Department Information
The Department of Economics offers a vibrant undergraduate curriculum. Students enjoy close and meaningful interactions with the faculty through rigorous and engaging courses. A diverse menu of elective courses covers exciting and relevant topics like growth and development, international trade and finance, public policy analysis and evaluation, and strategic business decisions. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue outside-of-the-classroom learning through internships and study abroad.
Website
CONTACT
Email | 352.392.0151 (tel) | 352.294.7860 (fax)
P.O. Box 117140
224 MATHERLY HALL
GAINESVILLE FL 32611-7140
Map
Curriculum
Courses
ECO 2013 Principles of Macroeconomics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
In this course, students will learn the foundations of macroeconomics as the branch of economics concerned with how decision-making, in an environment of scarcity, maps onto the aggregate economy. Students will examine theories and evidence related to the following core set of topics: national income determination, money, monetary and fiscal policy, macroeconomic conditions, international trade and the balance of payments, and economic growth and development.
Attributes: General Education - Social Science
ECO 2023 Principles of Microeconomics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Theories of production, determination of prices and distribution of income in regulated and unregulated industries. Attention is also given to industrial relations, monopolies and comparative economic systems. (S)
Attributes: General Education - Social Science
ECO 2310 Economics of Sustainability 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines issues of environmental sustainability from an economic perspective. Discusses economic treatment of renewable and nonrenewable resources, land constraints, and global climate change. Identifies potential policy solutions grounded in economic theory.
ECO 3101 Intermediate Microeconomics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Nature, scope, and purpose of economic analysis. Examines the theory of consumer behavior, production, costs, firm behavior, and the allocation of resources.
Prerequisite: (ECO 2023 and (MAC 2233 or higher level calculus course)) or AEB 3103
ECO 3203 Intermediate Macroeconomics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Theoretical determinants of aggregate employment, income, expenditures and the price level. Keynesian and neoclassical models are analyzed.
Prerequisite: ECO 2013 and ECO 2023 and (MAC 2233 or higher level calculus course).
ECO 3430 Economic Analysis of Data 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Introduces prominent big economic datasets. Presents common practices for identifying inconsistencies and cleaning data. Describes several data basic visualization tools within various software packages. Incorporates hand-on experience with economic data analysis.
Prerequisite: ECO 2013 and ECO 2023 and STA 2023 (or higher level STA course).
ECO 3532 Public Choice 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Role of voters, special interests, legislators and the bureaucracy in determining government expenditure, taxation and other economic policies. Economic models of voting and the structure of governments.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023.
ECO 3704 International Trade 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Theory of international trade and commercial policy. Current issues in international trade, comparative advantage, scale economics, the economics of tariff and non-tariff barriers. International factor movements and multinational firms. Political economy of trade restrictions, strategic trade policy and trade negotiations.
ECO 3713 International Macroeconomics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Macroeconomic theory of an open economy. Current monetary issues of the world economy. The international monetary system, exchange rate determination, balance of payments adjustment mechanism, international financial institutions and their policies. Macroeconomic policies and national income determination in an open economy.
ECO 4104 Economics of Competitive Strategy 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Focuses on identification and analysis of competitive strategies in expanding markets. Draws on strategic management, the economics of technological change and RD investments, and dynamic game theory, to address challenges faced by firms. Examines demand-based network externalities, the dynamics of pricing rivalry, industry evolution, RD strategies entry and exit decisions.
Prerequisite: ECO 2013 and ECO 2023 and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703) and (MAC 2233 or higher).
ECO 4213 Monetary Economics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
An integrated examination of how banks impact the money supply, monetary policy and financial markets. Topics include: the historical features of money; banking and money supply; goals and tools of monetary policy; and banks as financial intermediaries.
ECO 4270 Economic Growth 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines global history of economic growth and development. Introduces classical and modern theories of economic growth. Develops mainstream models of exogenous and endogenous growth. Compares insights from these models to real-world data.
