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The article examines the structure of introductory economics courses in United States colleges. The variety of course options available to students in the introductory courses offered by various institutions is documented in the tables and discussion that follow. In general, about a quarter of all colleges and universities offer both a one-semester and a two-semester introductory course. Enrollment in the introductory course averages about 60 students, but the standard deviation in class size is almost as large, suggesting considerable variation. The course is typically much larger at research and doctorate granting institutions than at comprehensive or liberal arts colleges. Only about 21 percent of the colleges use discussion sections to supplement lectures in their introductory courses, and most of these schools are research or doctorate institutions. In this article, the scope of the introductory economics course offerings at 538 United States colleges and universities that grant a bachelors degree with a major in economics is examined.

There are about 900 different U.S. colleges and universities offering a four-year bachelor's degree with a major in economics. The majority of these programs are located in colleges of liberal arts. The typical program graduates 35 students per year, about 30 percent of whom are women. There are usually no special prerequisites to major in economics, and commonly no requirements other than completing 30-33 semester credit hours, including 6 hours in introductory economics, 3 hours in intermediate microeconomics, 3 hours in intermediate macroeconomics, and 3 hours in statistics. In general, there seems to be a broad consensus regarding the prerequisites, course and credit requirements, and other special requirements for earning a bachelor's degree in economics in the U.S. today. The majority of business economics major programs are located in departments of economics within a college of business. The typical undergraduate business economics program graduates 26 students per year, about 25 percent of whom are women. There are usually no special prerequisites to major in business economics. The median semester credit hours required for a major is 38, with over half of the programs requiring each of 13 different courses. Required courses include 5 courses in economics, 6 courses in business and 2 courses in quantitative methods. The business economics major is more structured and professionally oriented than a regular economics major. The core courses suggest that business economics is usually a combination of business and economics rather than a specific program in economics designed to train business economists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]