Recommendations for Online Economics Classes

[wonkish]

I am searching for an online course for Intro to Macroeconomics. What are some universities that offer an affordable/worthwhile online macro course? So far I've found Berkeley offers a class but it costs $715!

Do MPP/MPA programs care valuate online courses based on the school - Berkeley vs. no name university?

Hypothetically, if I have a very strong application in every other aspect (including other econ courses, research papers, internships etc.), would the absence of a macroeconomics class hurt my application? I have heard about school's giving conditional offers which require applicants to take one of their courses during the summer prior to enrollment; though I am not sure about riskiness and/or likelihood of this outcome...

Thanks for the insight.

[pushpin]

I took macro-econ and micro-econ online through a California community college for a little over $100 each before applying (and I would have probably done an online stats or calc class also if I wasn't so busy with GRE studying). I felt it was necessary for myself not having a strong quantitative background on my undergrad transcript.

Personally, I don't think it matters where you take these courses because adcoms probably just look to see if you've taken econ courses or what your quant background is like rather than the institutions you attended. I was a pretty strong applicant overall but I think having put the extra effort and interest into economics post-graduation (even if it was through a dinky CC) might have helped round out my application and pushed it into the acceptance/funding pile. Save the money, you're gonna need it for application fees, GRE tests/score print outs and transcript copies

I am searching for an online course for Intro to Macroeconomics. What are some universities that offer an affordable/worthwhile online macro course? So far I've found Berkeley offers a class but it costs $715!

Do MPP/MPA programs care valuate online courses based on the school - Berkeley vs. no name university?

Hypothetically, if I have a very strong application in every other aspect (including other econ courses, research papers, internships etc.), would the absence of a macroeconomics class hurt my application? I have heard about school's giving conditional offers which require applicants to take one of their courses during the summer prior to enrollment; though I am not sure about riskiness and/or likelihood of this outcome...

Thanks for the insight.

[mayaesp]

I was wondering the same thing. Though I ended up taking a brick and mortar macro econ class, I did find that there were several California community colleges that have online options. I think for at least some of them, you would have to show up for some sort of orientation or have in class tests every so often, but there's probably some where you could remain a virtual student the whole semester. Enrollment is probably closed for the summer, but, for fall enrollment, you could check out http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/maps/alphaList.asp and manually see which schools have online options. I know that a school in Sacramento and in Pleasant Hill had online courses, and I'm sure there's many more. Good luck.

[wonkish]

Thanks for the advice and link - very helpful!

I was wondering the same thing. Though I ended up taking a brick and mortar macro econ class, I did find that there were several California community colleges that have online options. I think for at least some of them, you would have to show up for some sort of orientation or have in class tests every so often, but there's probably some where you could remain a virtual student the whole semester. Enrollment is probably closed for the summer, but, for fall enrollment, you could check out http://californiacom...s/alphaList.asp and manually see which schools have online options. I know that a school in Sacramento and in Pleasant Hill had online courses, and I'm sure there's many more. Good luck.

[pushpin]

I was overseas and able to complete both courses completely online. Some courses do require a few on-campus days but I luckily found a 100% online class through Mesa College (a California CC based in San Diego). It also didn't show up as an online class on the transcript. The academic rigor, of course, was pretty mild but I did get a lot out of it as someone with little econ background. If you're a CA resident, it definitely might be worth taking advantage of the relatively cheap tuition fees.. I think it's something like $33/unit in-state. If you do decide to go this route, be sure to register ASAP as Fall registration dates are already going out and classes fill up insanely fast.

Thanks for the advice and link - very helpful!

[AndreaAce]

Hi!! I was wondering if anyone knows of another university offering cheap online Intro to microeconomics for non US residents. The UC Berkeley course is expensive ($715) and I was wondering if there are cheaper options. The courses at the CC in California turned out to be almost as expensive as Berkeley, $650, for non-residents.

This semester I'm taking Calculus at a prestigious local university but with my work load I would prefer online, better to manage my time and I wouldn't have to worry about skipping class whenever I have to travel because of my work.

Thanks!!!!!

[beefmaster]

Yes I have the same issue. Need a cheap cheap cheap online introductory macro and micro course to take. Not having any luck with the search so any suggestions more than welcome!

[understatement700]

I am enrolled for micro and macro online courses at Fort Hayes State Univ. virtual college for spring 2012. The tuition is the same for in-state and out of state students, ($174 per unit so for both 3 unit classes $1,044) a little cheaper than the Berkeley extension classes too and it's 100 percent online. I haven't actually taken the courses yet so I can't comment on them but just throwing the suggestion out there. Also, the classes were full but I called the adviser they assigned me and then talked to the econ. department head and he approved me for the courses so I think they are flexible to work with.