Fall 2026

Intermediate Microeconomic Theory

Covers contemporary theory of consumption, production, pricing, and resource allocation.

offering recorded4 credits

Summary

1 / 7

Problem sets are time-consuming and difficult, often requiring office hours. Exams are heavy, with tests challenging and requiring significant study time beyond lectures.

Grade history

average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
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F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

(ECON 101, 111,A A E 101, or 215 prior to Fall 2024) and (MATH 213, 217, 221,ECON 205, or MATH 211prior to Fall 2024). Not open to students with credit forECON 311.

ECON 301 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Fall 2026
/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.96/5 from 241 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 4.3/5 raw quality · 3.9/5 difficulty · 17 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Korinna Hansen is praised for her caring nature, detailed notes, and engaging lectures, with students noting she helps those who put in effort. Reviewers highlight her organization and the helpfulness of her provided materials, describing her as sweet and straightforward.

Some students find her expectations higher than other department professors, noting that tests are challenging and require knowing all taught material. One reviewer criticized the lecture speed and noted that problem sets can be time-consuming.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2016: 2.80 GPA, 37.5% A/AB (n=216 letter grades); Fall 2017: 3.01 GPA, 46.2% A/AB (n=195 letter grades); Spring 2020: 3.46 GPA, 68.1% A/AB (n=91 letter grades).

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.71/5 from 62 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 3.5/5 raw quality · 3.5/5 difficulty · 16 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Fran Flanagan is praised for clear, intuitive explanations and helpful office hours where he simplifies concepts. Reviewers appreciate his organized materials, practice exams, and straightforward grading criteria. He is recommended for making the course accessible compared to other instructors.

Some students find his lectures boring, unorganized, or glossing over key points tested in exams. Others report hard tests with no curve, difficult finals, and unhelpful office hours. The class is described as rigorous and exam-heavy, requiring significant study.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.00 GPA, 46.8% A/AB (n=205 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.08 GPA, 49.4% A/AB (n=237 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.05 GPA, 50.3% A/AB (n=175 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.67/5 from 57 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 3.6/5 raw quality · 4.1/5 difficulty · 48 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Rasmus Lentz is praised as knowledgeable and generous, with dense but well-formatted lectures and helpful office hours. Reviewers appreciate his fairness and clear notes, though some find his pace slow.

Other students report that Lentz overcomplicates material with unnecessary notations, making homework feel unsolvable. They criticize a lack of connection between lectures and problem sets, advising others to avoid the course due to intense difficulty.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2023: 3.20 GPA, 54.4% A/AB (n=158 letter grades); Spring 2024: 3.16 GPA, 52.0% A/AB (n=173 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.17 GPA, 50.6% A/AB (n=231 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

No course-specific feedback yet.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Marv Johnson: Marv Johnson is described as arrogant and unhelpful in office hours, though the course material remains manageable with thorough study and attendance.

ANDREA WILSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2014, Fall 2015. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

CHRISTOPHER MCKELVEY is recorded teaching in Fall 2011, Fall 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DAVID JOHNSON is recorded teaching in Spring 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

FRAN FLANAGAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2009, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

KORINNA HANSEN is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Fall 2010, Fall 2013, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Spring 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

LORENZO MAGNOLFI is recorded teaching in Fall 2016, Spring 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MAREK WERETKA is recorded teaching in Spring 2007, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Fall 2022, Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MATTHEW FRIEDMAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2018, Fall 2019. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RASMUS LENTZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SALVADOR NAVARRO-LOZANO is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2010. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
DIS 302Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 304Classroom Instruction21 / 220
LEC 001Classroom Instruction151 / 1540
DIS 301Classroom Instruction19 / 210
DIS 303Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 305Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 306Classroom Instruction24 / 240
DIS 307Classroom Instruction24 / 240
LEC 002Classroom Instruction212 / 2161
DIS 321Classroom Instruction21 / 210
LEC 003Classroom Instruction115 / 1240
DIS 331Classroom Instruction13 / 130
DIS 322Classroom Instruction21 / 211
DIS 323Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 324Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 325Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 326Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 327Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 328Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 329Classroom Instruction21 / 210
DIS 330Classroom Instruction10 / 100
DIS 341Classroom Instruction19 / 200
DIS 342Classroom Instruction12 / 120
DIS 343Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 344Classroom Instruction19 / 200
DIS 345Classroom Instruction20 / 200
DIS 346Classroom Instruction12 / 120
DIS 347Classroom Instruction13 / 200

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records

Student experience

the class

Korinna Hansen is praised as caring and helpful, with enjoyable lectures and detailed notes. Reviewers note she is straightforward and organizes material well, though some find her personality overwhelming, while students report learning a lot from her practice problems.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.12 GPA, 48.6% A/AB (n=354 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.07 GPA, 45.4% A/AB (n=489 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.15 GPA, 45.5% A/AB (n=308 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Problem sets are time-consuming and difficult, often requiring office hours. Exams are heavy, with tests challenging and requiring significant study time beyond lectures.

Reviewers appreciate clear lecture notes, intuitive explanations, and practice materials like old exams, finding exams straightforward when aligned with homework and lectures. The course structure is described as predictable, with no surprises on tests.

Topics

  • Consumption and production theory
  • Pricing mechanisms and resource allocation

Skills

  • Analysis of consumption, production, pricing, and resource allocation

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · Projected

Before grades are released

average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.12 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Selected offering source records
ECON 301 · Fall 2026

Intermediate Microeconomic Theory

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
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    "semester": "1272",
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    "offering_id": "1272:296:005565",
    "course_id": "ECON 301",
    "course_uid": "course_c1d62f93b6bc2a4cab189b27",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "005565",
    "source_subject_id": "296",
    "title": "Intermediate Microeconomic Theory",
    "credits_min": 4,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Model & dataset provenance
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  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "9b888c9614182abf4a535bfd3844128732d4bd34122521f8aa6847d626f28fde",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
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