Economics Department

College of Business
Ellensburg
Shaw-Smyser Hall, room 223
Mail Stop 7486
509-963-2664
Fax: 509-963-1992
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/colleges/college-business/economics/

Faculty and Staff
Chair
Toni Sipic, PhD

Professors
Koushik Ghosh, PhD
Charles S. Wassell Jr., PhD

Associate Professor
Toni Sipic, PhD

Assistant Professors
Tennecia Dacass, PhD
Yurim Lee, PhD
David Zuckerman, PhD

Senior Lecturers
Magdalena Bialic-Davendra, PhD
Peter Gray, MSc

Lecturer
Cassandra Koefod, MSc

Staff
Lisa Woods, secretary senior

Department Information
Positions of responsibility in today’s world are usually held by individuals who have the capacity to analyze complex problems and make intelligent decisions. Learning economics will help students think logically and improve their ability to use economic concepts to analyze “real world” problems and opportunities. In addition to preparation for business and government agency employment, an economics major is excellent preparation for law schools, masters of business administration programs, and graduate programs in economics, agricultural economics, and natural resource management. The economics department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in economics with specializations in managerial economics, general economics, and economic and business forecasting. Economics minors are offered to complement accounting, business administration, and other majors.

The BS economics major is comprised of the following components:

Pre-admission courses providing necessary theoretical and quantitative skills to pursue studies in economics
Core courses in both micro and macro-economic theory
A choice of supporting courses for each of the three economics major specializations

The following objectives apply to all individuals pursuing a BS in economics:

Students completing an economics degree will possess the tools which enable them to analyze and understand macro and micro economic problems and policies.
Students will possess qualifications and knowledge which will help them to find employment in fields related to economics.
Students will acquire and be able to use basic tools to enable them to carry out quantitatively oriented tasks in their employment or their field of graduate studies.
Students completing the program should possess the communication and economic skills desirable in their future employment or graduate studies.

Admission Requirements
Admission to an Economics major requires admission to the University.

The following requirements must be met for entry into an Economics major in the College of Business:

Completion of 30 credits (If a student is a transfer student, credits must be transferable)
Must be in good academic standing
At least a 2.25 collegiate GPA
Completion of ENG 101 and ENG 102 with a C- or higher, or equivalent

Students seeking entry to the College without these requirements may be granted pre-major standing.

International students whose native language is not English must meet one of the following English proficiency requirements:

A score of 71 or above on the Internet-based TOEFL or 525 or above on the paper-based TOEFL (195 for computer based, 71 for internet based), OR
A score of 6.0 or above on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam, OR
A 3.0 (B grade) or above in each two college-level English composition courses from an accredited United States college or university. Contact the Office of Admissions to find out what courses are acceptable.

Students who have met all of the above requirements will be admitted unless the number of applicants exceeds available space. In that case, acceptance will be competitive.

Previous or Transfer Coursework Policy
Business courses taken to fulfill the requirements for an undergraduate or graduate degree from the CWU College of Business must have been taken within the last 10 years at the time of graduation. Exceptions may be made but must be approved prior to acceptance into the College of Business by the department chair and dean or designee.

Students wishing to have credits from non-United States institutions considered for transfer into the College of Business for any major or minor must have their transcripts evaluated through outside credential evaluators who are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), such as the Foundation for International Services (FIS), the World Education Service (WES), or Educational Perspectives. Students who intend to pursue the CPA may instead decide to use the NABSA (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy) international evaluation services since it is a requirement of the CPA. Credits for current students participating in a CWU study abroad program will be evaluated by the Office of the Registrar.

Equivalent lower-division (100-200 level) courses may be transferred toward meeting the foundation course requirements for any BS degree in the college. Upper-division (300-400 level) courses may be transferred toward meeting the major requirements only with the approval of the department chair and the college dean (or designee).

Academic Jeopardy Policy
The College of Business is committed to the success of its students. If a student that has been admitted to the College of Business is deemed to be in academic jeopardy, the College of Business may place restrictions on the student. A student is considered in academic jeopardy for the following reasons:

On academic warning or probation
Frequently withdraws from class
Repeating coursework to be successful
Has less that a 2.5 (2.499 and below) in any of the required GPAs for graduation.
- CWU GPA
- Collegiate GPA (CWU and all transfer coursework combined)
- Major GPA
- Upper-division coursework in the major GPA
- Accounting majors: upper-division Accounting coursework GPA

The College of Business may do the following in response to an Academic Jeopardy situation:

Limit College of Business coursework in future quarters
Require academic advising with both faculty and/or professional advisors
Require academic success plans
Double majors or double specialization students may be limited to one major plan in the College of Business

If a student is unable to improve academically while receiving intensive advising and support or does not actively participate in required advising, the student may be subjected to the College of Business Separation Policy.

Separation Policy
If a student that has been admitted to the College of Business is placed on academic warning, probation, suspension, has repeat academic course withdrawals, or academic performance below the necessary grade point averages required to graduate, then the student’s admission into the College of Business may be rescinded. Students may also be rescinded for violations of the College of Business Statement of Conduct and Code of Honor, or for engaging in Prohibited Student Conduct as defined by Washington Administrative Code (see WAC 106-125-020). Once rescinded, the student will be denied readmission to the College of Business for one year following which a written petition for readmission must be presented at least 30 days prior to the start of the quarter in which readmission is desired. The decision to readmit will be based on meeting current admission standards, analysis of the entire academic record, as well as any other sources of information deemed appropriate. Readmission is not guaranteed.

Service to Other Majors
Students majoring in programs outside CB who are required to take courses in this college for either their major or minor will be eligible to enroll on a space-available basis. These students will be given priority over other non-college majors wishing to enroll in courses. All students must have taken prerequisites for courses prior to enrollment.

Transfer Credits and Prior Learning Assessment
Equivalent lower-division (100-200 level) courses may be transferred toward meeting the pre-admission requirements. Upper-division (300- to 400-level) courses may also be transferred toward meeting the business core and specialization requirements, but only with the approval of the department chair and the college dean (or designee).

Admission Information
A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 in the economics foundation requirements must be achieved with a minimum grade of C- (1.70) in each course. The credit/no credit option will not be accepted for any of these courses. The student must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all collegiate study. These criteria also apply to equivalent courses transferred from other institutions. Applicants must have also completed ENG 101 and 102.

Students who have met all the above requirements will be admitted unless the number of eligible applicants exceeds available spaces. In that case, acceptance will be competitive, based on a selection index. Students who have not met all of the above requirements may be admitted provisionally by permission of the college dean or designee.

Graduation Requirements for all Department Specializations
A cumulative grade point average of 2.25 in the above courses must be achieved with a minimum grade of C- in each course. The credit/no credit option will not be accepted for any of these courses. The student must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 in all collegiate study. These criteria also apply to equivalent courses transferred from other institutions.

Graduation Requirements for Economics I and II Minors
A cumulative grade point average of 2.25 in the above courses must be achieved with a minimum grade of C- in each course. The credit/no credit option will not be accepted for any of these courses. The student must have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.25 in all collegiate study. These criteria also apply to equivalent courses transferred from other institutions.

Repeat Policy
Business administration courses may be repeated only once.

College of Business Admission Requirements
For information on admission requirements, please go to: College of Business .

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: https://www.cwu.edu/academics/colleges/college-business/accounting/index.php or by contacting the department directly.