Required and Recommended Fall Courses for Incoming First-Year BS in Business and Political Economy Students
Your first day to register for Fall 2026 classes is Wednesday, June 10 at 9:00 AM ET. Make sure you go back and review the Fall Registration Information for how to register and tips to keep in mind when building your schedule.
Your personalized first-year schedule will vary depending on a number of factors, including whether you have any qualifying test scores that may fulfill required courses or whether a particular class section has already been filled up when you go to register. Even how much of a morning person you are is something to keep in mind when choosing classes! Remember that you can modify your course schedule throughout the summer and into the beginning of the fall semester.
So here we go 🥳! As a BS in Business and Political Economy student 🌎, your fall class schedule will be made up of 16-18 credits.
Course Overview
You must take:
- MULT-UB 9 Cohort Leadership Program (CLP), 0 credits
- BPEP-UB 1 Intro to Economic & Political Thought, 4 credits
- At least one of the following courses: ECON-UB 2 | Microeconomics, 4 credits OR STAT-UB 103 or STAT-UB 3 | Statistics, 4 or 1.5 credits
If you haven't fulfilled your math requirement, you must take:
You must take your remaining credits from the following list:
- Natural Science (depending on advanced standing), 4 credits
- Elective course(s)
- If you are taking Microeconomics, you can choose to also take Statistics in the same semester: either STAT-UB 103 or STAT-UB 3, 4 or 1.5 credits (Be aware that this may be considered a quantitatively-heavy courseload)
Cohort Leadership Program | Required in the Fall | 0 Credits
You are required to take the Cohort Leadership Program (MULT-UB 9) in your first-year fall semester. You will automatically be enrolled in the course and you should be able to see it on your schedule prior to course registration.
The Cohort Leadership Program (CLP) is a weekly 0-credit class in the first fall semester. The course supports leadership skill development to help you achieve success as a student and future business leader. You will gain greater self-awareness, learn from different perspectives through dialogue, and continue to connect with your cohort community. You'll find out more about CLP during NYU Stern New Student Orientation.
Intro to Economic & Political Thought | Required in the Fall | 4 credits
You are required to take Intro to Economic & Political Thought (BPEP-UB 1) for your fall writing course. You will be taking Business & Society for your spring semester writing course.
No advanced examinations (like AP, IB or GCE A-Level) or previously taken college classes can be used to satisfy this requirement. This course must be taken at NYU.
A Calculus Class | Depending on Proficiency | 4 Credits
You must complete either Calculus 1 (MATH-UA 121), Calculus 2 (MATH-UA 122) or Calculus 3 (MATH-UA 123) to fulfill Stern's mathematics requirement. Calculus 1 also serves as a prerequisite for Microeconomics (ECON-UB 2).
You may apply advanced standing credit to complete this requirement once you arrive in the fall. If you choose to use your exam score to fulfill this requirement, you do not need to take additional or further math at NYU Stern. Advanced standing exam scores eligible to completely fulfill this math degree requirement include:
- AP: Calculus
- AB score of 4 or 5
- BC score of 4 or 5
- AB subscore of 4 or 5
- IB: Math HL score of 6 or 7
- GCE A-level: Math score of A or B
If you don't have any of the above eligible advanced standing exam scores, you will need to enroll in the appropriate math course. To determine which math course is appropriate, review the prerequisites and placement policies for calculus courses.
If you have a qualifying test score but it is not yet appearing in Albert “Test Scores,” you should follow the Calc I Placement Exam instructions.
Once registration begins, math courses may appear "open," but Albert may not let you register. If you receive the error message: "Reserve capacity has been met," this means a section has reached its maximum enrollment for Stern students and so you should attempt enrollment in another section.
Please review the information below carefully to see what course you should enroll in:
- Option 1: Algebra, Trigonometry & Functions (MATH-UA 9)
Who can/should take this course?
If you do not qualify for Calculus I, you should enroll in this course. (See Calculus 1 qualifications below.) If you are an Opportunity Program student, you should refer to the email you received and register for the appropriate level of Math and associated recitation. - Option 2: Calculus I (MATH-UA 121)
Who can/should take this course?
To take this course, please review the eligibility requirements on the Math Department's website. - Option 3: Calculus II (Math-UA 122)
Who can/should take this course?
To take this course, please review the eligibility requirements on the Math Department's website. You should consider taking this or another higher-level math course beyond Calculus I if you're considering a major/minor in math, or pursuing graduate school in fields such as economics, finance, or math. - Option 4: Calculus III (MATH-UA 123)
Who can/should take this course?
To take this course, please review the eligibility requirements on the Math Department's website.You should consider taking this or another higher-level math course beyond Calculus I if you are considering a major/minor in math, or pursuing graduate school in fields such as economics, finance, or math.
Microeconomics | Required in Your First Year | 4 Credits
Since you'll be studying abroad in your sophomore year, you must complete both Microeconomics and the full Statistics requirement by the end of your first year. (For more on Statistics, see the next section.)
The course description below has eligibility information. You must take Microeconomics in the fall semester if you qualify to enroll. If you're not eligible to take Microeconomics in the fall, you must take Statistics in the fall and then Microeconomics in the spring.
