Economics

Department of Economics, Accounting, and Business

  • AMY E. COX, chair
  • TANYA G. GREENLEE
  • MADELYN V. YOUNG

Mission

The mission of the Economics, Accounting and Business department is to offer students the high quality of education they need to succeed in a continuously changing business environment. All programs in the department allow students to apply their knowledge in a variety of projects and activities. The faculty is committed to excellence in teaching. Internships are required in some majors and concentrations and strongly encouraged in all.

The Department of Economics, Accounting and Business has four separate majors: economics, accounting, business administration and healthcare administration. Within the business administration major the department offers five concentrations: finance, human resource management, international business, marketing, and sports management. The department prepares students who wish to pursue graduate education for entrance to and successful completion of graduate school.

The General Education Program is a requirement for all degrees. The requirements listed below are approved for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Fine Arts.

ENG 101 3 hours
Language and Culture 9 hours
MTH 108 or higher 3 hours
One course designated as Quantitative reasoning 3–4 hours
Health and Well-being Wellness 2 hours
Activity course 1–2 hours
Humanities 6 hours
Literature 3 hours
Fine Arts 6 hours
Natural Science 7–8 hours
Social Science 6 hours
Total 49–52 hours

Graduation requirements but not a separate course:

  • First Year Seminar
  • Writing Intensive course
  • Non-European/non-Anglophone course Capstone experience

Major and Minor GPA Calculation for Economics, Accounting and Business Department

A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required to earn the following in the department of Economics, Accounting
and Business:

Bachelor of Arts with an Economics major, Bachelor of Science with an Economics major, Economics minor, Bachelor of Science with an Accounting major, Accounting minor, Bachelor of Arts with a Business Administration major, Bachelor of Science with a Business Administration major, Business Administration minor, Marketing minor, Bachelor of Arts with a Healthcare Administration major, Healthcare Administration minor,  and Bachelor of Arts with a Business Administration major in the Degree Completion program. This includes all required courses including any major or minor requirements from outside this department. Transfer credits from other institutions do not figure into the required calculation for minor or major GPA.

Note: Majors in Business Administration with a concentration in International Business will also minor or double major in one of the foreign languages. The courses required for the minor or major in the foreign language will not count as part of the 2.0 GPA requirement in the Bachelor of Arts with a Business Administration major.

Economics

The mission of the Economics program at Converse is to prepare students for employment or graduate school in economics by helping them develop communication skills, and an understanding of economic markets, institutions, linkages and basic research methodologies.

Past economics majors are currently working for a wide variety of businesses or in local, state or the federal government. Some are also in graduate school or law school, as it is widely recognized that economics provides one of the best backgrounds for the study of law.

Department offers either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science with an Economics major. Students earning the Bachelor of Arts with an Economics major will achieve the following program level-student learning outcomes:

  1. Communicate clearly, concisely and professionally, both orally and in writing.
  2. Gain a basic understanding of the working of markets, the nature of market structures, and the linkages in the world economy.
  3. Understand basic research methodology including literature surveys, data gathering, statistical analyses of economic data and policy implications of economic theory and empirical research in economics.
  4. Understand economic institutions such as the Federal Reserve.

In addition to achieving the above student learning outcomes, the student earning the Bachelor of Science with an Economics major will:

  • Understand the mathematical underpinnings of key economic principles and models.

Degrees and Certificates

Courses

ECN 125: FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR

Class Program
Credits 3
First-Year Seminars constitute a common and academically significant experience in a student’s first year at Converse University. All incoming first- year students are required to take a 3-credit hour FYS in the fall semester, choosing from a variety of discipline specific topics. Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix, but with the common course number (except for designated honors sections). Each FYS course is designed to have no more than 18 students, and counts in some designated category of the General Education Program. Strong writing and speaking components are required elements of the course.
Notes
GEP credit.

