Californiastateuniversity,Sacramento

CALIFORNIASTATEUNIVERSITY,SACRAMENTO

DepartmentofEconomics

TahoeHall3028

STUDENTHANDBOOKFORUNDERGRADUATES

TheDepartmentofEconomicsatSacramentoStateoffersbothUndergraduateandGraduatedegreesinEconomics.StudentsintheSacStateEconomicsprogrambenefitfromawiderangeofuniqueopportunities:numerousgovernmentagencieslocatedinSacramentoarethesourceforboththesupplyof,anddemandfor,SacStateEconomicsmajors.

TheEconomicsmajoriscomprisedof42-45units:9-12*lowerdivisionunits,15unitsofrequiredupperdivisioncourses,and18unitsofupperdivisionelectivecourses.Thishandbookincludesroadmapsforfreshmen,sophomores,juniors,andtransferstudentsinterestedinmajoringinEconomics.*Math24isanewrequirement-however,ifyoutakeMath 26A or Math 30 - you do not need to take Math 24.

TheEconomicsminorrequires21units,includingaminimumof12unitsofupperdivisioncoursework.

FormerSacramentoStateEconomicsstudentsareworkingatalllevelsofgovernmentandintheprivatesectorinfinance,realestate,andotherprofessionalservices.Someareintheteachingprofession,K-12andcommunitycolleges,whileothershavecontinuedtheirstudiestowardthePh.D.Forinformationoncareerpossibilities forEconomicsmajorsandminors,pleasevisit

VisitusatourdepartmentofficelocatedinTahoeHall,room3028oronlineat

Lastupdated:June 2017

ECONOMICSMAJOR

THEECONOMICSCURRICULUM

TheB.A.inEconomicsrequiresatotalof42-45units,9-12lowerdivisionand33upperdivision.Specificrequirementsareasfollows:

A.RequiredLowerDivisionCourses(9-12units)

(3) ECON 1AIntroduction toMacroeconomic Analysis

(3) ECON 1BIntroduction toMicroeconomic Analysis

(3)Math24-BusinessCalculus(NotrequiredifyoutakeMath26A or Math 30).

(3) STAT 1 Introduction to Statistics

B.RequiredUpperDivisionCourses(15units,Minimumgradeof“C”requiredineachcourse)

(3)ECON100AIntermediateMacroeconomicTheory

(3)ECON100BIntermediateMicroeconomicTheory

(3)ECON101HistoryofEconomicThoughtorECON113EconomicHistoryoftheU.S.

(3)ECON140QuantitativeEconomicAnalysis

(3)ECON145EconomicResearchMethods

C.UpperDivisionElectives(18units)

1

(18)AdditionalupperdivisioncoursesinEconomicsnumbered110orabove

TheEconomicsMajordoesnotrequirestudentstochooseaspecificconcentration,butstudentschooseelectivesbasedontheirinterests. Electivecoursesgroupedbycareerinterestsandgraduatestudy:

CareersinFederal,State,orLocalGovernment

ECON110:CostBenefitAnalysisECON114:TheCaliforniaEconomyECON130:PublicFinance

ECON132:StateLocalGovernmentFinanceECON162:EnergyEconomics

ECON170:PublicEconomicsandRegulationECON180:UrbanEconomics

CareersinBankingandFinance

ECON135:MoneyandBanking

ECON138:MonetaryandFiscalPolicyECON141:IntroductiontoEconometricsECON192:InternationalFinance

2

GraduateStudyinEconomicsMATH30:CalculusI(orMATH26A)ECON135:MoneyandBanking

ECON141:IntroductiontoEconometricsECON142:IntrotoMathematicalEconomicsAdditionaladvancedcoursesinMathematicsrecommended

GraduateStudyinLaw

ECON160:IndustrialOrganization

ECON161:FundamentalsofGameTheoryECON170:PublicEconomicsandRegulation

3

CareersinEducation(Teaching)ECON112:EuropeanEconomicHistoryECON113:EconomicHistoryoftheU.S.ECON114:TheCaliforniaEconomyECON135:MoneyandBanking

ECON152:EconomicsofEducationECON189:EconomicsattheMoviesECON195:TeachingInternshipECON198:TutoringinEconomics

2

GraduateStudyinBusiness(MBA)MATH30:CalculusI(orMATH26A)ECON135:MoneyandBanking

ECON141:IntroductiontoEconometricsECON195:EconomicInternship

1

There aresomerestrictionson which upper divisioncoursesmaybe countedtoward themajor. Studentsmayonlycountoneof thefollowingcoursestoward themajor: ECON112,ECON120, ECON181,ECON184,andECON189.

