Economics
- Economics as a Foundation
- Career Opportunities
- Economics B.B.A. or as a Second Major
- Economics B.A.
- Minor
- Course Descriptions (links to online catalog)
Economics as a Foundation for Other Disciplines
It is safe to call economics the forerunner of modern business administration. As the world became more complex, specialized disciplines such as accounting, finance, marketing and management evolved as separate functional areas of business administration. Economics also defined its boundaries and developed as a specialized discipline. However, it still remains quite vast in the range of topics it includes, a sample of which follows:
- How does technological change effect availability of jobs and how does it effect the characteristics of those jobs?
- How does international trade and other global conditions effect domestic business, job availability and level of income?
- What are the causes and effects of inflation and unemployment? Can we manage them to diminish their adverse consequences?
- How are the prices of resources (land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship) determined and how do prices efficiently allocate those resources to different uses?
- What impact do taxes, budget deficits and government spending have on people and business?
- What are the implications of government policies and regulations for market efficiency ?
- What is the appropriate role of government in improving market efficiency, providing necessary public goods and services, controlling environmental pollution and altering the distribution of income to reduce poverty in society?
- What are the reasons for fluctuations in the productivity and output of a firm and the economy as a whole? How can changes in productivity enhance profit and wage incomes?
- How can we maintain satisfactory growth of income, output and employment?
- What are the causes and the effects of inflation and deflation? How can we limit the distortions which these pervasive changes impose upon us?
As you can see from these topics, economics deals with problems and issues which are of fundamental concern to the individual and to society. If this is of interest to you, you may decide to obtain a major or minor in the field. A bachelor’s degree in economics is highly desirable as a basis for further study in law, business and public administration, political science, education, and several other disciplines.
Career Opportunities
A variety of job opportunities are available to a student with a major in economics. A partial list of career options is given below:
- Banking and Finance (loan officer, stock broker, commodities broker, financial analyst, security analyst, etc.)
- Insurance (benefit analyst, claims adjuster, underwriting trainee, actuary, etc.)
- Government at local, state or federal levels (budget analyst, urban planning administrator, forecaster, consultant, foreign service officer, etc.)
- Business Administration (management trainee, forecaster, market analyst, labor relations, sales, logistics, buyer, systems analyst, etc.)
- Teaching
- Consulting
- Business and Economic Reporter
- International organizations (World Bank, International Monetary Fund, etc.)
Economics (B.B.A. or as a second major)
A minor is not required. (The minor requirement is met automatically by completing the business core, however, a minor in accounting, finance, legal studies, management or marketing may be obtained by completion of certain courses as listed under the respective department.)
Foundation Courses (61 credits required)
Business Cognate Courses (12 Credits)
Business Core Courses (49 Credits)
Electives (18 credits required)
ECON 301 Money, Credit & Banking 3 cr.
ECON 304 Income & Employment Theory 4 cr.
ECON 315 The Price System 4 cr.
ECON 324 Economics of Labor 2-4 cr.
ECON 363 Business and Economic Forecasting 4 cr.
ECON 370 Regional Economics 3 cr.
ECON 375 Managerial Economics 4 cr.
ECON 402 Public Finance 4 cr.
ECON 461 Introduction to Econometrics 3 cr.
ECON 465 Economic Development 4cr.
Economics (B.A.)
A minor is required.
Electives (36 credits required)
ECON 151 Computer Application in Business 2 cr.
or
An introductory programming course of at least two credits in another high level language.
ECON 221 Principles of Macroeconomics 4 cr.
ECON 222 Principles of Economics II 4 cr.
ECON 235 Introductory Statistics 4 cr.
ECON 301 Money, Credit & Banking 3 cr.
ECON 304 Income & Employment Theory 4 cr.
ECON 315 The Price System 4 cr.
ECON 335 Applied Statistics 2 cr.
ECON 375 Managerial Economics 4 cr.
ECON 461 Inro. to Econometrics 3 cr.
ECON 465 Economic Development 4 cr.
or
PS 123 The American Political System 3 cr.
Recommended Electives
SOC 111 Introduction to Sociology 3 cr.
SOC 236 Social Problems 3 cr.
PSYC 100 General Psychology 4 cr.
PSYC 330 Motivation 3 cr.
PSYC 350 Social Psychology 3 cr.
HIST 317 America and The World: 1945-present 3 cr.
Minor
An economics minor is available to any student by completing 18 credits in economics (not including ECON 151, 235 or 335).