Mathematical Economics

1. Students who wish to declare a 731 major are initially designated as 731P - Mathematical Economics (Prep). In order to be granted full admission into the 731 Mathematical Economics major, a student must satisfy the following requirements:

     • Completion of MATH 136, ECON 202, ECON 203, and ECON 206 or STAT 301, with a minimum GPA of 2.0 in
         the courses listed.
     • Completion of a minimum of 60 hours with a minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
     • Completion of a minimum of 12 hours at Western Kentucky University with a minimum WKU GPA of 2.0.
     • Submission of a Change of Major form to change from 731P to a 731 major.

2. A minimum of 49 hours in the major is required, which includes 27 hours of Economics, 21 hours of mathematics, and a 1 hour Senior Seminar course. A minimum of 120 unduplicated undergraduate semester hours is required.

3. A minor or second major is required. The second major may not be economics, business economics, or mathematics. The minor may not be economics or mathematics. At least one-third of the course requirements in each major and minor must be earned at WKU.

4. At least one-half of the semester hours required for each major and minor must be earned in undergraduate courses numbered 300 and above. (See the Undergraduate Catalog for exceptions for minors in business administration and computer information systems, and majors in dental hygiene, social studies, art education, middle grades education).

5. For this major, a minimum of 42 undergraduate semester hours must be completed in courses numbered 300 and above.

6. All mathematics courses listed as prerequisites for other courses must have been completed with a grade of C or better.

7. You must have a GPA of at least 2.0 (i) in all credits presented for graduation whether earned at WKU or elsewhere, (ii) in all credits completed at WKU, (iii) overall in the major subjects and in the minor subjects, and (iv) in the major subjects and in the minor subjects completed at WKU.

Note: This major leads to a Bachelor of Science degree intended for students interested in graduate studies in economics, public policy, or business, as well as those students seeking analytical careers that will require extensive mathematics backgrounds.

Complete List of Academic Requirements and Regulations

Economics Requirements - 27 hours
Course Descriptions

ECON 202 Micro Principles (3 hrs) ECON 203 Macro Principles (3 hrs)
ECON 302 Intermediate Micro (3 hrs) ECON 303 Intermediate Macro (3 hrs)
ECON 464 Mathematical Economics (3 hrs) ECON 465 Econometrics (3 hrs)
ECON 206 Statistics (3 hrs) (or STAT 301)
ECON 306 or 307 Statistical Analysis or Financial Data Modeling (3 hrs)
ECON 3XX / 4XX Upper Level Elective (3 hrs)

Mathematics Requirements – 21 hours
Course Descriptions

MATH 136 Calculus I (4 hrs)                      MATH 137 Calculus II (4 hrs)
MATH 237 Multivariable Calculus (4 hrs)     MATH 307 Linear Algebra (3 hrs)

Students must choose one of the following: (3 hrs)
MATH 331 Differential Equations     MATH 310 Discrete Math

Students must also choose one of the following: (3 hrs)
MATH 331    Differential Equations (if not chosen above)
MATH 310    Discrete Math (if not chosen above)
MATH 305    Mathematical Modeling
MATH 382    Probability & Statistics I
MATH 405    Numerical Analysis
MATH 435    Partial Differential Equations

Senior Capstone - 1 hour

Students must complete either ECON 497 or MATH 497.

Logic

Students must complete PHIL 215 - Elementary Logic or EE 180 - Circuit Design as a prerequisite for MATH 307. PHIL 215 counts toward General Education Category B-II.

University General Education Requirements
(A minimum of 44 hours total)

Cat. A: I. ENG 100 and 300 (6 hrs)     II. Foreign Lang. (3 hrs)        III. COMM 145 or 161 (3 hrs)
Cat. B:   I. Literature (3 hrs)       II. Electives (6 hrs)     (Three areas are required in Cat. B)
Cat. C:   HIST 119 or 120, and two other areas are required.   (9 hrs)
Cat. D:   I. Science (6 hrs; two fields must be represented, at least one must have a lab)      II. MATH (3 hrs)
Cat. E:   3 hours
Cat. F:   2 hours (May be two 1-hour PE courses, or a 3-hr class)

Residency Requirement

The minimum residence requirement for the bachelor’s degree is 25% of the minimum number of semester hours required in the student’s degree program. At least 16 of the hours counted in meeting the residence requirement must be completed after the semester in which the student has earned a cumulative total of at least 90 semester hours. Exceptions to these regulations may be made for WKU students who have been given permission to transfer credits earned at accredited professional schools to apply as electives toward the degree.

Application for Graduation

All candidates for a baccalaureate degree are expected to apply for graduation immediately after attaining senior status (90 hours earned). Associate degree candidates are expected to apply for graduation after earning 48 hours. The Application for Graduation is available on TopNet under Student Records.

Repeating Courses

An undergraduate student is permitted to repeat a maximum of six courses. Only two courses in which a grade of “C” or above has been earned may be repeated.

Credit for a course in which a grade of “F” has been received can be earned only by repeating the course in residence unless prior approval is given by the head of the department in which the course was taken. A course in which a grade of “D” has been received may be repeated at another accredited institution.

A course that has been failed cannot be repeated by independent learning without special permission from the department head. A student may not repeat by proficiency testing a course which has been previously taken or failed at WKU or another accredited institution.

If a course is repeated, only the second grade will be counted in computing the grade point average; if the course is repeated a second time both the second and the third grades will be used in computing the grade point average. The grade received for each attempt will continue to appear on the student’s academic record. A student may attempt a single course no more than three times.

Enrollment in Graduate Courses

Undergraduate students at Western Kentucky University may enroll in graduate level courses. Several conditions must be met to facilitate such enrollment:

1. Students must file all appropriate paper work through the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.
   a. Undergraduate Application for Graduate Enrollment Form
     b. Letter of recommendation from director of graduate program (or department head) that speaks to the student’s
         ability to perform at graduate level and justification of appropriateness of enrollment in such courses.

2. Undergraduate students must have declared a major or minor in the subject area or a closely related area for which the graduate course is offered.

3. Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the major or minor area to which the graduate coursework is closely related.

4. Students may enroll in no more than 15 hours of coursework (graduate and undergraduate combined) in any semester in which enrollment in graduate-level courses occurs.

5. With the concurrence of the student’s undergraduate advisor, department head and dean, graduate coursework may be used to satisfy undergraduate degree requirements; however, graduate credit hours used to meet the requirements for a baccalaureate degree may not be used toward a graduate degree.

Dr. David K. Neal, Lead Academic Advisor
Department of Mathematics
4136 COHH
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101
270.745.6213

731: Mathematical Economics

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