ECN 150: ECONOMIC CONCEPTS

Class Program
Credits 3 4

3 - 4 credits depending on semester. This course examines the basic micro- and macroeconomic principles as found in the real world. The ideas of opportunity cost, supply and demand, the workings of markets, monopoly, unemployment, inflation, economic growth, international trade and other selected topics are discussed. No credit will be granted to any student taking ECN 150 who successfully completed ECN 125.

Notes

GEP, Elective credit.

ECN 191: APPLICATIONS OF EXCEL IN ECONOMICS

Class Program
Credits 1
This course will give students hand- on experience in applying Excel spreadsheets to real- world situations and problems. Topics discussed include but are not limited to the following: writing basic formulas: using the statistical, financial, and other formulas in the Excel package; using the regression and the correlation analysis tools of Excel; creating and formatting tables, charts and graphs to express quantitative data in a visual format; writing Macros to fit business situations.
Notes
Elective credit.

ECN 199H: FRESHMAN HONORS SEMINAR

Class Program
Credits 3
The Honors course selects subjects within the discipline that will vary from term to term. The course is designed to encourage student participation in class discussions, special projects, solutions of problems, and defense of positions. Honors classes are often concentrated in current problems that are topics of other particular course offerings. A maximum of three credits shall be granted for duplicated course work. Offered periodically in rotation with seminars in other disciplines.
Notes
GEP, Elective credit.

ECN 201: MICROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES

Class Program
Credits 3

This course is an introductory study of market structures, products, and factors of production. Quantitative GEP requirement.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor

Notes

GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.  

ECN 202: MACROECONOMIC PRINCIPLES

Class Program
Credits 3

This course is an introduction to national income determination, monetary and fiscal policy, and international trade. Quantitative GEP requirement.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or permission of instructor

Notes

GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 291: SPECIAL TOPICS IN ECONOMICS

Class Program
Credits 3 4

The topics in this course will vary depending on available staff and interest of the students. It is intended to expose students to some introductory studies in the area of economics.

Notes

GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 299H: INTERDISCIPLINARY HONORS COURSE

Class Program
Credits 3
This course is team taught by members in two departments and is open to Nisbet Honors Program participants and to others who meet Honors Program guidelines. All students registering for these courses must register not only through the Honors Program but also with their adviser and the Registrar’s Office.
Notes
GEP, Major, Elective credit.

ECN 300: DESCRIPTIVE AND INFERENTIAL STATISTICS

Class Program
Credits 4
This course examines some of the methods of describing and presenting both quantitative and qualitative data. Probability techniques and principles are studied as these are necessary for conducting and interpreting inferential statistical tests and techniques. Meets Quantitative GEP requirement.
Notes
Major, Minor credit.

ECN 304: DECISION ANALYTICS FOR BUSINESS

Class Program
Credits 4

Various mathematical techniques are employed in examining problems encountered in business and economics. These techniques include optimization, regression, decision- making, linear programming, PERT/CPM and inventory management models.

Prerequisites

or permission of the instructor.

Notes

Major, Minor credit.

ECN 320: BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS

Class Program
Credits 3

Behavioral economics incorporates insight from other social sciences, such as psychology and sociology, into economic models, and attempts to explain anomalies that defy standard economic analysis. Institutional economics is the study of the evolution of economic organizations, laws, contracts, and customs as part of a historical and continuing process of economic development.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 321: MONEY AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Class Program
Credits 3

This course examines the role of money and of monetary and financial institutions on the aggregate economy. There is an emphasis on the history, structure, and function of the banking system. The tools of monetary policy and how monetary policy impacts the aggregate economy are also discussed.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 323: ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Class Program
Credits 3

Economic progress and development in the emerging nations of the world are the main points of investigation. This is an interdisciplinary approach to the economic, political and sociological factors involved in developing the economies of low per capita income countries. Non-European/Non-Anglophone.  

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit. 

