Course Streams

Through a combination of economic theory, empirical methods and applied courses, and close interactions with Economics faculty through research seminars and research assistantships, the StFX Economics Department strives to produce the finest undergraduate Economics students in the country. 

To assist students in making their course selections, we group them into three streams: 

• Stream A: Core Courses 
• Stream B: Economic Policy Stream 
• Stream C: Economic Management & Strategy Stream 

Stream A: Core Courses

Stream A courses present the foundations of economic theory and empirical methods in Economics. All students studying Economics must take some Stream A courses, as these provide the prerequisites for the more applied courses in Streams B and C.  However, the more you intend to specialize in Economics, the more courses you should take from this stream. For example, those pursuing an Economics Minor would only need to take ECON 101, 102, 201 and 202; at the other extreme, those pursuing an Honours degree should take all the courses from this stream. 

Students interested in acquiring a graduate (Master’s or Doctorate) degree in Economics should seriously consider pursuing the Honours program since an Honours degree is normally required for entry into graduate school. 

All Stream A courses are offered on an annual basis. They include: 

Microeconomic Theory:        

• ECON 101 Introductory Microeconomics 
• ECON 201 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory I 
• ECON 301 Intermediate Microeconomic Theory II 
• ECON 401 Advanced Microeconomics 

Macroeconomic Theory: 

• ECON 102 Introductory Macroeconomics 
• ECON 202 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory I 
• ECON 302 Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory II 
• ECON 402 Advanced Macroeconomics 

Econometrics & Mathematics: 

• ECON 271 Quantitative Methods in Economics 
• ECON 272 Economic Data Analysis 
• ECON 371 Econometrics I 
• ECON 372 Econometrics II 
• ECON 471 Mathematical Economics 

In addition, advanced Economics students at StFX can take a unique course ECON 493: Seminar, which exposes them to recent developments in the research literature. Since 2013-14 this has been an innovative team-taught course, where five different Economics faculty each cover topics related to their own areas of research expertise. 

Stream B: Economic Policy Courses

Many Economics graduates are eventually employed in government (local, provincial, or federal), as well as international organizations. We offer several courses that demonstrate how Economics can be used to study domestic and international policy issues. Because policy decisions tend to impact a broad segment of the population, such courses typically are skewed towards the macroeconomic side.  

Some Stream B courses are normally offered every second year, although the most popular courses are offered on an annual basis. These include: 

• ECON 211 Local & Community Economic Development 
• ECON 241 Canadian Economic Prospects & Challenges 
• ECON 242 International Economic Policy & Problems 
• ECON 305 Economic Development I 
• ECON 306 Economic Development II 
• ECON 335 Money & Financial Markets I 
• ECON 336 Money & Financial Markets II 
• ECON 365 International Trade 
• ECON 366 International Payments & Finance 
• ECON 391 Public Finance I: Expenditures 
• ECON 392 Public Finance II: Taxation 

Stream C: Economic Management & Strategy Courses

Some Economics graduates also work in the private sector; for example, they are employed by financial institutions, energy and mining companies, or law firms. Students interested in a private sector career would find the following applied microeconomics courses useful, where issues related to specific firms or industries are typically studied: 

• ECON 281 Environmental Economics 
• ECON 291 Economics of Leisure, Recreation and Sports 
• ECON 312 Industrial Organization 
• ECON 361 Labor Economics 
• ECON 364 Health Economics 
• ECON 381 Natural Resource Economics 
• ECON 415 Introduction to Game Theory