Students studying off-campus, through St. Olaf affiliated programs or at other accredited colleges and universities, may count up to two off-campus courses as level II economic analysis courses towards the economics major requirements. These courses must be approved in advance by the chair of the Economics Department.
To count towards the economics major, courses must: (a) be in recognized fields in economics, (b) require at least Principles of Economics (ECON 121) (or its equivalent) as a prerequisite, and (c) be taught in an economics program or by faculty with a PhD or equivalent from an economics program. Students may not count both a St. Olaf economic analysis course and a course taken off campus towards the major if the courses are substantially the same.
- Advanced placement credit, for an Advanced Placement score of 4 or 5 in Economics. See AP/IB Policy.
- Off campus courses, defined as economics courses completed through a St. Olaf-affiliated off-campus program. More details.
- Transfer courses, defined as economics courses completed at an institution other than St. Olaf (e.g., through a Post-Secondary Education Option [PSEO] course, an interim or summer school course at another college or university or a course completed through a non-St. Olaf-affiliated domestic or international program). See a list of Transfer Courses previously approved for transfer credit in Economics.
Courses taught off-campus by St. Olaf economics faculty do not count toward this two-course limit. Courses that do not constitute “courses completed at other institutions: include off-campus interim courses taught by St. Olaf economics faculty and courses taught by a member of the St. Olaf Department of Economics under the auspices of a St. Olaf semester abroad program (e.g., Global, Middle East, Asia, Australia).
The chair’s approval for credit toward the major must be documented in writing, with the exception of AP credit (recorded on a student’s transcript by the office of the Registrar). Student’s must contact the department chair and have written approval for each course completed at other institutions for credit toward the major.
In addition, students seeking St. Olaf credit for transfer courses must submit a completed Permission to Transfer Credit to St. Olaf form to the Office of the Registrar (including a signature from the department chair, if the student will seek credit toward the major( before registering for the course at the other institution.
This policy applies only to students who enter St. Olaf as first-year students; transfer students must consult with the department chair to determine which requirements for an economics major can be met through courses completed at their previous institution. The awarding of major credits is not guaranteed for any program or course, particularly in the absence of prior consultation.
If students have any questions about any of the above policies, they should contact their academic advisor and/or the Academic Administrative Assistant in the Department of Economics.