Northern Illinois University
Department of Economics
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Undergraduate Advising

If you are thinking about a major or minor in Economics, the forms below contain helpful information.

• B.A. Checklist
• B.S. Checklist
• B.S. with Financial Economics Checklist
• Course Suggestions for Major
• Course Suggestions for Minor
• Freshman Majors
• NIU Majors Web-Links
• Capstone - Rubric Example
• FAQs

Graduate Student Forms

Course Permission

• Economics 698: Independent Study Form (PDF)
  • Students are responsible for finding a faculty member with which to work. The student and faculty member should agree on both a topic and evaluation criteria for the course. After those items are filled out on this form, the student and the faculty member should sign the form and submit it to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval. The department will enroll the student in the course after approval.
• Economics 795: Internship Course Form (PDF)
  • Any student seeking credit for an internship should fill out this form PRIOR to enrolling the course. Once the form is completed it should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval.
• Non-Economics Course Approval Form (PDF)
  • Any student wishing to enroll in a course outside the department of Economics should complete this form and obtain the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies. Students in the MA program are allowed to take up to six credit hours outside the department while students in the PhD program are allowed to take up to nine credit hours outside the department. This rule does not apply to students who are part of the joint Ph.D. and M.S. program.

Paper Evaluation

• Master's Paper Evaluation Form (PDF)
  • Students choosing to submit a paper for fulfillment of the M.A. requirement should submit the paper and this form to the faculty member with whom they are working. The faculty member should evaluate the paper using the criteria on the form. After scoring the paper and signing the form, the paper and this form should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies to ensure the paper is achieved and credit is given to the student for fulfillment of the paper requirement.
• Ph.D. Paper Evaluation Form (PDF)
  • After a student in the Ph.D. program has received approval of their Ph.D. paper advisor, they should submit the paper along with this form and the name of two other faculty members who have agreed to evaluate the paper. The advisor should score the paper according to the criteria on the form and list the paper as approved or not approved. The advisor should then circulate the paper to the other two faculty members who will verify the advisor's scoring of the paper. After all three faculty members have agreed on the scoring and approval of the paper, it should be submitted with this form to the director of Graduate Studies for proper archival and to ensure credit is given to the student for the fulfillment of this requirement for the degree.

Graduate Assistantships

• Graduate Assistantship Application: For students seeking a new graduate assistantship only
• Graduate Assistantship Renewal Request: For students seeking to renew and existing assistantship

Additional Graduate Student Forms

• Graduate Program Change or Addition Form: To add or remove a program of study.
• Graduate Program Underload Form: For students seeking to take fewer than the required number of credit hours in a semester.
• Graduate Course Drop/Add Form: For students seeking to add, drop, or change a course after classes have started.

Other important forms and information can be found at the NIU Graduate School website.