2

Studentsinterestedin pursuinga graduate degree inEconomicsorBusinessshouldsee anadvisor early in theiracademiccareers.Mostgraduate programsrequire extensive preparatoryworkinmathematicsandstatisticspriorto admission. For MBAprograms,considersupplementing yourmajorin Economicswithcourses in Finance andAccounting.MostMBAprogramsrequireseveralyearsofworkexperiencewhen admittingstudents.

3

TheDepartmentoffers a Certificate inEconomicsEducation.Pleaseseethecatalog,orcontactthe Directorofthe Centerfor EconomicEducation fordetails.

Electivecoursesgroupedbygeneralfieldofstudy:

EconomicHistory/HistoryofThoughtECON101:HistoryofEconomicThoughtECON112:EuropeanEconomicHistoryECON113:EconomicHistoryoftheU.S.ECON114:TheCaliforniaEconomy

Quantitative/Mathematical AnalysisECON141:IntroductiontoEconometricsECON161:FundamentalsofGameTheory

EnvironmentalandResourceEconomicsECON110:CostBenefitAnalysis

ECON120:EconEnvironmentalDegradationECON123:ResourceEconomics

ECON162:EnergyEconomics

Macroeconomics/InternationalEconomics

ECON135:MoneyandBankingECON138:MonetaryandFiscalPolicyECON190:InternationalTrade

ECON192:InternationalFinanceECON193:DevelopmentEconomics

GovernmentandPublicEconomicsECON110:CostBenefitAnalysisECON130:PublicFinance

ECON132:StateLocalGovernmentFinanceECON162:EnergyEconomics

ECON170:PublicEconomicsandRegulationECON180:UrbanEconomics

LaborandSocialIssuesECON150:LaborEconomics

ECON152:EconomicsofEducationECON180:UrbanEconomicsECON186:SportsEconomics

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And/oroneofthefollowing:

ECON181:EconomicsofRacismECON184:WomenandtheEconomyECON189:EconomicsattheMovies

ECONOMICSMINOR

THEECONOMICSCURRICULUM

TheminorinEconomicsrequiresatotalof21unitsincluding12unitsofupperdivisioncourseworkinEconomics. Specificrequirementsareasfollows:

RequiredLowerDivisionCourses(6units)

(3)ECON1AIntroductiontoMacroeconomicAnalysis

(3)ECON1BIntroductiontoMicroeconomicAnalysis

ElectiveCourses(15units)

(15)AdditionalunitsofwhichStat1 or Math 24 maybecountedtowardstheminor.

SeegroupsofelectivecoursesabovetoselectEconomicscoursesthatbestcomplementyourmajorandcareerinterests

• STAT1or Math 24 maybecountedtowardtheminor.
• Nomorethan3unitsofECON199andnomorethan6unitsfromthefollowingcoursesmaybeusedtomeettheEconomicMinorrequirements:ECON112,ECON120,ECON181,ECON184,ECON186,ECON189.
• ECON104,ECON195andECON198cannotbeusedtomeettherequirementsoftheEconomicsminor.

4

OnlyoneofthesecoursesmaybecountedtowardtheEconomicsmajororminor.Seenote1onthepreviouspage.

THEECONOMICSFACULTY

Daniel Burghart, Ph.D., University of Oregon

Assistant Professor

Research Interests:Health Economics, Decision Theory, and Experimental Economics

KatherineChalmers,Ph.D.,ColoradoStateUniversity

AssociateProfessor,FacultyAdvisortotheEconomicsStudentAssociation

Researchinterests:PublicEconomics,EconomicDevelopment,RegionalEconomics,FeministEconomics

