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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 in departments averaging nine faculty. The typical program graduates thirty-five 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 thirty to thirty-three semester credit hours, including six hours in introductory economics, three hours in intermediate microeconomics, three hours in intermediate macroeconomics, and three hours in statistics. Among their elective courses, students are more likely to choose courses in labor economics, public finance, or international economics. 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 United States today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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.