The joint Computer Science-Economics concentration exposes students to the theoretical and practical connections between computer science and economics. It prepares students for professional careers that incorporate aspects of economics and computer technology and for academic careers conducting research in areas that emphasize the overlap between the two fields. Concentrators may choose to pursue either the A.B. or the Sc.B. degree. While the A.B. degree allows students to explore the two disciplines by taking advanced courses in both departments, its smaller number of required courses is compatible with a liberal education. The Sc.B. degree achieves greater depth in both computer science and economics by requiring more courses, and it offers students the opportunity to creatively integrate both disciplines through a design requirement. If you are interested in declaring a concentration in Computer Science-Economics, please refer to this page for more information regarding the process. For more information about the CS Pathways, see this page.
Standard Program for the Sc.B. degree.
| Prerequisites (3 courses): | ||
| Single Variable Calculus, Part II | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
or MATH 0540 | Linear Algebra With Theory | |
or CSCI 0530 | Coding the Matrix: An Introduction to Linear Algebra for Computer Science | |
| Principles of Economics | ||
| Required Courses: 17 courses: 8 Computer Science, 8 Economics, and a Capstone | ||
| CSCI 1450 | Advanced Introduction to Probability for Computing and Data Science 1 | 1 |
| or APMA 1650 | Statistical Inference I | |
| or APMA 1655 | Honors Statistical Inference I | |
| Select one of the following Series: | 2 | |
Series A | ||
| Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and Computer Science and Program Design with Data Structures and Algorithms | ||
Series B | ||
| Computer Science: An Integrated Introduction and Program Design with Data Structures and Algorithms | ||
Series C | ||
| Accelerated Introduction to Computer Science (and an additional CS course not otherwise used to satisfy a concentration requirement; this course may be CSCI 0200, a Foundations CS course, or a 1000-level course.) | ||
Series D | ||
| Computing Foundations: Data and Computing Foundations: Program Organization and Program Design with Data Structures and Algorithms | ||
| Two courses, touching two different Foundations areas | 2 | |
a. Algorithms/Theory Foundations | ||
CSCI 0500 | Data Structures, Algorithms, and Intractability: An Introduction | |
| Theory of Computation | ||
| Probabilistic Methods in Computer Science | ||
| Design and Analysis of Algorithms | ||
b. AI/Machine Learning/Data Science Foundations | ||
| Artificial Intelligence | ||
or CSCI 1420 | Machine Learning | |
or CSCI 1430 | Computer Vision | |
or CSCI 1460 | Computational Linguistics | |
or CSCI 1470 | Deep Learning | |
or CSCI 1850 | Deep Learning in Genomics | |
or CSCI 1951R | Introduction to Robotics | |
c. Systems Foundations | ||
| Fundamentals of Computer Systems | ||
or CSCI 0320 | Introduction to Software Engineering | |
or CSCI 0330 | Introduction to Computer Systems | |
d. Math Foundations | ||
| Statistical Inference I | ||
or CSCI 1450 | Advanced Introduction to Probability for Computing and Data Science | |
or MATH 1210 | Probability | |
or another APMA/MATH course that features probability | ||
| Three 1000-level CSCI courses, which cannot include arts/policy/humanities courses. One of these can be an additional Foundations course. | 3 | |
| ECON 1130 | Intermediate Microeconomics (Mathematical) 2 | 1 |
| ECON 1210 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 1 |
| ECON 1630 | Mathematical Econometrics I | 1 |
| Three courses from the "mathematical economics" group (CSCI 1951K can be counted as one of them, if it has not been used to satisfy the computer science requirements of the concentration and if the student has taken either ECON 1470 or ECON 1870): | 3 | |
| Welfare Economics and Social Choice Theory | ||
| Advanced Macroeconomics: Monetary, Fiscal, and Stabilization Policies | ||
| Unemployment: Models and Policies | ||
| Bargaining Theory and Applications | ||
| Designing Internet Marketplaces | ||
| Topics in Macroeconomics, Development and International Economics | ||
| Mathematical Econometrics II | ||
| Big Data | ||
| Advanced Topics in Econometrics | ||
| Machine Learning, Text Analysis, and Economics | ||
| Investments II | ||
| Crisis Economics | ||
| Economics in the Laboratory | ||
| Theory of Behavioral Economics | ||
| The Theory of General Equilibrium | ||
| Game Theory and Applications to Economics | ||
| Two additional 1000-level Economics courses excluding 1620, 1960, 1970 3 | 2 | |
| One capstone course in either CS or Economics: a one-semester course, normally taken in the student's last semester undergraduate year, in which the student (or group of students) use a significant portion of their undergraduate education, broadly interpreted, in studying some current topic (preferably at the intersection of computer science and economics) in depth, to produce a culminating artifact such as a paper or software project. A senior thesis, which involved two semesters of work, may count as a capstone. | 1 | |
| Total Credits | 17 | |
- 1
APMA 1650 or APMA 1655 may be used in place of CSCI 1450 in CS pathway requirements. However, concentration credit will be given for only one of APMA 1650, APMA 1655, and CSCI 1450.
