The field of economics is essential to understanding a complex geopolitical map both nationally and abroad. Using data, empirical methods and theory, economists make sense of how societies, governments and businesses use valuable resources. The study of economics also lays the groundwork for making crucial decisions in everyday life.
In the Department of Economics, students form collaborative research teams with professors and benefit from individualized instruction. The department offers a wide range of courses from labor, behavioral and international economics to math and data-based classes on algorithmic trading in financial markets. Students learn to think analytically and to pose and solve economic problems from the global to the local. They actively construct economic models and test their hypotheses in original projects. The breadth of classes exposes students to every aspect of the discipline and enables them to delve deeply into particular areas of interest.
Professors are active researchers and scholars with expertise in the economics of healthcare, the environment and international markets, among other fields. They publish in top international and national journals, and they have often co-authored with students.
The College’s Peggotty Investment Club gives students the unique opportunity to participate actively in managing an endowed scholarship of over $125,000. This student-run organization provides practical education and hands-on experience in financial markets. Club members analyze portfolio holdings and macroeconomic conditions.
With proximity to a world financial center in New York City and access to a powerful alumni network, students have interned at investment banks, nongovernmental organizations and governmental offices including The Federal Reserve.
Economics majors have the opportunity to apply to the Toor Cummings Center for International Studies and the Liberal Arts (CISLA), where they can learn a foreign language intensively and secure paid internships abroad in economics-related fields. They can also apply for the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy, a multidisciplinary academic center that advances teaching, learning, research and community collaborations.
Majors often enter graduate programs in economics, law, business, public health and public policy. Popular career choices include finance and work with international service organizations.
