Program Description
Perhaps the best way to understand the world you live in is to understand the economics that drive it. The world is constantly and increasingly confronted with challenging issues that are essentially economic in character. Economic analysis provides a coherent and logical ordered framework for examining these issues and understanding the tradeoffs involved in attempting to solve social and business problems.
The study of economics will enhance your fundamental analytic and quantitative skills. The curriculum strives to not simply just provide a very good undergraduate education for people interested in studying economics but also provides skills to pursue a wide variety of careers in both the private and public sectors. It leads naturally to careers in business, law, and in economics research and consulting, as well as provides a solid foundation for students who will pursue an MBA degree. Students who wish to attend graduate school in economics should take courses in mathematics beyond the requirements of the economics program.
The economics faculty at NYU Shanghai offers a rare combination of excellence in research and teaching. Many of the economics courses offer the advantage of a liberal arts college setting, including small class sizes and significant interaction between faculty and students. The economics curriculum at NYU Shanghai is designed to introduce students to these fundamental dynamics of human life and, in doing so, is grounded in three basic pedagogical principles:
- Undergraduate students must be exposed to the “big ideas” and pressing social issues of our world and given economic frameworks for thinking about them.
- Meaningful study of economics requires being able to think about problems from local, regional, and global perspectives.
- Understanding how individuals’ make decisions also requires incorporating insights from neuroscience and psychology.
More about the NYU Shanghai Economics Program can be found at https://econ.shanghai.nyu.edu/
Admissions
New York University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions supports the application process for all undergraduate programs at NYU. For additional information about undergraduate admissions, including application requirements, see How to Apply.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, students will display:
- Proficiency in critical thinking. Students are able to work in an independent fashion to analyze the logical essentials of a problem. They understand basic microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and can apply them to analyze real-world events.
- Proficiency in written and oral communication. Students are able to write coherent and accurate reports when analyzing current economic events and when interpreting their own findings. They can deliver effective oral presentations that explain economic concepts, and they know how to justify their economic analysis carefully and accurately. They demonstrate computer literacy in the preparation of reports and presentations.
- Proficiency in neoclassical economic analysis. Students are sufficiently prepared to be able to understand the contributions of current research papers and of other current work in neoclassical microeconomics and macroeconomics. They are able to use the concepts they encounter to analyze contemporary economics events and policies.
- Proficiency in behavioral Economic analysis. Students are able to articulate the limitations of neoclassical economic analysis and can also appreciate how insights from psychology, neuroscience, and other cognitive sciences can expand the explanatory power of economic analysis and can reshape the design of public policies.
- Proficiency in empirical analysis. Students understand how to turn economic theories into testable hypotheses. They can work independently to collect and use economic data from a wide variety of sources and can conduct empirical tests of hypothesized relationships. They have familiarity with a range of research designs that can help uncover causal relationships in data. Students have achieved an effective working knowledge of current statistical software and data management tools.
- Interpret data through various forms of evidence by employing qualitative and quantitative methods by means of appropriate research design, rigorous investigation, and critical analysis of a wide range of social phenomena.
Policies
Core Language Requirement
Students who did not attend a Chinese-medium high school fulfill the Core language requirement by demonstrating proficiency of the Chinese language through the Intermediate level. Chinese speakers who did not attend an English-medium high school fulfill the Core language requirement through completion of EAP-SHU 100 English for Academic Purposes I and EAP-SHU 101 English for Academic Purposes II. Additional information can be found on the NYU Shanghai Core Curriculum page.
Prerequisite Courses for Declaring a Major
Final grade of C/current semester midterm grade of B or higher in Microeconomics.
Calculus Requirement
Economic major students must either take MATH-SHU 131 Calculus, place out of Calculus, or take Honors Calculus, in order to satisfy the Mathematics requirement in the core curriculum.
Economics and Data Science Double Major Guidelines
Students who are interested in pursuing a Data Science major along with an Economics major have the option to double-count more than two courses between the majors. To complete both majors successfully, students would need to complete the course requirements for both majors. However, the following courses are allowed to be double-counted toward both majors:
Economics and Data Science (Concentration in Economics)
Economics and Data Science (Concentration in Finance)
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
NYU Shanghai Policies
Additional academic policies can be found on the NYU Shanghai Academic Policies page.