Great question! In a typical high school economics class students get both micro and macro, but in a college class, you’ll choose between the two or take both. These are considered social sciences, but also prerequisites for most types of business majors. Here is a quick guide for your economics line up.
In a college setting, both economics courses are 1 semester, so you could arrange for your teen to take both for a full year’s study. Your teen can use credit by exam options to test out of both (CLEP and AP) or take the courses through your favorite dual enrollment provider. Typically, both are worth 3 college credits.
- Principles of Macroeconomics, 3 credits
- Principles of Microeconomics, 3 credits
| Social Science | CLEP Pass Rate (2017) 50 or higher | AP Pass Rate (2023) 3 or higher |
|---|---|---|
| Principles of Macroeconomics | 72% | 65% |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 72% | 68% |
Economics is a great credit to have because it’s one of the only subjects that count in 2 fields later in college: social science AND business. So not only does this cover a student in a number of general education situations, but it also can retain transferability when a student hops from liberal arts fields to business or vice versa. Very few subjects can stand in and count for two entirely different fields. You’ve been told blueberries are superfoods? Well, economics is a supersubject!
If you want credit by exam:
- Use a high school economics curriculum, it will teach an introduction to both micro and macro.
- Have your student complete the free Modern States CLEP courses for both economics and pick up vouchers for both economics tests.
- If your teen takes AP and doesn’t earn 3 or higher on each, they can scoop up college credit by following up with the CLEP exams. If you’re not using AP, just go straight to the CLEP exams.
Awarding High School Credit (3 Options)
There are a few different ways to record this credit; the choice is yours. If you teach the courses together, you might decide to just report as 1 high school credit.
| High School Course | High School Credit |
|---|---|
| Honors Economics | 1.0 |
If you make a distinct break between the two subjects, it might make more sense to record both as individual types of economics.
| High School Course | High School Credit |
|---|---|
| Honors Macroeconomics | 0.5 |
| Honors Microeconomics | 0.5 |
Finally, if you have your curriculum evaluated by the College Board, you can get approval to identify the course as “AP” on the high school transcript, but only if you go through that extra step. If you want to skip the approval process, use “honors” instead.
Which should a student take first: Micro or Macro?
Most students find Macroeconomics easier than Microeconomics.
Macro deals with big-picture concepts: inflation, unemployment, GDP, interest rates, and how entire economies behave. The ideas are often intuitive and easier for a beginner to grasp.
Micro, on the other hand, is more detailed and analytical. It focuses on supply and demand, market structures, elasticity, firm behavior, and can feel more mathematical.
If your student is doing both, start with Macro → Micro.
If your student will only take one and wants the easier, more intuitive option, choose Macroeconomics.
