Senior Assessment & Major Exams
The senior assessment for Economics and Economics-Combined majors includes the Major Field Test in Economics and an oral exam for Economics majors, and additional requirements for Economics-Environmental Studies and Economics-Mathematics students. The Senior Assessments of the Major (SAM) for the three Economics major programs are outlined below:
Economics
| SAM Format | Required | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Honors, if eligible | Yes | |
| Senior Seminar | No | |
| Thesis Required | No | |
| Oral Thesis Defense | No | |
| Oral Exam | Yes | One-hour oral exam includes two faculty and applications and extensions of the material covered in the Major Field Test in Economics (MFT). |
| Written Exam(s) | Yes | Written exam is the Major Field Test in Economics (MFT). |
| Pre-Thesis Oral | No |
Economics-Environmental Studies
| SAM Format | Required | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Honors, if eligible | Yes | |
| Senior Seminar | Yes | EnvS 479 (2 credits) is required, but is not part of senior assessment. |
| Thesis Required | No | |
| Oral Thesis Defense | No | |
| Oral Exam | Yes | One-hour oral exam in Economics includes two Economics faculty and some questions over environment-related applications and extensions of the material covered in the Major Field Test in Economics (MFT). One-hour oral exam in Environmental Studies includes two Environmental Studies faculty. |
| Written Exam(s) | Yes | Written exam is the Major Field Test in Economics (MFT). |
| Pre-Thesis Oral | No |
Economics-Mathematics
| SAM Format | Required | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Honors, if eligible | Yes | |
| Senior Seminar | No | |
| Thesis Required | No | |
| Oral Thesis Defense | No | |
| Oral Exam | Yes | One-hour oral exam in Economics-Mathematics includes one Economics and one Mathematics faculty. |
| Written Exam(s) | Yes | Written exam in Mathematics. Written exam in Economics: the Major Field Test in Economics (MFT). |
| Pre-Thesis Oral | No |
The Major Field Test in Economics
All senior Economics and Economics-Combined major students must take the Major Field Test (MFT) in Economics.
Information about the content of the Major Field Test in Economics can be found at: http://www.ets.org/s/mft/pdf/mft_testdesc_economics_4emf.pdf, and a small number of sample questions can be found at: http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/MFT/pdf/2008/MFT_Economics_Sample_Items_08.pdf.
Oral Exams in Economics
Oral exams are administered during the two or three weeks immediately following the Major Field Test. Each oral exam will be one hour in length with a panel of two professors. The oral exam schedule will be finalized after seniors have signed up for their one-hour time slots and faculty assignments have been made. Instructions about sign-ups will be forthcoming. Economics-Environmental Studies majors should contact Professor Mueller to arrange the separate scheduling of their oral exam. Economics-Math majors should contact Professor Belay.