International Economics (Qatar), BSFS
As Qatar and other Gulf countries become more important in the global economy, the demand for skilled economists is increasing. The International Economics major instills strong analytical and quantitative skills that distinguish you as an exceptional candidate for further study or direct entry into a career.
Why study International Economics?
- Develop expertise in quantitative analysis
- Learn how policy impacts people, countries, and financial markets
- Distinguish yourself on the international job market
- Prepare for graduate education in economics and business
Major in International Economics
Eight courses total are required for the IECO major, with three additional courses (ECON 2543, ECON 2544 and MATH 1350) required for entry to the major. Either ECON 2543 or ECON 2544 can also satisfy the third core curriculum economics course.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Courses required for entry to IECO major | ||
| MATH 1350 | Calculus I (Year 2) | 4 |
| MATH 1360 | Calculus II (Year 2) | 4 |
| ECON 2543 | International Trade (Year 2) | 3 |
| ECON 2544 | International Finance (Year 2) | 3 |
| IECO Major Courses (4 courses) | ||
| ECON 2101 | Intermediate Micro ((Year 3)) | 3 |
| ECON 2102 | Intermediate Macro ((Year 3)) | 3 |
| ECON 2110 | Economic Statistics ((Year 3)) | 3 |
| ECON 3001 | ((Year 3)) | |
| Applied Courses (3 courses) | ||
| Three courses from the IECO applied course list. | ||
| Senior Seminar (1 course) | ||
| IECO 4970 | Research Project Design | 3 |
| or a 4000-level IECO seminar course that has a term paper requirement (Year 4) | ||
Core Curriculum Requirements
All GU-Q students complete the same core curriculum requirements as students in Washington, D.C. There are, however, some slight differences in the sequencing of certain core courses at the Doha campus.
GU-Q students fulfill the core Writing and core Humanities: Art, Literature, and Cultures (HALM) requirements in one of the following ways:
- Take WRIT 1155 (Fall Year 1) followed by WRIT 1165 (Spring Year 1) or
- Take WRIT 1155 (Fall Year 1) followed by any HALM course (before Fall Year 3)
HALM courses cannot double count between the core and any other academic program.
GU-Q students must fulfill the core government requirement as follows:
- GOVT 1400 Comparative Political Systems (Spring Year 1)
- GOVT 1600 International Relations (Fall Year 2)
Failure to complete the core government sequence as described above will adversely affect a student’s ability to declare the IPOL major and/or register for upper-level courses in government and politics.
GU-Q students are required to take two Engaging Diversity courses, one domestic and one global. At GU-Q, domestic diversity is defined as pertaining to the Arab World and global diversity is defined as pertaining to the rest of the world.
Students are expected to complete most of the core curriculum courses during their freshman and sophomore years.
Honors in the Major
The honors program allows the student to examine a significant scholarly issue in detail and to focus his or her time and attention on an important issue in which he or she is deeply interested. Honors theses are original works of thought and research, not merely summaries of the work and ideas of others.
By writing an honors thesis, the student gets a sense of how much he or she enjoys the kind of original research done in graduate school. The student also demonstrates that he or she can independently design and carry out a long-term research project – a skill that both employers and graduate and professional schools find very attractive.
To apply for IECO honors:
- Earn a cumulative GPA of 3.5, and Major GPA of 3.67, or strong evidence of the capacity to achieve these.
- Submit a thesis proposal in the junior year by the posted deadline.
To graduate with IECO honors:
- Earn A or A- in both ECON-2101 Intermediate Microeconomics and ECON-2102 Intermediate Macroeconomics.
- Enroll in IECO 4970 Research Project Design in the fall semester of the senior year.
- Enroll in and pass IECO-4970 in the fall semester and IECO-4980 in the spring semester of the fourth year and submit a senior thesis on an approved topic which is judged to be of honors quality by the economics faculty. The thesis should be in the range of 50-80 pages. The student should speak with his or her thesis advisor to determine the appropriate paper length. The student will give a formal presentation attended by all IECO faculty in residence during the spring semester in which the thesis is completed.
- Earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 and a grade point average of 3.67 in the major by the date of graduation.
For more details, please see the Honors in the Major Policy for Georgetown University in Qatar SFS students.