Economics DepartmentDuke's Global Education Office for Undergraduates (GEO) is the initial point of contact for all students wishing to take courses abroad, either through a "Duke in" program or at any other institution not in the United States. In all cases, a student wishing to undertake study abroad should start by contacting GEO.
The Duke Financial Economics Center (DFE) and GEO offer two study-away programs, Duke in New York: Financial Markets & Institutions and Duke in London: Finance. Through these programs, students take courses with Duke-affiliated faculty and connect with the extensive alumni and parent network in New York and London.
Duke in New York: Financial Markets and Institutions
This is a liberal arts-based, one-semester program in New York City for Duke undergraduates interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the financial services industry. The most up-to-date information is on the GEO's Duke in New York program page. Watch the video made by a program alum.
Duke in London: Finance
This is a six-week, two-course program in London, England for Duke students interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the financial services industry and global financial markets. London is an ideal setting in which to study these topics, given the city’s role as a center for financial transactions throughout Europe, as well as links to the United States, Asia, and emerging markets. The location likewise offers students a variety of opportunities to interact with Duke alumni living and working in London. The most up-to-date information is on the GEO's Duke in London program page.
Transfer Credit
GEO maintains a database of previously approved courses and their transfer equivalents at Duke.
If your course previously has been approved, GEO will be able to process the transfer credit. For information specific to programs with courses in economics, refer to GEO's list of Study Away Recommendations by Major.
If your course previously has not been approved, you must obtain approval from the director of undergraduate studies. Students should initiate the Course Approval Process with GEO. In addition to the form, students will need to provide a description of the course(s) in question, such as a description from a course catalog, web print-out, or course syllabus. Students also need to provide information on where the course(s) fits into the program of study at the institution in question (i.e., Is it a course for majors? Is it an introductory, intermediate, or advanced course?). A good way to do this is to provide course descriptions for any pre-requisites to the course you are seeking to transfer.
Students may submit these materials with the approval form directly to the undergraduate program assistant, who will forward them to the director of undergraduate studies for approval and then to GEO for final processing.
Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines
When transferring credit through the Department of Economics, the following guidelines apply:
- A maximum of 2 course credits from all study abroad courses and/or courses taken at other domestic institutions may be counted toward economics major or minor requirements. One exception is for courses taken through the full-year program at the London School of Economics (in which case the maximum number of transfer credits is four).
- Any approved Principles of Macroeconomics & Microeconomics course will transfer in as ECON 101.
- Effective for courses taken after the Spring 2018 semester, we will no longer accept transfer credits for the following courses: ECON 104, ECON 201, ECON 204/208, ECON 205, and ECON 210. Courses that are part of “Duke In …” programs count as Duke courses and not transfer courses (please note that a few “Duke In …” programs are hybrids in which some courses count as Duke courses but students may also take transfer courses at the foreign institution). Also, inter-institutional courses are not considered transfer courses, nor are pre-matriculation credits. If you have questions about whether a course taken away from Duke would be considered a transfer course, please consult the director of undergraduate studies or associate director of undergraduate studies before taking the course.
- Generally, courses with sufficient economics content but no economics prerequisites will be granted ECON 200-level credit or their exact Duke equivalent. ECON 200-level courses may not be used toward any requirements for the economics major, though they may be used toward general university requirements. For students who began at Duke Fall 2012 or later, one ECON 200-level course may be counted toward the minor elective requirements.
- Generally, courses with sufficient economics content and prerequisites of at least the Principles level will be granted ECON 300 credit or their exact Duke equivalent. All such courses will count as credit toward major requirements (assuming the student has no more than two) as well as toward university requirements.