- 2
Or ECON 1110 with permission. For students matriculating at Brown in Fall 2021 or later, note that if ECON 1110 is used, then one additional course from the mathematical-economics group will be required
- 3
Students may apply, at most, one Economics course whose number is in the range of 1000 to 1099 toward the concentration. Note that ECON 1620, ECON 1960, and ECON 1970 (independent study) cannot be used for concentration credit. However, 1620 and 1960 can be used for university credit and up to two 1970s may be used for university credit.
Honors
Students who meet stated requirements are eligible to write an honors thesis in their senior year. Students should consult the listed honors requirements of whichever of the two departments their primary thesis advisor belongs to, at the respective departments' websites. If the primary thesis advisor belongs to Economics (Computer Science), then students must have a reader in the Computer Science (respectively, Economics) department.
Professional Track
The requirements for the professional track include all those of the standard track, as well as the following:
Students must complete full-time professional experiences doing work that is related to their concentration programs, totaling 2-6 months, whereby each internship must be at least one month in duration in cases where students choose to do more than one internship experience. Such work is normally done at a company, but may also be at a university under the supervision of a faculty member. Internships that take place between the end of the fall and the start of the spring semesters cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
On completion of each professional experience, the student must write and upload to ASK a reflective essay about the experience addressing the following prompts, to be approved by the student's concentration advisor:
- Which courses were put to use in your summer's work? Which topics, in particular, were important?
- In retrospect, which courses should you have taken before embarking on your summer experience? What are the topics from these courses that would have helped you over the summer if you had been more familiar with them?
- Are there topics you should have been familiar with in preparation for your summer experience, but are not taught at Brown? What are these topics?
- What did you learn from the experience that probably could not have been picked up from course work?
- Is the sort of work you did over the summer something you would like to continue doing once you graduate? Explain.
- Would you recommend your summer experience to other Brown students? Explain.
Standard Program for the A.B. degree:
| Prerequisites (3 courses): | ||
| Single Variable Calculus, Part II | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
or MATH 0540 | Linear Algebra With Theory | |
or CSCI 0530 | Coding the Matrix: An Introduction to Linear Algebra for Computer Science | |
| Principles of Economics | ||
| Required Courses: 13 courses: 7 Computer Science and 6 Economics | ||
| CSCI 1450 | Advanced Introduction to Probability for Computing and Data Science | 1 |
| or APMA 1650 | Statistical Inference I | |
| or APMA 1655 | Honors Statistical Inference I | |
| Select one of the following series: | 2 | |
Series A | ||
| Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and Computer Science and Program Design with Data Structures and Algorithms | ||
Series B | ||
| Computer Science: An Integrated Introduction and Program Design with Data Structures and Algorithms | ||
Series C | ||
| Accelerated Introduction to Computer Science (and an additional CS course not otherwise used to satisfy a concentration requirement; this course may be CSCI 0200, a Foundations course, or a 1000-level course) | ||
Series D | ||
| Computing Foundations: Data and Program Design with Data Structures and Algorithms | ||
| Two courses, touching two different Foundations areas: | 2 | |
a. Algorithms/Theory Foundations | ||
CSCI 0500 | Data Structures, Algorithms, and Intractability: An Introduction | |
| Theory of Computation | ||
| Probabilistic Methods in Computer Science | ||
| Design and Analysis of Algorithms | ||
b. AI/Machine Learning/Data Science Foundations | ||
| Artificial Intelligence | ||
or CSCI 1420 | Machine Learning | |
or CSCI 1430 | Computer Vision | |
or CSCI 1460 | Computational Linguistics | |