Prerequisite: (MAC 2233 or higher) and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703)
ECO 4400 Game Theory and Applications 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Introduces modern game theory, including the formal theory of Nash equilibrium and solutions techniques. Applications include strategic barriers of entry; cooperative behavior in oligopoly, auctions and bidding strategies; and durable goods sales.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023 and (MAC 2233 or MAC 2234 or MAC 2311 or MAC 2312 or MAC 2313) and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703).
ECO 4401 Mathematical Economics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Introduces fundamental mathematical tools employed in economic analysis. Covers comparative static analysis, introduces linear algebra, constrained and unconstrained optimization, and dynamic analysis using differential and difference equations. Examines applications from a wide range of subfields in economics, including consumer theory, macroeconomics, economic growth, and environmental economics.
Prerequisite: (ECO 2013 and ECO 2023 and ECO 3101) or (ECO 3203 and MAC 2233 or higher).
ECO 4421 Econometrics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Introduces concepts and methods used in empirical economic research. Emphasizes practical use of basic econometric techniques to estimate economic relationships and evaluate policy. Covers topics needed to plan and implement empirical projects, and understand potential problems with the empirical analyses of others.
Prerequisite: STA 2023 and (MAC 2233 or higher) and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703).
ECO 4422 Econometrics 2 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Introduces advanced concepts and methods employed in empirical economic analysis. Focuses on identification of causality using regression techniques. Examines regression discontinuity and difference-in-differences identification strategies.
Prerequisite: ECO 4421 OR (STA 4210 AND ECO 3101) OR (STA 4210 AND ECP 3703).
ECO 4504 Public Economics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Market failures and the role of the government in providing goods and services, like education and infrastructure, in a market economy. The role of the government in the provision of various types of social insurance like health insurance, social security and welfare. The effects of taxes on economic behavior.
Prerequisite: ECO 2013 and ECO 2023 and (MAC 2233 or higher) and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703).
ECO 4905 Individual Work 1-4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
For advanced undergraduate students who need to supplement regular coursework by individual studies under guidance. Counted as a free elective credit only.
Prerequisite: senior standing or higher, 10 credits of economics and department permission.
ECO 4934 Special Topics 1-4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable content providing an opportunity for the study in-depth of topics not offered in other courses.
ECO 4935 Empirical Research in Economics Seminar 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
After getting some background in economic empirical methodology, statistics, and statistical software and discussing some representative empirical papers, each economics student develops an empirical model and subjects it to statistical testing, helped by several class presentations.
ECO 4941 Internship in Economics 1-3 Credits
Grading Scheme: S/U
Applied work in economics. Requires several papers and reports. Counted as a free-elective credit only.
Prerequisite: department permission.
ECO 4956 International Studies in Economics 1-4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Provides a mechanism by which coursework taken as part of an approved study abroad program can be recorded on the UF transcript and counted toward graduation.
ECO 4970 Honors Thesis 1-4 Credits
Grading Scheme: S/U
A thesis is required for the awarding of the magna cum laude or summa cum laude designations. To qualify, students will normally have completed 90 semester credits of coursework (exceptions may be made by the honors coordinator of the student's major department) and must have at least the grade point average (3.6) required for the magna cum laude designation at the time they enroll. The thesis will be reviewed by at least one faculty member chosen by the honors coordinator for the student's major department. Counted as a free-elective credit only.
Prerequisite: 90 credits earned and 3.6 UF GPA.
ECP 3006 Economics of Sports 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines the business of sports using economic theory as a framework for analysis. Topics covered include the economics of sports leagues, labor negotiations and arbitration, pricing decisions, discrimination, corruption in sports, gambling, sports memorabilia and antitrust policy.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023 and (MAC 2233 or higher level calculus course) and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703).
ECP 3203 Labor Economics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Determinants of demand for labor and labor supply. Labor market equilibrium and changes in the equilibrium due to changes in unionization, public policies, technology and trade. Study of the effects of skill, job amenities and discrimination on wage differentials.