ECN 325: MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS

Class Program
Credits 3

This course illustrates the role of economic intuitions in making sound business decisions. The course emphasizes logic and conceptual modeling, reinforced by real-life examples, to highlight the pivotal link between economics and key business concerns such as costs, prices, markets and personnel. Students will learn to weigh the strategic costs and benefits of each business choice, instead of relying on popular quick-fix solutions.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 326: LABOR ECONOMICS

Class Program
Credits 3

Labor supply, labor demand, and their interaction in the determination of wage rates are the points of examination for this course. Wage differentials are examined in light of market, institutional, and sociological factors. Discussions of labor unions and their economic effects are held as are examinations of macroeconomic topics such as unemployment and inflation.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 327: INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS

Class Program
Credits 3 4

This course examines the theoretical bases for international trade, comparative advantages, and the Heckscher-Ohlin model. The effect of trade barriers on the world economy is also explored. The importance of trade in the world economy, the mechanism of international payments, and the nature of fixed and flexible exchange rate systems are studied. The firm’s decision making process in entering a market in a foreign country is examined. The course also examines the cultural, historical and political environments that impact multinational firms’ operations.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 329: ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS

This course provides a survey of public policy issues regarding the management of natural resources and the protection of environmental quality, from the perspective of economics. The course covers both conceptual and methodological topics and recent and current applications, including specific environmental policy areas such as climate change.

Notes

Major, Minor

ECN 345: AMERICAN ECONOMIC HISTORY

Class Program
Credits 3

This course studies the economic development of the United States from the colonial period to the present. The interrelated changes in economic performance, technology, institutions, and governmental policy are emphasized. Such topics as early development, transportation, population growth, technological change, financial development, and the role of government are covered.

Prerequisites

or permission of instructor.

Notes

GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 349: SPORTS ECONOMICS AND FINANCE

Class Program
Credits 3

The course examines the basic concepts of economics, supply and demand, and applies these concepts in a sports environment, seeking to determine how sports teams derive revenues and how the teams convert those revenues into profits for the owners. Other topics include the value of new franchises, the value of expansion of teams, the location of teams in different markets, and competitive balance. Issues of player salaries and labor relations, the role of government, and the economics of college athletics will be discussed. Cross-listed with BAD 349.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 380: HEALTHCARE ECONOMICS AND POLICY

Class Program
Credits 3

Healthcare economics and policy applies microeconomic principles to healthcare delivery and healthcare policies. The course explores the changing nature of healthcare, social and political issues, and the future of healthcare delivery and finance under the Affordable Care Act. This course will also compare and contrast the United States and its lifestyle, cultural and economic characteristics to those of other developed countries to help students challenge their assumptions about healthcare.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 400: SENIOR SEMINAR

Class Program
Credits 3

A capstone course is required of all majors in the department, including accounting, business administration, and economics.  This course gives students the opportunity to engage in career planning as well as applying their analytical skills to business situations and case studies.  Students will submit written reports and give oral presentations on various topics, possibly in teams. Quantitative GEP requirement. Capstone. Writing Intensive.

Prerequisites

Senior status, or permission of department chair.

Notes

Major credit.

ECN 401: SPECIAL TOPICS

Class Program
Credits 3
January Credits
4

The topics in this course will vary depending on available staff and interest of the students. It is intended to expose students to some advanced studies in the area of economics.

Notes

Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 490: DIRECTED INDEPENDENT STUDY IN SPECIAL TOPICS

Class Program
Credits 3
This independent course is for advanced study of a topic not covered in any other course, under faculty guidance and instruction. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites

Departmental approval.

Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.

ECN 499: ECONOMICS INTERNSHIP

Class Program
Credits 1 6
The internship involves the student in a business or governmental agency related to the student’s career choice. A portfolio of the internship is required. Pass/fail grading.
Prerequisites

Minimum 12 hours in major within department; 2.5 GPA in major; and permission of the faculty director.