Roadmap 1: Econ Foundation

Objective: Declare your major, meet with an academic advisor, and plan complementary experiences. 

Step 1: Getting to Know You

Step 2: Econ Prerequisites

Step 3: Academic Orientation

Step 4: Helpful Tips for New Econ Majors

Step 5: Start Career Prep Roadmap

Click "Next" to begin Roadmap 1: Econ Foundation. At the bottom of each page, you'll see three buttons: "Back," "Save and Close," and "Next." The "Back" button will allow you to go back to a previous page. The "Save and Close" button will save your progress and allow you to return to the Roadmap later by emailing you a personalized link. The "Next" button will take you to the next page in the Roadmap.

On the last page, you will see a "Submit Roadmap" button. When you have completed all the steps in the Roadmap, please click that button. You will still be able to view and edit your responses later, but your Roadmap will be marked as complete.

The Economics Department would like to get to know you! Please enter your information in the fields below.

Entering your name and email is required. This allows our system to save your progress in the Roadmap and allows you to access your Roadmap later. The other fields are not required, but will provide helpful information to the department.

The BYU Economics program is only 37 credit hours—one of the shortest programs at the university. There are two prerequisites to the econ core: calculus and Econ 110.

To fulfill the calculus requirement, you must complete either Math 112 (Calculus 1) or Math 113 (Calculus 2) with a grade of C- or better.

To fulfill the Econ 110 requirement, you must complete Econ 110 with a grade of C- or better.

These two classes are foundational in the major, and they are required prerequisites for every 300-level class that makes up the core of the econ curriculum. If you have already declared yourself an econ major, or if you are considering majoring in economics, we encourage you to take these classes as soon as possible.

To see all the econ program requirements, visit the Undergraduate Catalog.

Declaring or Changing Your Major

If you have completed fewer than 75 earned BYU credit hours, you may declare your major as economics without meeting with an advisor. You can do so on MyMap under Tools > Change Major Request. If you have completed 75 hours or more, you must meet with an advisor to change your major. Advisement services for economics students are located in the Liberal Arts Advisement Center, or LAAC. You can contact the LAAC at 801-422-3541 or liberalarts@byu.edu.

Regardless of how many credits you have completed, we always recommend for you to make an appointment with the LAAC if you're a new econ major. This appointment will help you be oriented to the major, create a graduation plan, and learn about careers and graduate school options for economics students.  

BYU Academic Advisement FAQs:

Here are some resources to help you navigate university advisement or to help you change your major:

BYU Advisement Center Frequently Asked Questions

Change Your Major

Grad School Prep

If you're interested in pursuing graduate school at some point in the future, check out our Grad School Prep Roadmap. This quick guide to graduate programs will help you determine which steps will make your journey as smooth as possible. Whether you're interested in getting a PhD in economics or a related field, or if you're primarily interested in MBA programs, the medical field, or any other program, this Roadmap offers a few resources to help you succeed. To access Roadmap: Grad School Prep, click here.

Internships

In the words of one 2021 econ grad, "Go for internships as early as possible and get as many internships as possible!" We encourage you to do at least one internship during your time in the econ major, and the earlier the better. Internships:

• Help you apply what you’re learning in class
• Give you insight into the kind of work you will enjoy and excel at
• Build your professional network
• Enhance your resume

Even if you plan on attending graduate school immediately following your undergrad, we still encourage you to complete an internship.

To get information about internship opportunities:

• Email economics@byu.edu and ask to be added to the department email blast.
• Subscribe to notifications from hiring platforms, such as Indeed, Glassdoor, and Handshake.
• Review this article from the University of Texas about which key terms are likely to bring relevant results for econ majors.
• Attend a career fair (usually in October and March; watch for announcements in the department email blast)

Under limited circumstances, the economics department will give course credit for internships. See this page for up-to-date information about internship course requirements. You may also be able to earn course credit through STDEV 199R (a general internship class) or an internship course offered by another department. If you have questions or are seeking advice about internship courses, please reach out to the department Alumni & Internship Coordinator at alumni-economics@byu.edu.

TA/RA Opportunities

One of the best work opportunities for econ students is to be a Teaching Assistant for the department. We are almost always hiring for an upcoming semester or term, and we need TAs in nearly every econ class. Being a TA will give you a unique mastery of course material and an opportunity to be mentored by one of your professors. It also looks great on a résumé!

Research Assistant positions are equally valuable, giving you hands-on experience working with large data sets and cutting-edge analytic techniques to explore the frontiers of economics. This gives you close interaction with professors and tangible skills for future jobs. Most RA positions require the applicant to have completed Econ 388.

To see TA/RA requirements, pay information, and job openings, view our Department Student Jobs webpage.

Minors and Second Majors

Since the econ major is so short compared to other majors, we strongly encourage all our students to have at least one minor or a second major. This can help you curate a specialized skill set to be a strong applicant for grad school, jobs, or internships.

Next up is the Econ Roadmap 2: Core, linked and outlined below.

Roadmap 2: Econ Core

Objective: Check off the core classes in the major as you complete them; plan your electives.

Step 1: Introduction to Econ Core

Step 2: Enroll in Economics Core Classes

Step 3: Career Readiness Checkpoint

Step 4: Map Your Electives

Step 5: Complete Economics Core Classes