Current instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Professor Mckelvey is definitely the best teacher I met in UW-Madison. His lecture makes the complex definition and theorem easier to understand, and his slides are also well-structured. He is very helpful and very willing to answer any questions during office hour. It is not that easy to get an A, but still worth to take it.Rate My Professors ↗
Very good lecturing with entertaining speech while explaining the concepts well. As a non econ/data science/stats major I still feel like I was able to understand the content well. 1 problem set a week, 12 excused absences, and 2 exams makes for a relaxed courseload. Be aware that exams though are 64% of your grade and have an average of 60-65%.Rate My Professors ↗
Christopher is the best professor I've had here. He makes the material engaging and explains concepts clearly. The class is challenging and exam heavy, but his office hours are great, and if you do the problem sets and understand them, you can do great on the exam just by paying attention in class.Rate My Professors ↗
His slides in class are bad and more like notes for himself. He basically overcomplicates everything by explaining a lot of the incorrect ways to work. The class used to be optional attendance, but it's mandatory now because no one would show up. I don't think the material is that difficult, but you will need to teach yourself.Rate My Professors ↗
His econometric class is a disaster. Only about ten people will attend the class, and nobody knows what he is talking about. What I could remember is him talking about drinking alcohol, and sitting on the steps by the podium, and patting his thigh once. So strange that he has lots of good ratings on this website.Rate My Professors ↗
I skipped most of the lectures because of my transportation situation, but honestly that was one of my biggest regrets about the semester: if I could go back I would attend every class religiously. McKelvey was super engaging and I genuinely don't know if you could ask for a better lecturer on the subject.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Covers current developments across all fields of economics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.48 GPA, 67.5% A/AB (n=40 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.40 GPA, 64.2% A/AB (n=67 letter grades).
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026ECON 400 introduces applied econometrics, teaching statistical methods to evaluate empirical relationships and test economic theory using real-world data.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Christopher Mckelvey is consistently praised for making difficult economic concepts accessible through clear explanations and engaging lectures. Reviewers highlight his passion, availability for help, and supportive nature. While some note exams are tricky or hard, others find them fair or easy, with consistent mentions of curve adjustments and clear expectations.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
{
"instructor_uid": "instructor_6f4f1e3e581d45be4e30379b",
"source": "enrollment",
"source_instructor_id": "cmckelvey",
"identity_basis": "netid",
"identity_status": "source_identified",
"name": "Christopher Mckelvey",
"email": "CMCKELVEY@WISC.EDU",
"first_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"last_observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
"ratings": {
"review_count": 92,
"quality": 4.66,
"difficulty": 3.33,
"quality_count": 92,
"difficulty_count": 92,
"profile_id": "rmp:1632497",
"source_url": "https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1632497",
"match_basis": "exact_name",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 16:48:15.480044+00:00",
"courses": {
"course_67164e31bc510b3170f584a8": {
"review_count": 12,
"quality": 5,
"difficulty": 3.58,
"quality_count": 12,
"difficulty_count": 12
},
"course_45144ea1ab61fccd3dc0a3f6": {
"review_count": 22,
"quality": 4.68,
"difficulty": 3.64,
"quality_count": 22,
"difficulty_count": 22
},
"course_e104fb600738e5af6d58c4dd": {
"review_count": 36,
"quality": 4.81,
"difficulty": 3.28,
"quality_count": 36,
"difficulty_count": 36
},
"course_c1d62f93b6bc2a4cab189b27": {
"review_count": 10,
"quality": 4.8,
"difficulty": 2.1,
"quality_count": 10,
"difficulty_count": 10
}
},
"bayesian_quality": 4.481372461347607,
"prior_mean": 3.6596857835465957,
"prior_weight": 20
},
"current": true,
"courses": [
{
"course_uid": "course_67164e31bc510b3170f584a8",
"course_id": "ECON 400",
"title": "INTRODUCTION TO APPLIED ECONOMETRICS",
"credits_min": 4,
"credits_max": 4,
"gpa": 3.075
},
{
"course_uid": "course_6d73053cf52090039c56ff08",
"course_id": "ECON 390",
"title": "CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC ISSUES",
"credits_min": 3,
"credits_max": 4,
"gpa": 3.309
}
],
"revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"instructor_url": "/instructors/CHRISTOPHER_MCKELVEY"
}