Looking for a gentler semester? Start with courses where students have earned higher grades.
Highest historical GPA first. At least 100 letter grades over the five years through the selected term. Grades reflect past outcomes, not workload or a guaranteed result.
11 courses
Ranked courses have at least 100 recorded letter grades.
A senior capstone course where students apply economic theory and quantitative techniques to analyze real-world problems and communicate their findings through written reports and oral presentations.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026An introductory overview of the real estate process covering development, permitting, transactions, economics, financing, valuation, leasing, and management.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · David Gevers
Grades are based on a few short papers and two exams; the exams were extremely easy, and the papers required little effort to complete.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Introduction to basic finance concepts. Topics include financial statements, ratio analysis and interpretation, investment analysis, capital budgeting, credit concepts, and capital markets.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Bruce Jones
The course was described as harder than the prerequisite, with a small class size. Assessment included six quizzes and a final exam, but no midterm.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Introductory course on using spreadsheets for data analysis in economics, business, and finance, covering data manipulation, visualization, and optimization.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Explores the roles of markets, states, and civil institutions in shaping global wealth and well-being using economic theory, computer simulations, and historical experience.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jeremy Foltz
Problem sets constituted 40% of the grade but were unrelated to lecture material or tests. Students noted that the workload did not align with the topics covered in class, creating confusion about expectations.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Examines hunger and poverty in developing countries and the US, covering nutrition, health, population, food production, and income distribution.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Jeremy Foltz
Assessments included three exams and several homework assignments. Students reported that exam questions were based directly on lecture slides, making the material manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Examines climate change through applied economics, covering mitigation, adaptation, geo-engineering, integrated assessment, energy, and land use impacts for policy design.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Corbett Grainger
Grading relied almost entirely on exams that were straightforward if students completed discussion work, reviews, and read slides, alongside easy weekly canvas quizzes.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Analyzes aggregate growth, income distribution, and poverty in lower-income economies, exploring why some individuals advance economically while others fall behind.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Laura Schechter
The class was manageable with effort, and everything needed for assessments was covered in lectures or readings. Grading expectations were clear and fair, though the material was not considered easy.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Intro to agricultural and applied economics covering consumption, production, prices, markets, finance, trade, pollution, growth, farms, taxes, and development.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Tessa Conroy
The reviewer rated the difficulty as low, indicating the workload was manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2024–Spring 2026Environmental Economics applies microeconomic principles to natural resources like air, water, forests, and energy, examining pollution control and preservation versus development.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Corbett Grainger
The course required minimal reading and relied heavily on PowerPoint slides. Exams were described as challenging but fair, with one student noting the material was not easy but manageable.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026Explores marketing systems for U.S. agricultural commodities, covering vertical organization, forward contracts, futures, options, and price formation across supply chain levels.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
Past student reviews · Sheldon (Xiaodong) Du
A student found the exam unfair, noting it was largely the same as in previous years and disadvantageous for those without prior course notes from friends.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2023–Spring 2026