SmileDube,Ph.D.,UniversityofTexas,AustinProfessor

Researchinterests:PublicChoice,EconomicDevelopment,InternationalEconomics

TimFord,Ph.D.,UniversityofNewHampshire

AssociateProfessor,DirectoroftheCenterforEconomicEducation

Researchinterests:InternationalEconomics,UrbanandRegionalEconomics,EconomicGrowthandDevelopment,AppliedEconometrics

CraigGallet,Ph.D.,IowaStateUniversity

Professor,DepartmentVice-Chair,InternshipCoordinator

Researchinterests:IndustrialOrganization,EnvironmentalEconomics,Econometrics,AppliedMicroeconomics

JonathanKaplan,Ph.D.,UniversityofCalifornia,DavisProfessor

Researchinterests:EnvironmentalandResourceEconomics,ExperimentalEconomicsandAppliedMetrics

DavidLang,Ph.D.,WashingtonUniversitySt.LouisProfessor,DirectorofSocialSciencesandLiberalStudies

Researchinterests:LaborEconomics,EconomicsofEducation,AppliedMicroeconomics

Herman Li, Ph.D., Penn State University

Assistant Professor

Research interests: Urban Economics, Real Estate, Applied Microeconomics

SuzanneO'Keefe,Ph.D.,UniversityofCalifornia,BerkeleyProfessor,DepartmentChair

Researchinterests:AppliedMicroeconomics,PublicFinance,LaborEconomics

MarkSiegler,Ph.D.,UniversityofCalifornia,DavisProfessor

Researchinterests:Macroeconomics,MonetaryEconomics,U.S.EconomicHistory

Raul Tadle, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz

Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Monetary Policy, Finance, Financial Textual Analysis, International Finance, International Markets

KristinVanGaasbeck,Ph.D.,UniversityofCalifornia,DavisAssociateProfessor

Researchinterests:Macroeconomics,MonetaryEconomics,TimeSeriesEconometrics

Ta-ChenWang,Ph.D.,StanfordUniversityAssociateProfessor

Researchinterests:EconomicHistory,EconomicDevelopment

YanZhou,Ph.D.,UniversityofCalifornia,SantaCruzAssociateProfessor

Researchinterests:InternationalFinance,OpenEconomyMacroeconomics,AppliedEconometrics

THESTUDENTECONOMICSCLUB

TheStudentEconomicsClubisanorganizationthatsupportsacademicachievementandcareerdevelopmentactivitiesforeconomicsstudentsatSacState.MembersoftheEconomicsClubcantakeadvantageofeducationaleventssuchasorganizedstudysessionsforEconomicsclasses,fieldtripstoeconomicinstitutions,seminarsbyprofessionalsinEconomics,andworkshopsoncareeropportunities,internships,andgraduateschool.

Thegreatestbenefitofmembershipcomesfromleadershipandorganizationalskills:studentshavetheopportunitytoserveaspeeradvisors,academictutors,androlemodels.SuchskillsarehighlyvaluedbyemployersandtheEconomicsClubisanexcellentvenueforbuildingexperienceintheseareas.PleasecontactProfessorChalmersformoreinformation.

SAMPLEDEGREESCHEDULES

ThissectioncontainsroadmapsforthecompletionoftheEconomicsmajor.Theseschedulesareonlysuggestionsandstudentsshouldmeetwithanadvisortoaddressthespecificneedsofeachindividual.Eachyear,fourfacultymembersserveasUndergraduateAdvisors.PleasecontacttheDepartmentofEconomicsat(916)278-6223toscheduleanappointmentwithanadvisor.

TheUniversityhasfourgeneralcategoriesofgraduationrequirements:generaleducation(GE),Englishcomposition,andcourseworkforthemajor.

GEProgam:TheUniversityrequiresatotalof51unitsofGEcoursework,9ofwhichmustbeinupperdivisioncourses.TheseupperdivisionGEcoursesmaynotbecountedtowardtheEconomicsmajor(oranyothermajor).Forexample,ifastudenttakesECON112inordertosatisfyGEAreaC1,thestudentmaynotcountthisclasstowardtheEconomicsmajor.StudentsmaycountGEcourseworktowardaminor.

