Current instructor

Matt Friedman

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 4.74/5 from 23 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 455
Quality 5/5Difficulty 4/5
This was an amazing class. You learn about a lot of information that impacts your daily life, not just obscure concepts that you will never use again. It is a really new subject so a lot of it deals with things that are in the news which makes it easier to relate to. The reading and homework take a lot of time and are needed to pass the final.
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ECON 455
Quality 5/5Difficulty 5/5
Best class/teacher combination at UW. The class is hard but dr friedman is more helpful than any professor I have taken at UW. The subject matter is very useful and easy to understand. But the math!
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Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.

Classes with Matt Friedman

ECON 455

Behavioral Economics

3–4 credits

Behavioral Economics examines empirical departures from rational decision-making norms and alternative theories using psychological enrichments, covering topics like loss aversion and time-inconsistent preferences.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Matt Friedman

Matt Friedman taught a heavy reading load that took five hours weekly, with weekly quizzes that were difficult but curved. Students noted that attendance and participation points were critical for passing, as the final exam relied heavily on definitions. While some found his lectures scattered or rambling, others described them as entertaining and engaging.

Matt Friedman

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026
ECON 695

Topics in Economic Data Analysis

3–4 credits

Advanced topics in using data to answer economic questions, focusing on interpreting empirical papers and applying econometric methods to real data.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.44 GPA, 65.1% A/AB (n=43 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.31 GPA, 54.8% A/AB (n=42 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.16 GPA, 57.5% A/AB (n=40 letter grades).

Matt FriedmanHarold Chiang+1 more

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Recorded teaching history

Distinct courses recorded per term

Explore courses taught by this instructor →
Browse recorded courses
TermCourseTitle
Spring 2027ECON 455Behavioral Economics
Spring 2027ECON 695Topics in Economic Data Analysis
Fall 2026ECON 100Economic Approach to Current Issues
Fall 2026ECON 455Behavioral Economics

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

Instructor identity & provenance 
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