uwloo

ECON 221Statistics for Economists

Units
0.50
Faculty
Arts
Subject
Economics

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

This course introduces students to describing economic data and drawing inferences from features of economic data. Starting from fundamental axioms of probability, students will learn about the calculation of probabilities of basic events and the features of random variables, the most important tool for representing the outcomes of complex economic phenomena. Students will describe discrete and continuous random variables via their probability distributions and summary statistics such as means and standard deviations, as well as the relationships between two random variables in terms of covariance, correlation, and simple regression models. The concepts of hypothesis testing and confidence intervals, and the fundamentals of statistical inference are discussed for basic features of random variables and for comparing the features of more than one random variable.

Prerequisites

  • Complete 1 of the following
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • COMM103 - Principles of Economics (0.50)
      • ECON100 - Principles of Economics (0.50)
      • ECON101 - Introduction to Microeconomics (0.50)
    • Must have completed the following:

Corequisites

Antirequisites

  • Not open to students enrolled in Faculty of Mathematics programs

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 001317047 / 84MW 11:30–12:50
LEC 002324744 / 84MW 13:00–14:20
TUT 101346531 / 42Th 14:30–15:20
TUT 102346628 / 42Th 15:30–16:20
TUT 103374417 / 42Th 16:30–17:20
TUT 104374515 / 42Th 17:30–18:20
TST 201895091 / 168Oct 23 16:30–18:00
Nov 20 16:30–18:00

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00132050 / 60MW 08:30–09:50
LEC 701121632 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10133640 / 60W 16:00–17:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

45% liked it38% easy65% useful

From 47 ratings and 11 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • More of a Stats course than an Econ course, pretty easy if you put in consistent effort. Felt like the R stuff was not needed as part of the content.

    Aug 2024 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Feel like I learned everything this course intends to offer, haven't got this feeling for a long time.

    May 2013 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • I learned some interesting stuff. Unfortunately I took this course at a time where I was not willing to put too much effort into it, causing me to fall behind. Once you fall behind, it's really hard to catch back up.

    Dec 2012 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Definitely helpful to know but man do I hate stats. I wish learning R played a bigger role in the class because the assignemnts that used it were actually fun to me. Spend time trying to understand the content or else you'll end up almost failing. (F24)

    Oct 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • I was cruising through this course until the final. 8 mini assignments, free marks if you do them. 2 data assignments, pretty easy if you follow along with the class examples. The midterm was incredibly fair; bonus marks were available, I was able to get over 100%. The final was quite tricky, though. It focused heavily on post-midterm content. When studying the second half of the course, be very clear on what types of statistical analysis to do for each type of question!!! Overall, very interesting course! Take it with Riddell if you can!

    Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

89 posts and comments in 71 threads mention ECON 221, January 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Do people pursue a double major in CS and Economics? If anyone has done it, please share your insights. 2 points, 5 comments

“I am a CS major planning to pursue either an Economics minor/ major. Having just completed my 1A term, I’m worried that if I don’t start taking the required courses early in my degree, I might run …”

u/Laeriana: “Unfortunately it doesn't look like you will be able to do a double major in both CS and Economics as some of the required Economics major courses (namely ECON 211 and ECON 221) are not able to be taken by any student enrolled in a Math Faculty program. …”

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FARM VS MATHEMATICAL ECONOMICS 1 point, 2 comments

u/SkeletonReborn07: “… I've already completed CS115 and CS116, and I’m currently taking ECON 221 (Statistics for Economics) and ECON 211 (Mathematical Economics). Unfortunately, I’ve been finding these econ courses to be poorly formulated and less engaging than I’d hoped. …”

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Spring 2024

Econ211, 221, 102 3 points, 4 comments

u/chaman_chikki: “I will be taking econ 211, 221 and 102 together in this uocoming fall term. I have talked to a few arts advisors and they are not sure about this decision saying that this courseload seems really difficult etc. …”

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CS 115 or 135? 1 point, 3 comments

u/chaman_chikki: “… The courses I have enrolled for in fall as of now are econ 102, 221 and 211. I want to add either cs115 or 135 for my computing minor and cannot seem to figure out which one is better in the long run. I think the 3 courses stated above might be a bit heavy. …”

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Winter 2024

Fall 2023

Most Useful Econ Courses 1 point, 3 comments

u/bomankleinn01: “… ECON 212, 290 424, 471 look cool but are ECON 221, 211, 322, 323 useful? Bend how you view useful as you see fit and share thoughts. …”

u/M00bak: “Econ 221 and 211 are just the courses that Econ students to be up to speed with math knowledge for Econ, so if you’re not from math this could be useful. 322 and 323 are about modelling and graphs which is pretty useful. Check uwflow.cơm for more if you haven’t. …”

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Spring 2023

ECON 221 AND 211 1 point, 2 comments

u/Historical_Top_2005: “… my two main concerns were Econ 221 and 211. I didn't take calc in highschool and math isn't a strong subject for me. i know econ is very math heavy so i was wondering if its possible tp get through these courses with hard work and determination LOL. …”

u/mothership38: “Profs usually curve econ 211 and 221. So don't worry about it. Most ppl from arts faculty are not good in math but they pass anyway”

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Failed a course! Need advice 6 points, 6 comments

“Hey warriors, So I failed a course and got a 47 which is extremely close to 50 to pass. I wanted to know what can I do to get to 50. It would suck a lot to fail this hard course just by 3 marks. …”

u/SellParking: “… That’s if you didn’t fail ECON 221 along the way, which is Stat for Econ. This one is about the same as ECON 211. So, before you retake it, take a look at your journey ahead and see if you have the mathematical readiness and aptitude to complete your degree in Economics. …”

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Winter 2023

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar