The Status of Econometrics in the Economics Major : A Survey

This paper describes the place of econometrics in undergraduate economics curricula in all American colleges and universities listed in US News and World Report “2010 Best Colleges” guide that offer economics majors. Data come from online catalogs, departmental web sites, and online course syllabi. About one-third of the schools require econometrics of all students majoring in economics, about half require none, and a sixth require it of some, but not all, economics majors. Among universities with economics Ph.D. programs and liberal arts colleges, almost all those ranked in the top 10 require it. Below the top 10, there is little correlation between ranking and econometrics requirements. Liberal arts econometrics classes are much more likely to require research projects than their counterparts in universities