The Department of Economics stands tall, graced by the presence of the Principal of the college, Rev. Father Dr. Felix Raj, as a faculty member. The Faculty Members form a team, working effectively to deliver a course in Economics that rates as one of the best at the undergraduate level, by any standards. Students form the core of the department and their quality is of the highest degree.

The aim of the course is to develop and hone the analytical abilities of the students, empowering them to address issues pertaining to the real world, in various capacities such as researchers, academicians, administrators or corporate persona. To that end, syllabus comprises of twelve papers, which include Micro-economics, Macro-economics, Statistics & Econometrics, Mathematical Economics, International Economics, Open-Economy Studies, Indian Economics and Development Economics. The final semester offers courses in specialized areas such as Health Economics and Economics of Finance. Special emphasis on Project Work & Presentation provides hands-on experience with the state-of-the-art computer applications and equips them with public-speaking skills.

On an average, the strength of a batch of students varies between sixty and sixty-five. Six members of the faculty take regular classes. In a single lecture period, a teacher addresses a batch of sixty to sixty-five students.

The faculty members are engaged in individual and collaborative academic research. Principal Rev. Father Dr. Felix Raj has several publications to his credit including a recent compendium on the World Trade Organization. Faculty members have the distinction of authoring several papers in academic journals of national and international repute. Some of the faculty members also enjoy the distinction of supervising dissertations at the post-graduate, M. Phil. and Doctoral levels. The faculty is in the process of initiating several upcoming project works in the near future. These apart, the students regularly present papers at various seminars, at the students’ level as also professional levels. Our students achieve the rare distinction of authoring papers in reputed professional academic journals.

The students’ academic performance has been consistently brilliant for the last fifteen years. They secure admissions into the various prestigious post-graduate courses at home and abroad, such as the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi School of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indian Institute of Management and even London School of Economics. The department has been successfully hosting its Annual Students’ Economic Summit – the Confluence – for four consecutive years now. The students have been winning the champions’ trophy at several inter-college academic meets. Annual publications of the departmental magazine “Echo-Echoes” is another feather in the cap. The magazine carries articles by students as well as eminent economists. Our students also actively participate in various extra-academic activities such as sports and fine arts.

There are many noteworthy alumni in the department. The present Head of the Department of Economics at the University of Calcutta, Professor Anjan Chakrabarty and the Head of the Department of Economics at Rabindra Bharati University, Professor Kaushik Gupta, are both meritorious alumni of the college.

The Syllabus

Economics Honours is a three-year undergraduate programme, which is divided into six semesters. The aim of the course is to develop the basic tools of economic analysis used by economists working in research, academic institutions, government administration, non-governmental organizations and corporate sector. The course deals with both positive and normative issues. In particular, the course is a happy blend of theory, quantitative methods and applications. Along with the use of mathematical-statistical methods and econometrics, the course is a perfect guide to creating future economists and researchers in different sectors. The course is designed at par with the courses of other standard Universities and Institutes, sometimes going above the standard, as and when required so that students will not face any problem while going for higher studies anywhere in India or abroad.

The specific features of the course include:

• Creating an analytical mindset of students and helping students to develop logical acumen to apply economic concepts to real-world problems.

• Offering a clear perspective on emerging issues at the regional, national and international level.

• Specific emphasis on project-oriented study based on the use of necessary software.

• Exposure to the works of eminent economists and Nobel Laureates such as Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen, Paul Krugman, Debraj Ray and Kaushik Basu, to name just a few.

The course offers the following benefits: 

• Study in one of the best departments renowned for consistently brilliant academic performance and placements of its students. In particular, the success rate of our students in different competitive examinations is absolutely phenomenal.

• Enables a student to draw upon the strengths acquired in Mathematics and English at intermediate level to gain, through teaching, assignment, project, classroom presentation and independent study, a rigorous understanding of even the most intricate issues of the subject and development of a social awareness.

• Prepares a student for a variety of careers in both academic, corporate world and government administration.

• Application orientation in such a manner that student will develop a natural interest in the subject and problem solving ability.

• Very helpful, committed and friendly faculty who encourage interactions between teachers and students. The mission of the department is to develop education as a holistic concept and put students at the center of all concerns.

• Corporate placement through systematic co-ordination between the Department and well functioning Placement Cell of the College.

Some aspects of co-curricular activities

Since Autonomy is a quality paradigm, Economics Department strikes out an optimum balance between academic and co-curricular activities to promote students’ personality development along with academic grooming.

Two major aspects of co-curricular activities are: 1) Economic Summit, Confluence and 2) Publication of Departmental Magazine, Eco-Echoes.

Economic Summit is an inter-collegiate academic meet for teachers, students and researchers of different colleges and institutions. The Summit draws inspiration from the emerging paradigm of academia – corporate interfacing. This annual event is a break from the regular classes which helps in understanding and contextualizing socio-economic issues with a specific focus on the West Bengal economy. Confluence 2006 and 2007 have been attended by students of different colleges, eminent academicians, corporate personalities and top-ranking Government officials. The Summit offers a platform for exchange of opinions on contentious issues and policies. Students get opportunities to present their papers and participate in debates and different competitive events.

Departmental Magazine Eco-Echoes is primarily meant for students’ publications. Students themselves don the cap of editors of the Departmental Magazine. The Magazine publishes papers of not only students but also papers and interviews of academicians and corporate personalities.

Students and teachers work together as members of the team to organize these co-curricular activities. This team spirit within a congenial family environment is the strength of the department.

COURSE STRUCTURE                           

[Download detailed syllabus-Honours]

[Download detailed syllabus-General] 

Structure of the Syllabus [Honours]

Semester 1:

• Paper 1:

                         Group A: Microeconomics I                      (50 Marks)

                         Group B: Macroeconomics I                     (50 Marks)

• Paper 2: 

                        Group A: Economic Statistics I                 (50 Marks)

                        Group B: Development Economics I            (50 Marks)

Semester 2:

• Paper 3:

                        Group A: Microeconomics 2                      (50 Marks)

                        Group B: Macroeconomics 2                      (50 Marks)

• Paper 4: 

                        Group A: Economic Statistics 2                (50 Marks)

                        Group B: Development Economics 2         (50 Marks)

Semester 3:

• Paper 5:

                        Group A: Microeconomics 3                      (50 Marks)

                        Group B: Macroeconomics 3                      (50 Marks)

• Paper 6: 

                        Group A: Economic Statistics 3                (50 Marks)

                        Group B: Development Economics 3         (50 Marks)

Semester 4:

• Paper 7:

                     Group A: Mathematical Economics I            (50 Marks)

                     Group B: International Economics I              (50 Marks)

• Paper 8: 

                     Group A: Economic Statistics 4                   (50 Marks)

                     Group B: Development Economics 4            (50 Marks)

Semester 5:

• Paper 9:

                    Group A: Mathematical Economics I             (50 Marks)

                    Group B: Open Economy Macroeconomics   (50 Marks)

• Paper 10: 

                      Group A: Indian Economic Issues                 (50 Marks)

                     Group B: Development Economics 5            (50 Marks)

Semester 6:

• Paper 11:

               Group A: International Economics 2              (50 Marks)

               Group B: Optional Paper                                (50 Marks)

Any one of the following optional papers will be offered depending on availability of resource persons:

    Optional Paper 1: Finance

                Optional Paper 2: Health Economics

• Paper 12: 

                      Project                                                         (100 marks)

Project work will be based on contemporary Indian Economic issues with clear accent on policy recommendations.