Undergraduate FAQ

The Department of Economics Academic Advising Office is the best place to go for creating a plan to align your interests with your educational goals. Advisors can connect you to campus resources or help you to understand university policies. The benefits of meeting with an advisor depend on your personal level of participation. This is an on-going, collaborative process in which advisors get to know your needs and values in order to make recommendations that will serve your highest potential.

Please consult with the Academic Advising Center for any exceptions to University of Utah undergraduate requirements.

Visit our Advising page, which can be found under the "Students" tab.

Click on the "Book Now" button beneath the picture of your advisor. This will take you to Appointment Manager, our advising appointment scheduling system. Students will use their uNID and UMail password to log in. From there, follow the instructions and prompts to successfully confirm your appointment request.

Appointments may book up to two weeks in advance. Avoid high-traffic times by booking ahead of deadlines and semester start/end times.

Please note: Advising appointments must be scheduled by students through Appointment Manager and cannot be requested through Canvas, email, or department staff.

You should plan to attend your appointment on your own, as others in attendance may be distracting. However, if you would like to have another person involved in your advising appointment you must complete the FERPA Consent to Release Form and establish your FERPA PIN before your appointment. Here's how:

• Log into the Campus Information Services (CIS) and find the menu labeled "Student Records"
• Click on the "FERPA Consent to Release Form" link
• Review the information release options and select your level of consent.
• Create a PIN (PIN can be letters and/or number, no minimum, max of 20 characters. Make this pin something you will remember but also something only you, or those you give it to would know)
• Enter the name, relationship and email information for those authorized to receive information about your academic record (e.g., parent or spouse). 
• Click the 'Save" button.

When you arrive for your appointment, the advisor will verify that the person with you is listed on your FERPA Consent to Release Form. 

Yes, if you have completed the FERPA Consent to Release Form and provide your FERPA PIN at the time of your call. If you'd like us to release information to someone other than you, they will need to be listed on the consent form and have your PIN. Here's how to complete the release form:

• Log into the Campus Information Services (CIS) and find the menu labeled "Student Records"
• Click on the "FERPA Consent to Release Form" link
• Review the information release options and select your level of consent.
• Create a PIN (PIN can be letters and/or number, no minimum, max of 20 characters. Make this pin something you will remember but also something only you, or those you give it to would know)
• Enter the name, relationship and email information for those authorized to receive information about your academic record (e.g., parent or spouse).
• Click the 'Save" button.

When you or your designated person calls for information the advisor will verify your PIN to confirm the identity of the person calling.

A Bachelor of Science (BS) demonstrates proficiency in math while a Bachelor of Arts (BA) demonstrates proficiency in a second language. A BS degree requires two Quantitative Intensive (QI) courses, and a BA degree requires fourth semester proficiency in a second language.

If you complete the standard Economics degree requirements, you will qualify for a BS degree. If you want to earn a BA, you must get credit for additional foreign language work. 

This choice will not have an effect on your ability to get a job or your success in applying for graduate school. Though it does serve to formally certify additional language skills you have earned.

No. Courses that are used to fulfill the focus area requirement do not double count toward the economics elective requirement and vice versa. 

We accept allied credit only from specific, pre-approved departments. Please consult the major requirement sheet for more information on colleges and departments from which you can take allied courses. 

In rare cases, the Department of Economics will consider upper-division coursework from departments not on the list as allied credit. However, we will ONLY consider the course if you seek pre-approval (before enrolling for the relevant courses), by submitting our Course Substitution Petition. In this form you will have the chance to provide us with syllabi and make a case as to why these courses are important for your academic and career goals.

Keep in mind that allied work must be upper-division, taken for a letter grade, and you must earn a C- or better.

All courses taken to fulfill major requirements must be taken for a letter grade (A,B, etc.) and NOT as credit/no credit. Consult the University of Utah's Regulations Library for a more detailed explanation.

If classes haven't ended yet, you may be able to reverse the CR/NC option in CIS under the "Registration" menu by clicking "Edit Class (Variable Hours, CR/NC Option)." The deadline is usually a week before classes end or two week before finals end. You can double check the exact date through the University of Utah's Academic Calendar.