or CSCI 1470 | Deep Learning | |
or CSCI 1850 | Deep Learning in Genomics | |
or CSCI 1951R | Introduction to Robotics | |
c. Systems Foundations | ||
| Fundamentals of Computer Systems | ||
or CSCI 0320 | Introduction to Software Engineering | |
or CSCI 0330 | Introduction to Computer Systems | |
d. Math Foundations | ||
| Statistical Inference I | ||
or CSCI 1450 | Advanced Introduction to Probability for Computing and Data Science | |
or MATH 1210 | Probability | |
or another APMA/MATH course that features probability | ||
| 2 1000-level CSCI courses, which cannot include arts/policy/humanities courses. One of these can be an additional Foundations course. | 2 | |
| ECON 1130 | Intermediate Microeconomics (Mathematical) 1 | 1 |
| ECON 1210 | Intermediate Macroeconomics | 1 |
| ECON 1630 | Mathematical Econometrics I | 1 |
| Three courses from the "mathematical-economics" group: 2 | 3 | |
| Welfare Economics and Social Choice Theory | ||
| Advanced Macroeconomics: Monetary, Fiscal, and Stabilization Policies | ||
| Unemployment: Models and Policies | ||
| Bargaining Theory and Applications | ||
| Designing Internet Marketplaces | ||
| Topics in Macroeconomics, Development and International Economics | ||
| Mathematical Econometrics II | ||
| Big Data | ||
| Advanced Topics in Econometrics | ||
| Machine Learning, Text Analysis, and Economics | ||
| Investments II | ||
| Crisis Economics | ||
| Economics in the Laboratory | ||
| Theory of Behavioral Economics | ||
| The Theory of General Equilibrium | ||
| Game Theory and Applications to Economics | ||
or any graduate Economics course 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 13 | |
- 1
Or ECON 1110 with permission. For students matriculating at Brown in Fall 2021 or later, note that if ECON 1110 is used, then one additional course from the mathematical-economics group will be required
- 2
CSCI 1951K can be counted as one of them, if it has not been used to satisfy the computer science requirements of the concentration and if the student has taken either ECON 1470 or ECON 1870.
- 3
Note that ECON 1620, ECON 1960, and ECON 1970 (independent study) cannot be used for concentration credit. However, 1620 and 1960 can be used for university credit and up to two 1970s may be used for university credit.
Honors
Students who meet stated requirements are eligible to write an honors thesis in their senior year. Students should consult the listed honors requirements of whichever of the two departments their primary thesis advisor belongs to, at the respective departments' websites. If the primary thesis advisor belongs to Economics (Computer Science), then students must have a reader in the Computer Science (respectively, Economics) department.
Professional Track
The requirements for the professional track include all those of the standard track, as well as the following:
Students must complete full-time professional experiences doing work that is related to their concentration programs, totaling 2-6 months, whereby each internship must be at least one month in duration in cases where students choose to do more than one internship experience. Such work is normally done at a company, but may also be at a university under the supervision of a faculty member. Internships that take place between the end of the fall and the start of the spring semesters cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.
On completion of each professional experience, the student must write and upload to ASK a reflective essay about the experience addressing the following prompts, to be approved by the student's concentration advisor:
- Which courses were put to use in your summer's work? Which topics, in particular, were important?
- In retrospect, which courses should you have taken before embarking on your summer experience? What are the topics from these courses that would have helped you over the summer if you had been more familiar with them?
- Are there topics you should have been familiar with in preparation for your summer experience, but are not taught at Brown? What are these topics?
- What did you learn from the experience that probably could not have been picked up from course work?
- Is the sort of work you did over the summer something you would like to continue doing once you graduate? Explain.
- Would you recommend your summer experience to other Brown students? Explain.