If you're eligible for Microeconomics in the fall, you may choose to take both Microeconomics and Statistics in the same semester, but this may be considered a quantitatively-heavy course load.
- Microeconomics (ECON-UB 2)
Who can/should take this course?
To take Microeconomics (ECON-UB 2), you must have at least one of the following:- AP AB Calculus score of 4 or higher
- AP BC Calculus score of 4 or higher
- IB HL Math score of 6 or 7
- GCE A-Level Math score of A or B
- A satisfactory grade (C or higher) in Calculus I (MATH-UA 121) if no eligible test score is available
No advanced examinations (like AP, IB, or GCE A-Level) or previously taken college classes can be used to satisfy your Microeconomics requirement. This course must be taken through NYU Stern.
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Statistics | Depending on Proficiency | Required in Your First Year | 1.5 – 4 Credits
You are required to take a statistics and regression course. Since you'll be studying abroad during the fall of your sophomore year, you should complete both Microeconomics and the full Statistics requirement by the end of your first year.
If you're eligible for Microeconomics in the fall semester, you could choose to take both Microeconomics and Statistics in the same semester, but this may be considered a quantitatively heavy course load.
If you're not eligible for Microeconomics in the fall semester, you should take Statistics in the fall and Microeconomics in the spring.
There are two ways you can fulfill your statistics requirement: either by taking one semester of a combined, more intensive 4-credit course called Statistics for Business Control and Regression & Forecasting Models (STAT-UB 103) (option 1, no prerequisites), OR by taking the 1.5 credit course called Regression & Forecasting Models (STAT-UB 3) (option 2, has prerequisites).
- Option 1: Statistics for Business Control and Regression and Forecasting Models (STAT-UB 103)
Who can/should take this course?
This is a combined 4-credit course. Any NYU Stern student can take it. No qualifying test scores are needed. - Option 2: Taking a statistics proficiency exam to qualify for Regression & Forecasting Models (STAT-UB 3)
Who can/should take Regression & Forecasting Models?
This is a 1.5-credit course. If you have earned a 4 or 5 on your AP Statistics exam, a 6 or 7 on the IB Math (or Further Maths) HL exam or an A or B on the A-Level Maths exam, you can choose to take a proficiency exam during NYU Stern Orientation in the fall. If you pass that exam, you would then only need to take Regression & Forecasting Models (STAT-UB 3) to complete the statistics requirement. No AP, IB, or A-Level credit can be awarded to this requirement. If you pass the exam, the number of elective credits you would need to complete your degree would slightly increase.
Natural Science | Depending on Advanced Standing | 4 Credits
You must complete one semester of a natural science course to earn your degree. Some of the department-specific courses may have prerequisites, so be sure to check the course notes listed in Albert. If you have a qualifying advanced standing test score, you may use your exam score to fulfill this requirement. You can find qualifying advanced standing test scores that satisfy the Natural Science requirement on the Stern website.
The following courses are open to NYU Stern students:
- Physical Science (CORE-UA 200 – 299)
No qualifying test scores are needed.
- Life Science (CORE-UA 300 – 399)
No qualifying test scores are needed.
- Any biology (BIOL-UA), chemistry (CHEM-UA), or physics (PHYS-UA) courses
Be sure to check the course notes listed in Albert for prerequisites or special considerations.
- Additional natural science options by department
View a full list of options for the natural science requirement. Be sure to check the course notes listed in Albert for prerequisites or special considerations.
Elective Course | Depending on Your Schedule | Various Credits
Electives are an important and required part of your degree program. Courses can be taken from Stern or any of the following schools across NYU (as long as you meet the prerequisites listed on Albert):
- College of Arts & Science (courses ending in -UA)
- Steinhardt School of Culture, Education & Human Development (-UE)
- Tisch School of the Arts (-UT)
- Wagner Graduate School of Public Service (-GP)
- Gallatin School of Individualized Study (-UG)
- Silver School of Social Work (-US)
- College of Global Public Health (-GU)
- Tandon School of Engineering (-UY)
You cannot take courses from the School of Professional Studies (-UC) to count toward your degree requirements.
A quick word on advanced standing coursework/credits:
We recommend the following steps if you're utilizing your AP/IB/GCE A-level scores during registration:
- Enroll in a full course load (16 – 18 credits). During your initial registration period, you should enroll in classes that you qualify for without your AP/IB/GCE A-Level scores being in the system. Once your AP/IB/GCE A-Level scores arrive at NYU, the NYU Stern Academic Advising Office can assist with scheduling options.
- Send your scores. If you are planning to submit AP/IB/GCE A-level scores, you can find instructions on submitting standardized test scores on the NYU Admissions website. You can review NYU Stern's policy for Advanced Standing credit in the Academic Bulletin.
- View your received test scores. To check if NYU has received your official advanced standing scores (e.g. AP, IB, A-Level), log in to Albert and look in the “Grades and Transcripts” tab to see your "Test Scores." IB scores may take longer than AP scores to be reported in Albert. Other foreign examination scores (A-Levels, etc.) are not automatically recognized in Albert even once they have been received by NYU.