Historical instructor

CHRISTOPHER MCKELVEY

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.64/5 from 94 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.

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

What students say

Original student reviews · all captured dates

ECON 400
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
ECON 400 is not a bad class, although it does take work. Mckelvey is one of the best professors I had at UW and one of the top 3 economics professors. Highly recommend.
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ECON 400
Quality 2/5Difficulty 2/5
This guy just likes to hear himself talk. The class is 80% fluff, especially when all homeworks are just stata commands and reading a regression. Not only is attendance mandatory but the professor seems to think he's teaching a class that is 400 people when it's maybe 100, meaning he couldn't care less about individuals.
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ECON 400
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
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.
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ECON 400
Quality 5/5Difficulty 5/5
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%.
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ECON 400
Quality 5/5Difficulty 3/5
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.
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EC410 · course not matched
Quality 1/5Difficulty 3/5
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.
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with CHRISTOPHER MCKELVEY

ECON 400

Introduction to Applied Econometrics

4 credits

Introduction to applied econometrics covering statistical methods for evaluating empirical relationships and testing economic theory, with emphasis on applying these methods to real-world data using modern statistical software.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Christopher Mckelvey

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026
ECON 410

Introductory Econometrics

4 credits

Introductory Econometrics covers statistical methods for applied economic research, including survey methods, multiple regression, ANOVA, econometric estimation, and forecasting.

No offering record · Spring 2026 · Sources

with this instructor · course overall, matching historical terms

Christopher Mckelvey

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2021–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2026ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2026ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Fall 2025ECON 390Contemporary Economic Issues
Fall 2025ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2025ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2025ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Fall 2024ECON 390Contemporary Economic Issues
Fall 2024ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2024ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2024ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Fall 2023ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Fall 2023ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2023ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2023ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2022ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2022ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Fall 2021ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Fall 2021ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Fall 2020ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Fall 2020ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2020ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2020PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2019ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Fall 2019ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2019ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2019PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2018ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Fall 2018ECON 400Introduction to Applied Econometrics
Spring 2018ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Spring 2018PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2017ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2017ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Spring 2017PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2016ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Spring 2016ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2016PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2015ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Fall 2015ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2015ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2015PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2014ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Spring 2014ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Spring 2014PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2013ECON 301Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
Fall 2013ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2013ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2013PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2012ECON 310Statistics: Measurement in Economics
Spring 2012ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2012PUBAFFR 974Topics in Public Affairs
Fall 2011ECON 301Intermediate Microeconomic Theory
Fall 2011ECON 410Introductory Econometrics
Spring 2011CNSRSCI 748The Economic Organization of the Household

Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.

Instructor identity & provenance 
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