Economics
Student Organizations/Clubs:
Economics Club; Economics Honor Society Omicron Delta Epsilon.
Career Possibilities:
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree in economics are employed in a wide variety of jobs in both the private and public sectors of the economy. Recent economics graduates have obtained positions at Amazon, Snap-on Inc., Modine Manufacturing, Humana Healthcare, US Bank, Northwestern Mutual, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Educators Credit Union, CNH Industrial, Hewitt Associates, the U.S. Veteran’s Administration, Prudential Financial, Fannie Mae, Cardinal Health, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, S.C. Johnson, the Shedd Aquarium, Mercer, Joy Global, AXA Advisors, Johnson Controls, Merz North America, BMO Global Asset Management, and Johnson Bank. In addition, economics graduates have become teachers in area high schools or have begun their professional careers by working for local government agencies or nonprofit organizations. Other economics graduates have harnessed their entrepreneurial abilities and have started up their own firms, such as PricingCloud LLC, IVT Investment Group, LH Consulting, and Edgerton Travel Plaza.
Department Overview
Economics is the study of rational choice and the allocation of scarce resources in light of social values and competing needs and wants. Economics examines the fundamental choices that individuals, businesses, and governments face: what goods and services should be produced; how should they be produced; and how should they be distributed in today’s interconnected world. Studying economics develops methods of thinking that can be directly applied to a wide variety of problems in many different areas. The Economics Department teaches core principles and theory courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics and a wide range of advanced elective courses in various subfields of economics, including economic development, environmental economics, financial economics, industrial organization, international economics, labor economics, money and banking, public economics, and sports economics. Economics graduates possess analytical and problem-solving skills that enable them to understand economic phenomena and make optimal economic decisions.
The Economics Department offers a bachelor of arts degree with a major in economics and a minor in economics. Within the economics major, three courses of study are possible: the general major; the monetary and financial economics concentration in the major; and the quantitative concentration in the major.
The Economics Department also offers an associate of science degree in financial economics. The AS-Financial Economics focuses on the functions and operation of the financial and banking sectors of the economy. After completing this degree, a student will have a significant amount of coursework that can be directly applied toward a bachelor’s degree in either economics, business management, accounting, marketing, or a number of other majors.