Easiest courses in Economics

Reviewers characterize the course as easy, with exams focused on recall and short, opinion-based papers. One student notes exams are straightforward and low-stakes, while another suggests effort guarantees high grades.[1, 2, +3]

John Brauer's course involves significant Python coding for econometrics, which reviewers find difficult without prior CS or econometrics background, though one Data Science student found it easy.[1, 2]

Historical reviews of Raymond Deneckere: The course is rated as difficult, with a rating of 4, and requires careful attention to lectures to gain significant value.[1]

Historical reviews of Christopher Taber: Christopher Taber's course is rated as difficult, with a difficulty score of 4 out of 5.[1]

Students report significant weekly reading and writing requirements, including four-page case analyses and a major final paper. Some reviewers characterize the workload as heavy and the final project as the most challenging aspect of the course.[1, 2]

Historical reviews of Kim Ruhl: The course provides hands-on experience with Python, helping students learn programming from scratch.[1]

The course requires significant effort, including weekly quizzes, biweekly problem sets, and extensive daily reading. Students must be prepared for a heavy workload and self-teaching to succeed in the difficult material.[1, 2, 3]

Historical reviews of Matthew Friedman: Reviewers describe the workload as heavy, with exams being particularly stressful and brutal when coding independently, although the curve is often fair.[1, 2, +3]

The pace is relatively fast, requiring at least eight Python and calculation problem sets, though a final exam can be substituted with a manageable Python project.[1]

The course is rated as very difficult by the reviewer.[1]

Historical reviews of Bruce Hansen: A reviewer reports that Professor Hansen grades leniently and gives easy exams, while another notes applied work with time-series data.[1, 2]

Exams are described as wacky, non-standard, and significantly harder than homework, with little practice material provided to gauge preparation.[1, 2, 3]

One historical review reports that homework and exams are very hard, with midterm exams containing many questions and limited time that no students finish.[1]

Historical reviews of Jeremy Foltz: Grades rely on a big paper and two exams, though one student found exams easy short-answer questions covered in lectures.[1, 2]

Homework problems are described as very easy, suggesting low workload difficulty.[1]

Historical reviews of Laura Schechter: The course requires consistent effort to succeed, with attendance encouraged for extra credit via lecture questions. Workload is manageable for those who engage, though the class is not considered easy.[1]

The grading distribution is heavily weighted toward exams, with 45% for the midterm and 45% for the final, leaving only 10% for homework.[1]

Historical reviews of Jean-Francois Houde, Rasmus Lentz: Reviewers report that homework is impossible with no guiding examples, and exams or problem sets are incredibly difficult. Preparation requires navigating messy board notes and a lack of practice problems that relate to assessments.[1, 2]

The course requires significant time and deep thinking, with challenging problem sets and long exams. Reviewers describe the workload as intense, noting it is particularly demanding for undergraduates or master's students.[1, 2, +3]

Historical reviews of Kenneth West, Xiaoxia Shi: Reviewers describe the course as hard-core, yet note that exams are easy, suggesting a disconnect between perceived difficulty and assessment format.[1, 2]

Historical reviews of Yongheng Deng: Homework can be difficult, though in-class guidance on assignments helps clarify the material.[1]

The workload is manageable, consisting of a few homework assignments, a final project, and a take-home exam.[1, 2]

Historical reviews of Amit Gandhi, Christopher Sullivan, Christopher Taber: Workload varies by instructor. Sullivan’s homework is completion-based and exams are fair, while Taber’s math problems were untaught and exams were random. Gandhi’s homework was easy, but Taber’s multiple-choice questions were difficult to study for.[1, 2, +3]

Historical reviews of Elizabeth Kelly, Rasmus Lentz, Stella Chan: Workload and difficulty fluctuate significantly across teaching terms. Some students found homework extremely difficult with few examples, while others noted heavy mid-semester workloads or required pre-class reading responses.[1, 2, 3]

The course features bi-weekly quizzes and problem sets based on lectures to ensure students stay on top of the material.[1, 2, 3]