If you've missed the deadline, file a Petition for Consideration of Exception to Policy. Economics majors need to initiate the petition process through the Dean's Office in the College of Social and Behavioral Science.

MATH 1050 or MATH 1090, but MATH 1090 is preferred.

If you are planning to declare Economics with an emphasis in Business Economics and Analytics (BEA), you will need to take Calculus II. Students interested in pursuing a graduate degree in Economics are encouraged to take Calculus II and III in preparation.

The Math Department does not accept Economics courses as substitutes for Math courses. If you feel you have sufficient proficiency in math, check with your Economics advisor about math placement or CLEP testing.

In most cases, we need to manually update your record in order to indicate how your transfer coursework counts toward completion of the economics major. The University will first accept the credit, and it will show up on your audit. Once that happens, you need to submit our Course Substitution Petition. In this form you will have the chance to provide us with syllabi so we can evaluate the course's content.

We can only do this for courses that fulfill Economics degree requirements. If you have transfer courses that you think should fulfill non-department requirements, you need to talk to an Academic Advising Center advisor or the Economics Bridge Advisor.

No. Even though it will temporarily show up on My Degree Dashboard as double credit, the transfer credits will be removed when the Graduation Division audits your records before graduation. Even if the course NAMES are different, if the course CONTENT is similar it will be considered a "repeated course" and the transfer hours will be removed. To remove the duplicate information now, submit a Repeated Class Notification form.

• Online: Login to CIS, find the "Student Records" menu then click "Repeated Class Notification."
• In person:  Visit the Registrar’s Office in the Student Services Building, second floor, Window 13.

You do not have to suffer in silence! If you are faced with a severe illness, family situation or other non-academic situations beyond your control, there are some things you can do to salvage your degree.

• Communicate with your instructors.
• You can petition to withdraw from a class after the deadline under certain circumstances. File a Petition for Consideration of Exception to Policy. Economics majors need to initiate the petition process through the Dean's Office in the College of Social and Behavioral Science. Please provide as much documentation as possible (e.g., doctor's notes, etc.)

The Core courses in Econ (2010, 2020, 3620, 3640, 4010, and 4020) are offered every semester in multiple sections.

Several electives and focus area courses (3100, 3200, 3500, 3540, 4650, 5060, 5190, 5470) are offered every semester.

Other electives are typically offered once per year. Keep in mind that these patterns may not always hold due to changes in faculty responsibilities, etc.

Yes. All core coursework is available online. Many focus area and elective courses are also online. Consult the Economics UOnline program page for more information.

First, meet with your Economics advisor to review your degree audit and program requirements. After you have confirmed you are ready for graduation, login to CIS, click on "Apply for Graduation-Undergraduate" in the "Graduation" menu. The graduation application deadlines are

• Fall Graduation: July 1
• Spring Graduation: Nov 1
• Summer Graduation: April 1*

*Applications received by March 1 will have names included in the Spring Convocation programs.

Find more details on the Registrar's Office website.

Absolutely! Commencement and Convocation ceremonies are only offered at the end of each spring semester, so summer semester graduation candidates can participate in the Spring ceremonies before or after their graduating term (i.e., graduates from Summer 2017 could participate in the Spring 2017 or the Spring 2018 ceremonies). Remember, you must complete all of your degree requirements and be cleared by the Graduation Division in order to officially graduate and receive your diploma.

Meet with the College of Social and Behavioral Science Internship Coordinator to explore your internship interests, identify potential internships, and for help refining your resume and cover letter.

Other internship resources include Career & Professional Development Center, Hinckley Institute and the University of Utah MUSE Project.

Yes you can! Please meet with the College of Social and Behavioral Science Internship Coordinator for more information.

Career & Professional Development Center has the best resources on campus to help with your job search. They are located in room 350 in the Student Services Building. Use their website to search job postings, make an appointment with your Career Coach, sign up for mock interviews, connect with employers and more.