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Students in the Department of Resource Economics choose among three options: Consumer and Family Economics, Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, and Managerial Economics.

Required coursework includes university General Education requirements, a common departmental core of 11 courses, and 10 additional courses specified by the elected option. Departmental core courses have been selected to provide the basic tools of economic theory and quantitative analysis and a perception of how our economic system works. They provide a base of understanding on which to build an applied economics specialization. Departmental option requirements enable students to focus coursework on particular career specialties within the food, natural resource, environmental, managerial or consumer and family areas. Students are allowed considerable flexibility within the options. By careful selection of courses, it is possible to design a program which prepares a student for employment in a specific career or which provides a good foundation for graduate study. Some students also prepare for international careers.

Requirements for All Options
An introductory course in the department other than the requirement of the student’s option. Introductory courses are 121 Hunger in a Global Economy, 162 The Consumer in Our Society, 262 Environmental Economics, and 263 Natural Resource Economics.

102 Introduction to Resource Economics
112 Computing: Foundations to Frontiers
202 Price Theory
212 (211) Introductory Statistics for the Social (Life) Sciences
213 Intermediate Statistics
313 Quantitative Methods in Applied Economics
ECON 104 Macroeconomics
ECON 204 Intermediate Macroeconomics
MATH 127 or 131, Calculus I
SCH-MGMT 310 Management Communications

Each option requires an additional set of courses, with some flexibility in each, to complete a particular career emphasis.

Consumer and Family Economics Option
162 The Consumer in Our Society
360 Personal and Family Finance
460 Family Economics
470 Family Economic Policy: Issues and Implication
An internship is required (9-12 credits)
Six additional courses selected from a list available from the department

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Option
262 Environmental Economics
263 Natural Resource Economics
471 Benefit-Cost Analysis of Natural Resource Programs
472 Advanced Topics in Resource and Environmental Economics
ENVIRSCI 213 Introduction to Environmental Policy or POLISCI 382 Environmental Policy
Five additional courses selected from a list available from the department

Managerial Economics Option
324 Small Business Finance or Finance 301 Corporation Finance
428 Managerial Economics
452 Industrial Organization in Resource Economics
453 Public Policy in Private Markets
ACCOUNTG 221 Introduction to Accounting I
MANAGMNT 301 Principles of Management
Four additional courses selected from a list available from the department

Note: Departmental core and option requirements may not be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.

For the requirements for Commonwealth Honors College Departmental Honors in Resource Economics, see the Undergraduate Handbook at www.umass.edu/resec/undergraduate/docs/undergradbook.pdf.