Economics BA - Academic Experience

ECO 498 Undergraduate Research provides an opportunity for students to gain first-hand experience in research under the supervision of a faculty member. The first step is for the student to find a professor with whom he or she can work on a research project. The Director of Undergraduate Studies must then approve the project. To be considered for undergraduate research, students must have a minimum ECO GPA of 3.000 and have completed ECO 405 Microeconomic Theory, ECO 407 Macroeconomic Theory, and ECO 480 Econometrics I.

ECO 499 Independent Study is intended to assist students in studying a specific knowledge area in economics when no course in that area is currently offered, or when depth in that area beyond the course offerings is desired. There must be a well-formulated project with a specific outline, and a prior agreement with a faculty member who will supervise the work. The Director of Undergraduate Studies must then approve the project. To be considered for undergraduate research, students must have a minimum ECO GPA of 3.000 and have completed ECO 405 Microeconomic Theory, ECO 407 Macroeconomic Theory, and ECO 480 Econometrics I.

ECO 495 Undergraduate Supervised Teaching allows qualified students to serve as undergraduate teaching assistants. Teaching assistants have responsibility for recitation sections, preparing and grading quizzes, maintaining student records, and participating in the preparation of final grades.

ECO 496 Internship in Economics allows students to obtain credit for work in a company, a government agency, or some other organization that uses economic analysis. The internship must be in a field of economics and must provide new knowledge or experience in working as an economist that is equivalent to at least 3 credits of instruction in an elective course in economics. The student must obtain prior approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The internship supervisor must send the Director of Undergraduate Studies a detailed description of the student’s duties and expectations. Each student must maintain a weekly diary of activities and compile a report at the conclusion of the internship that outlines his or her experiences and how they relate to economics. The report is submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies for assessment.

The University at Buffalo has many opportunities for students to take economics coursework abroad. Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), Korea University (Korea), University of Sheffield (United Kingdom), VU University Amsterdam (Netherlands), and Lorenzo de’ Medici (Italy) are examples of universities currently offering economics coursework abroad for UB students.

See the UB Student Association webpage.

A student is eligible for membership in Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honors society in economics, if he or she achieves an overall economics course GPA of at least 3.000 and obtains at least 12 credits in economics courses.