The Economics Major: Who Offers it and what is Required of Students?

This paper econometrically investigates what variables impact the probability a college/university offers an undergraduate major in economics, multiple tracks within the major, or economics minor. Data is collected from four-year, comprehensive institutions, with control variables including if public, year founded, enrollment, if offers a business degree, selectivity measures, and measures of market saturation for peers. In addition, data is collected on the requirements of economics majors across institutions. Regression is used to determine what institutional variables influence specific track requirements, such as math/statistics, econometrics, capstone course, and internship. Given the unique data set that has been created, this paper offers new information and interesting conclusions about the economics major.