ECP 3302 Environmental Economics and Resource Policy 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Relations between environmental quality, resource utilization, and economic institutions and policy. Examines alternative strategies and policies in solving the problems of environmental quality and resource scarcity.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023. Credit will not be awarded for both ECP 3302 and AEB 3450.
ECP 3403 Industrial Organization 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines the structure of markets and the behavior of firms operating in imperfectly competitive markets. Develops models of imperfectly competitive markets and compares the insights and predictions from each. Investigates firms' strategic profit-maximizing decisions regarding prices, product differentiation, market entry and exit, and product promotion.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023, (MAC 2233 or higher level calculus course), and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703)
ECP 3510 Economics of Education 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Uses economic concepts to analyze the education system and education policy options. Topics covered include class size, No Child Left Behind legislation, public vs. private schools, and vouchers.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023.
ECP 3530 Health Care Economics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Analysis of health care markets, employing efficiency and equity criteria. Evaluation of current health care policies and their effects on cost, access and quality. Topics covered include the production of and demand for health and medical care; information asymmetrics between patients, doctors, and payers; health insurance coverage; the effects of managed care (including HMOs) on competition, efficiency, and quality; training and practice of physicians; hospitals; prescription drug pricing; government regulations; Medicare and Medicaid; health care reform.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023.
ECP 3703 Managerial Economics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Analysis of the firm's decisions regarding prices, outputs and inputs, advertising, etc. under various market conditions. Reliance is placed upon both theories and applications.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023 and MAC 2233 or higher. Credit will not be awarded ECO 3101 and ECP 3703.
ECP 4423 Government Regulation of Business 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
The evolution, statutory foundation and methods of governmental regulation. Antitrust regulation of competitive practices.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023 and (MAC 2233 or higher level calculus course) and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703).
ECP 4451 Law and Economics 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Analyzes the interaction between law and economics, and evolution of legal rules; efficiency of alternative rules on pollution and public goods, enforcement of contracts, deterrence of crime, and protection of consumers; and efficiency versus fairness.
Prerequisite: ECO 2023 and (MAC 2233 or higher level calculus course) and (ECO 3101 or ECP 3703).
ECS 3403 Economic Development of Latin America 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
A critical assessment of Latin American political economy and economic development. Topics covered include economic history from the colonial period forward; commodity price cycles and balance of payment fluctuations; import substitution industrialization; international indebtedness; trade liberalization; inflation stabilization policies; poverty eradication difficulties.
ECS 4013 Economic Development 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines different theories of economic growth and development of low-income and middle-income countries. Covers microeconomic and macroeconomic models relevant to understanding development and analyzing various policy proposals. Analyzes history and empirical evidence of global economic growth and development.
Prerequisite: ECO 2013, ECO 2023, MAC 2233 or higher, and ECO 3101
ECS 4110 Africa in the Global Economy 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines the African continent position globally, looking both at the challenges as well as at the options available to African nations to get a fair and better deal in the global economy. Main topics: international trade and global value chairs; WTO rules and negotiations especially with regard to agriculture; aid to Africa; economic reforms, the World Bank and IMF; the debt crisis; migration and African Diaspora.
Prerequisite: ECO 2013 and ECO 2023. Students with credit for ECS 4111 will not get credit for ECS 4110.
ECS 4111 African Economic Development 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Deals with the most pressing issues facing Sub-Saharan African countries in their quest for socioeconomic development. Although the focus is on contemporary issues and forthcoming challenges, more or less recent historical facts will be reviewed whenever necessary to shed light on the present. Main topics include economic growth, politics and institutions, international trade, agricultural and industrial development, poverty and inequality, access to basic social services, the environment, and gender issues.
Prerequisite: ECO 2013 and ECO 2023. Students with credit for ECS 4110 will not get credit for ECS 4111.