Economics and Operations Research
Barnard students may apply to the 4+1 Bachelor/Master's program in Economics and Operations Research, through our partnership with the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR) at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science. See a detailed description of this program beneath the course matrix chart below. *Note that acceptance into this program is restrictive and very competitive.*
For the undergraduate component of this program, which will lead to a degree in Economics and Mathematics (See our FAQs page for How to Declare a Major in our department), students will complete the following set of courses:
Requirements
| Sequential Character | Common Core | Quantitative Dimension | Thematic Focus |
| Course Title | Course Number | When Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Intro to Economic Reasoning 1 | ECON BC1003 | Year 1 |
| Calculus II 2 | MATH UN1102 | 1 |
| Multivariable Calculus for Engineering & Applied Science, or Calculus III 2 | APMA E2000 or MATH UN1201 | 1 |
| Intermediate Macro Theory 3 | ECON BC3033 | 2 |
| Intermediate Micro Theory 4 | ECON BC3035 | 2 |
| Theoretical Foundations of Political Economy | ECON BC3041 | 2 |
| Intro to Probability and Statistics 5 | STAT GU4001 | 2/3 |
| Econometrics 6 | ECON BC3018 | 2/3 |
| Linear Algebra | MATH UN2010 | 3 |
| Analysis and Optimization 7 | MATH UN2500 | 3 |
| Foundations of Data Science | ORCA E2500 | 3 |
| 1. Upper-Level Economics Elective | 3 | |
| 2. Upper-Level Economics Elective | 3/4 | |
| Math Elective at or above 2000-level | 3/4 | |
| Senior Seminar, or Senior Thesis I & II, or Undergraduate Math Seminar | 4 |
1 ECON UN1105 (at Columbia) may be substituted for BC1003
2 Honor’s Mathematics A & B may be substituted for Calculus II & III.
3 ECON UN3213 (at Columbia) may be substituted for BC3033
4 ECON UN3211 (at Columbia) may be substituted for BC3035.
5 A Calculus-based statistics course such as Stat UN1201 is recommended for students with little or no statistics preparation prior to taking STAT GU4001. Very ambitious students may substitute STAT GU4203 plus STAT GU4204 for STAT GU4001.
6 ECON UN3412 (at Columbia) may be substituted for ECON BC3018.
7 MATH GU4061 Introduction to Modern Analysis is an acceptable alternative.
This is identical to the current major in Economics and Mathematics, with one or two modifications: Foundations of Data Science replaces one mathematics elective, and Multivariable Calculus for Engineering and Applied Science could replace Calculus III. However, Calculus III will still be acceptable as a substitute for the latter course. Students cannot use Foundations of Data Science in place of a math elective unless they actually are admitted to and enroll in the 4+1 program; students must therefore plan to take a second math elective for their Economics & Mathematics major, until they have officially accepted an admissions offer into the 4+1 program. Time permitting, we encourage students to complete their second math elective regardless.
In order to be eligible for admission to the Master’s program at IEOR, students should have completed at least three of the following four courses by the end of their second year, and all four by the end of the first semester of their third year:
- Multivariable Calculus for Engineering and Applied Science (or Calculus III)
- Linear Algebra
- Introduction to Probability & Statistics
- Foundations of Data Science
Admission will occur during junior year and will be based on successful completion of these courses in addition to a GPA requirement (to be determined by IEOR).
For the Master’s degree, students can choose from the following five Master of Science Programs:
- Operations Research
- Industrial Engineering
- Financial Engineering
- Management Science and Engineering
- Business Analytics
The first two M.S. programs require 30 credits in total, while the other three require 36 credits. In order to be able to complete the Master’s degree in two semesters beyond their Bachelor’s degree, students should take 6 to 12 additional credits from the Master of Science program by the end of their senior year at Barnard. This should be over and above their total required credits for the Bachelor’s degree.
IEOR will grant access to M.S. courses to Barnard students admitted to the 4+1 program during their senior year (and in exceptional cases during their junior year).
Economics majors cannot take any economics courses PDF. See our FAQ page for more details.