Every academic department administers some kind of comprehensive exam to its majors. In the economics department, this exam covers the material from Economics 111 and the core theory courses in macroeconomics, microeconomics, and econometrics.
The comprehensive exam usually takes place on the second Monday of the spring semester. All non-honors students graduating in May (second-semester seniors) must take the exam at that time, usually the last week of January or first week of February. In order to be able to do this, students should complete the core courses by the end of their sixth semester (junior spring), or, at the very latest, by the end of their seventh semester (senior fall).
Students will be contacted with details about the comprehensive exam several months before the exam. It is your responsibility to prepare appropriately.
Note for honors students: Students doing honors do not take the written comprehensive exam. For honors students, the elements of the extensive thesis process – researching, writing, discussing, and defending – serve as the comprehensive exam.
Note for “E”-class students: All students graduating in January should take the exam the January/February one year before their graduation, as long as they have completed the core theory courses by that time.