Economics Comprehensive Major: Secondary Licensure Emphasis (with a 3+2 Master of Arts in Education)

The 3+2 Secondary and K-12 Licensure Program allows students to complete a B.A. in their academic major with an emphasis in Secondary and K-12 Licensure and a Master of Arts in Education in five years. Students apply to the program by December of their junior year. MUS majors interested in the program need to set up an individualized plan with their MUS and EDUC advisors.  To be accepted into the 3+2 Program, each student must: 

  • Provide letters of recommendation from at least one Education Department faculty member and one faculty member from the student's major
  • Prove content, as defined by the Colorado Department of Education
  • Be accepted into Western's Teacher Licensure Program
  • Successfully complete EDUC 340 (by Spring of junior year)
  • Be on track to complete all coursework required within the academic major

Upon satisfactory completion of these requirements, students will be designated as "MAED candidates with provisional acceptance." Upon completion of the final undergraduate credits for the Western B.A., students will be designated as "MAED degree-seeking students." Students who have completed all other requirements of the 3+2 Secondary and K-12 Licensure Degree Program and all Western undergraduate requirements, yet choose to leave the MAED program before Year Five, will still have completed the BA in Secondary and K-12 Licensure, have earned 120 credits necessary for a Western undergraduate degree, and be eligible to apply for initial teacher licensure . 

Program Requirements


Students interested in pursuing this comprehensive program should consult with the Teacher Education Program advisor in addition to the advisor in their major as soon as possible. 

All Economics Majors require completion of the 24-credit Economics Nucleus and completion of MATH 140 College Algebra (GT-MA1), MATH 141 Precalculus (GT-MA1), or MATH 151 Calculus I (GT-MA1) with a minimum grade of “C-.”

Economics Nucleus
ECON 201Macroeconomics (GT-SS1)3
ECON 202Microeconomics3
ECON 301Intermediate Macroeconomics3
ECON 302Intermediate Microeconomics3
ECON 303International Economics and Globalization3
ECON 316Econometrics3
ECON 498Income Distribution, Poverty and Wealth3
ECON 216Statistics for Business and Economics3
or MATH 213 Probability and Statistics (GT-MA1)
Total Credits24

 In addition, the student must fulfill the requirements of the Secondary Licensure 3+2 Program (see description under Education), and the following:

GEOG 110World Regional Geography (GT-SS2)3
GEOG 120Introduction to Human Geography (GT-SS2)3
GEOG 250Geography of North America (GT-SS2)3
GEOL 101Physical Geology (GT-SC2)3
HIST 100Topics in World History (GT-HI1)3
HIST 126American History through Reconstruction (GT-HI1)3
HIST 127U.S. History from the Civil War (GT-HI1)3
HIST 200Historical Inquiry3
HIST 327Colorado History3
POLS 180Power in America (GT-SS1)3
POLS 255Inequality and Development (GT-SS1)3
POLS 282Issues in State and Local Government3
POLS 376American Political Thought3
Select one of the following:3
Economics and Public Policy
Economics upper-division elective
POLS 260Globalization, Borders and the Human (GT-SS1)3
or POLS 360 American Foreign Policy

Western Watershed General Education Requirements

Students must complete all Western Watershed General Education requirements to graduate. 

Graduation Requirements

Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation.  Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above).  Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued. 

Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements

Sample Plan

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
FallCredits
WWGE: Headwaters 101/102/103/104 2
ENG 102 Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) 3
MATH 140 College Algebra (GT-MA1) 3
ECON 201 Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) 3
Western Watershed Course(s) 3-4
 Credits14-15
Spring
ECON 202 Microeconomics 3
GEOG 110 World Regional Geography (GT-SS2) 3
ENG 103 Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) 3
Western Watershed Course(s) 3-4
GEOL 101 Physical Geology (GT-SC2) 3
EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course 0
 Credits15-16
Year Two
Fall
ECON 216 Statistics for Business and Economics 3
GEOG 120 Introduction to Human Geography (GT-SS2) 3
HIST 100 Topics in World History (GT-HI1) 3
POLS 180 Power in America (GT-SS1) 3
POLS 282 Issues in State and Local Government 3
 Credits15
Spring
ECON 301 Intermediate Macroeconomics 3
ECON 317 Economics and Public Policy 3
GEOG 250 Geography of North America (GT-SS2) 3
HIST 200 Historical Inquiry 3
Western Watershed Course(s) 3
 Credits15
Year Three
Fall
ECON 302 Intermediate Microeconomics 3
ECON 316 Econometrics 3
HIST 126 American History through Reconstruction (GT-HI1) 3
HIST 327 Colorado History 3
POLS 255 Inequality and Development (GT-SS1) 3
POLS 376 American Political Thought 3
 Credits18
Spring
ECON 303 International Economics and Globalization 3
ECON 498 Income Distribution, Poverty and Wealth 3
EDUC 340 Application of Pedagogy and Practice 3
HIST 127 U.S. History from the Civil War (GT-HI1) 3
POLS 260 Globalization, Borders and the Human (GT-SS1) 3
WWGE: Delta 301/302/303/304 1
 Credits16
Year Four
Fall
EDUC 403 Instruction & Assessment in Content Area 3
EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments 3
EDUC 405 Data-driven Instructional Practices 3
EDUC 406 Content Area Literacy 3
EDUC 409 Secondary Student Teaching 3
 Credits15
Spring
EDUC 407 Maximizing Learning through 21st Century Skills 3
EDUC 424 Differentiation: Applying Learner-Centered Instruction 3
EDUC 429 Teaching English Learners for Secondary and K-12 Teachers 3
EDUC 409 Secondary Student Teaching 3
 Credits12
 Total Credits120-122