Advice for Wharton Students

The requirements for majoring or minoring in economics are for the most part the same for Wharton students as they are for College and other students. Here we summarize any differences and address some Wharton-related issues.

Introductory Economics Courses

The department recommends that students interested in pursuing further study in economics take the ECON 0100 (formerly 001), 0200 (formerly 002) sequence. However, available to Wharton students only is a one-semester introductory macro and micro course BEPP 1000 (formerly ECON 010). If a student receives a grade of at least A- in BEPP 1000, then BEPP 1000 can be used to satisfy the prerequisite for intermediate ECON 2100 (formerly 101), 2200 (formerly 102), 2300 (formerly 103), and 2310 (formerly 104) courses.

Students who take BEPP 1000 instead of ECON 0100 and 0200 and receive a grade lower than A- will not be permitted to enroll in intermediate courses. Because of the grade requirement, there is no guarantee that a student who takes BEPP 1000 can major or minor in economics. For this reason, a student who is considering a major or minor in economics should take the more in depth ECON 0100 and 0200 sequence instead of BEPP 1000. 

Click here for information on receiving AP/A-level or IB credit.

Prerequisites for Upper Level Courses

ECON 2100 (formerly 101) is a prerequisite for ECON 2200 (formerly 102), 2310 (formerly 104), and all upper-level 4000-level (formerly 200-level) courses in economics.  Regular sections of BEPP 2500 (formerly 250) do not fulfill the intermediate ECON 2100 course requirement or prerequisites for ECON 2200, 2310, or 4000-level ECON courses.

Wharton students and students enrolled in the Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business can use BEPP 2500 HONORS to fulfill the ECON 2100 prerequisite for other intermediate or upper-level ECON courses.

Counting Wharton Courses Towards a Major or Minor

Wharton students who take BEPP 1000 instead of Economics 0100 and 0200 will have to take an additional 4000-level course in economics to complete the major or minor.

Wharton students and students enrolled in the Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business can use BEPP 2500 HONORS to fulfill the ECON 2100 prerequisite for other intermediate or upper-level ECON courses.

A small number of Wharton courses are cross-listed with economics and count towards the economics major/minor. These are the only Wharton courses that count. Click here for information on economics courses, which include the cross-listed courses.