Undergraduate Handbook

An undergraduate major in economics serves a variety of purposes in the liberal arts or pre-professional curriculum. It leads to a great diversity of career opportunities. A major in economics provides a good foundation for careers in business or government service at all levels, as well as an ideal preparation for graduate studies in a number of professional schools and disciplines. Economics majors are well-positioned to pursue further study in a variety of graduate level fields. These included law, public policy, business administration, health management, hospital administration, urban affairs, economics and political science. Because the range of interests among economists is broad, the economics program includes a broad range of course offerings. In a world of changing interests and job requirements there is a strong logic in building a general and flexible set of abilities.

A student who is too narrowly trained may find it difficult to keep pace in the changing job market. An economics major can design a curriculum that maintains a good balance between generalized knowledge and serviceable skills. One enduring strength of economics is its logical ordered way of looking at a variety of problems and issues. It draws on history, philosophy and mathematics to confront topics ranging from how households or businesses can make sound decisions to societal issues such as unemployment, inflation, crime and environmental decay.

This handbook is designed to guide students toward fulfilling the requirements for different tracks the economics major offers.

View the Undergraduate Program Description and Requirements (in PDF format; approx 120K)

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