for electives taken abroad as for our electives: if the course has an Intermediate Theory prerequisite, it is accepted as an upper (300)-level elective; if the course has only a Principles prerequisite, it is accepted as a lower (200)-level elective; if a course has no Economics prerequisites, it is not accepted as an Economics elective.
Do you need Department permission to study abroad?
As part of the application process to study abroad, OIP provides students with a form that they bring to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in each of their majors to be signed for Department approval to study abroad. Economics has a special arrangement with OIP, such that YOU DO NOT NEED APPROVAL OF THE DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES TO STUDY ABROAD. PLEASE DO NOT BRING THE FORM TO PROFESSOR GOLLOP OR ANYONE ELSE IN OUR DEPARTMENT; IT IS NOT NECESSARY. Note that you generally do need to bring the form to your other major Departments. We may be the only Department with such an arrangement with OIP.
Woods College Courses
Q: I am interested in taking one of the Economics electives offered by the Woods College of Advancing Studies. How do I register for a Woods College course?
The Economics Department accepts the following Woods College courses as Economics electives towards the A&S major, minor, and CSOM concentration:
EC210 Behavioral Economics is accepted as a lower (200)-level elective
EC336 Social Policy is accepted as a lower (200)-level elective
EC340 Labor Economics is accepted as an upper (300)-level elective
EC394 Urban and Regional Theory is accepted as an upper (300)-level elective
The Department does NOT accept EC345, Labor Relations and Human Resources, as an Economics elective.
The Department also accepts summer courses offered by the Woods College that are taught by our own faculty. A recent example is EC272 International Finance, taught by Prof. Hossein Kazemi.
The Woods College registers all students into their courses. If you are interested in one of their electives, contact the Woods College, located on the first floor of McGuinn Hall. If they accept you into the course, bring a Course Approve Form to Professor Frank Gollop, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, for his signature (gollop@bc.edu; 488 Maloney Hall, 2-3693). If Professor Gollop is not available, the form can be signed by one of our administrative staff. You then return the Form to Woods College and they will register you into the course.
Some points to keep in mind if you take a Woods College course:
A Woods College elective counts as a course taken "outside the Department." You are permitted to take two Economics electives, total, from outside the Department, which includes the Woods College, summer programs, and study abroad. For example, if you have taken an Economics elective from the Woods College and then study abroad, you may transfer only one Economics elective from your study abroad program.
You may not take either of the Intermediate Theory courses nor Econometrics outside the Department, which includes the Woods College.
You may take one of the three introductory courses (EC131 Principles-Micro, EC132 Principles-Macro and EC151 Statistics), total, outside the Department, which includes the Woods College. But you may take an introductory course in the Woods College only if a section of the course you are interested in is not available in our regular day program. This means that most students who take an introductory course in the Woods College do so during the summer. You register for a Woods College introductory course the same way as for a Woods College elective (see above).
