Department of Economics

The Business Economics program has two major objectives. The first is to provide majors and minors with a solid foundation in economics and the critical thinking skills needed to make effective decisions.

The second objective is to promote and develop economic literacy throughout the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, the University of Memphis and the local and regional community.

Through the pursuit of these two major objectives, the Department of Economics and its faculty and staff dedicate themselves to the economic education of our students and our community. The learning objectives for the B.B.A. degree in Business Economics are found here.

Business Economics Major (B.B.A.)

A. University General Education Program (41 hours)

See Graduation from the University for the University General Education Program requirements. Note that MATH 1830 or 1910 (Mathematics requirement) with a minimum grade of "C",  ECON 2010 and 2020 (Social/Behavioral Sciences requirement) are specified for the B.B.A. degree.

B. College and Degree (B.B.A.) Requirements (42 hours)

Lower Division Business Core Curriculum (12 hours)

No grade below “C” and 2.25 GPA (2.5 for accounting majors) in ECON 2010, ECON 2020 and the following lower division courses

ACCT 2010 Fundamentals of Accounting I (3)

ACCT 2020 Fundamentals of Accounting II (3)

SCMS 2710 Business Statistics (3) or MATH 1530 Prob/Statistics/Non Calculus (3)

MIS 2749 Introduction to Business Microcomputer Applications (3)

Upper Division Business Core Curriculum (30 hours)

No grade below "C" and 2.25 GPA in the following courses:

ACCT 3130 Legal, Social, and Political Environment of Business (3)

FIR 3410 Business Finance (3)

MGMT 3110 Organization and Management (3)

MGMT 4710 Strategic Management (3) (Enrollment usually limited to graduating seniors)

MKTG 3010 Principles of Marketing (3)

MGMT 3510 Business Communication (3)

SCMS 3510 Production and Operations Management (3)

SCMS 3711 Analytical Tools for Business Decisions (3)

MIS 3210 Critical Thinking in Project Management for Business (3)

Choose One:

ACCT 4625 International Accounting: IFRS vs US GAAP (3); MGMT 4810 International Management (3); MKTG 4530 International Marketing (3); ECON 4350 International Economics (3); FIR 4550 International Finance (3); MGMT 4510 International Business Communication and Negotiation (3); HPRM 4400 International Hospitality (3); MIS 4310 Global Information Technology (3); ECON 4351 International Monetary Economics: Theory and Policy (3); one course from FIR 4110-4119 (3) when the topic pertains to international business and has been approved in advance by the department chair.

Transfer students are referred to the section Transfer Credit in the College of Business and Economics description.

C. The Major (24 hours)

No grade below "C" and a minimum 2.25 GPA in the major.

A minimum of 24 upper-division semester hours as follows:

1. For students choosing the Business Economics major with no concentration: ECON 3310, 3320, and six upper-division economics courses (18 hours) selected with the approval of the department advisor.

2. For students choosing the Business Economics major with a concentration in Financial Economics: ECON 3310, 3320, and three upper-division economics courses (9 hours) and three upper-division FIR courses (9 hours) selected with the approval of the department advisor.

D. Electives (13 hours)

Lower division or upper division courses to bring the total of hours earned to 120.

E. Honors Program

To be considered for the Honors Degree Program in Economics, the student must:

Maintain a minimum grade of "B" in honors sections of both ECON 2010 (Introduction to Macroeconomics) and ECON 2020 (Introduction to Microeconomics); and obtain the recommendation of a faculty member in the Department of Economics to the Department Honors Committee.

Once accepted to the Honors Degree Program in Economics, the student must:

Maintain an average GPA of 3.25 in all economics courses to continue in the program; Have a minimum GPA of 3.5 in all economics courses at graduation; Enroll in ECON 3310 (Microeconomic Theory) and ECON 3320 (Macroeconomic Theory) with an honors contract. Those contracts will be discussed with and approved by the faculty member teaching each course; and write an honors thesis. This begins with finding a faculty advisor for the thesis project, discussing a thesis topic, then writing the thesis. The honors thesis typically takes one semester to complete, although work on it can begin early. When working on the honors thesis, the student will enroll in a section of ECON 4996 (Honors Thesis in Economics) for up to one semester. The completed thesis will be graded by the faculty advisor.

Upon successfully completing all these requirements, the student will be recognized at the commencement ceremony by having their degree conferred "With Honors in Economics." Moreover the student's diploma and the record at the University of Memphis will reflect this accomplishment.

Business Economics Minor

For students whose major is in another college of the University: 18 semester hours in economics courses, including ECON 2010, 2020, and 12 additional upper division hours in courses as approved by the department chair.

For students whose major is in another department in The Fogelman College of Business and Economics: Either ECON 3310 or ECON 3320 plus nine additional upper division hours in economics approved by the department chair.

Accelerated B.B.A./M.A. Program in Economics

This program allows outstanding undergraduates to begin the coursework for the Master of Arts in Economics during their senior year. Students are encouraged to begin planning to enter the Accelerated B.B.A./M.A. program early in their undergraduate career, in consultation with their advisor in the Department of Economics.

Working with the undergraduate and graduate academic coordinators, undergraduates selected into this program begin a carefully tailored course of study which will allow them to complete their B.B.A. degree while they also begin the coursework toward their M.A.

To apply, students must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, and must submit two reference letters and a copy of their transcript to the Economics department. Each applicant will complete an interview with the graduate academic coordinator in economics.

Students must also apply to the Graduate School for the accelerated B.B.A./M.A. program, which allows them to take graduate courses in economics. To continue in the program past the B.B.A., students must apply for full admission into the Graduate School and into the Economics department's M.A. program.

Only in ABM programs, up to 9 hours of graduate course work may be applied to both the undergraduate and graduate programs. However, any graduate coursework will not apply to undergraduate GPA.

Typical 4-Year Business Economics Sequence:

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

Junior Year

Senior Year

Total Hours Required for Graduation: 120

*Must satisfy University General Education Program Requirement