Withinthese51unitsofGeneralEducation,studentsmustsatisfyaRaceandEthnicityrequirementandaWritingIntensiverequirement.ThemajorityofbothRaceandEthnicityANDWritingIntensiveGEcoursesareupperdivision.CoursestakentosatisfythesespecificrequirementsmaynotbecountedtowardtheEconomicsmajor.Forexample,ifastudenttakesECON181tosatisfytheRaceandEthnicityGErequirement,thisstudentmaynotcountECON181towardtheEconomicsmajor.FormoredetailsonGErequirements,pleaseseeAcademicAdvising.ThisofficehasaGEworksheetforstudentstocomplete,availableonlineat

OtherUniversityRequirements:TheUniversitywritingrequirementsincludetwocourses(ENGL1AandENGL

20)andpassingtheWritingProficiencyExam(WPE).NotethatapassingscoreontheWPEisaprerequisiteforECON145.

Inadditiontothecourseslistedinthesampleschedulesbelow,theUniversityrequires120unitstograduate.Thismeansthatastudentmusttake5courses(3unitseach)eachsemesterinordertograduateinfouryears. Amongthese120units,40unitsmustbeupperdivisioncoursework.

Economicsmajorunits=42-45unitsGEunitsoutsideoftheEconomicsmajor=42unitsENGL20 =3units

ForeignLanguagerequirement=0-6units

Totalfromabove=81-87units

Totalneededtograduate=120units

Totalremainingelectiveunits=24-30units

Theremaining27-33unitsofelectivecourseworkmaybecountedtowardaminorordoublemajor.

Freshmen

Theroadmapbelowassumesthatstudentshavenotyetcompletedthelowerdivisionrequirementsforthemajor,ortheUniversity’sgraduationrequirements.Itiscriticaltocompletethelowerdivisionandupperdivisioncorerequirementsassoonaspossible.ThisgeneralruleappliestoGEandEnglishcompositioncoursesaswell.GEcoursesarenotedbelow.TheseareonlysuggestionsforGEAreas,themajorityofGEcoursescanbetakeninanyorder.Majorcoursesareindicatedwithanasterisk.

8-SemesterRoadmap(4years)

3GE/AmericanInstitutions(AreaD3)3GE/PersonalDevelopment(AreaE)15

15

SophomoreYear

FallSemesterSpringSemester

UnitsCourseUnitsCourses

3*GE/ECON1B(AreaD1A)3*ECON100A:IntermediateMacroTheory

3*GE/STAT1(AreaB4/B5)3*ECONElective1

3ENGL20:CollegeCompositionII3GE/IntrototheHumanities(AreaC3)

3GE/Sciencew/lab(AreasB1orB2andB3)3ForeignLanguageRequirement/Elective

3ForeignLanguageRequirement/Elective3Elective1515

JuniorYear

FallSemesterSpringSemester

UnitsCourseUnitsCourses

3*ECON100B:IntermediateMicroTheory3*ECON140:QuantitativeEconomicAnalysis

3*ECON101:HistoryofEconomicThought3*ECONElective2

orECON113:EconomicHistoryoftheU.S.

3GE/ArtsandtheHumanities(AreaC4)†

3*ECONElective3

3GE/AmericanInstitutions(AreaD3)†

3Elective3Elective

3Elective

1515

SeniorYear

FallSemesterSpringSemester

UnitsCourseUnitsCourses

3*ECONElective43*ECON145:EconomicResearchMethods

3*ECONElective53*ECONElective6

3GE/ MajorSocialIssues(AreaD2)†3Elective

3Elective3Elective

3Elective3Elective

1515

†

IndicatesGEAreasstudents shoulduse to satisfythe9-unitupperdivisionGE requirement,andtheRaceandEthnicityorWritingIntensiverequirements.

Sophomores

Theroadmapbelowassumesthatstudentshavecompletedatotalof30unitsofcoursework,including24-units ofGeneralEducation(outsideofAreasD1AandB4)andENGL1A:CollegeCompositionI.Inadditiontothe42unitsneededtocompletetheEconomicsmajor,thisleavesthestudenttocomplete27GEunits(9unitsofupperdivisionGE),theWritingIntensiveandRaceandEthnicityrequirements,andENGL20:CollegeCompositionII.

ForstudentswhohavecompletedthelowerdivisionrequirementsfortheEconomicsmajor,substituteECON1A,ECON1B,andSTAT1withGEcoursesoutsideofareasD1AandB4.

Itiscriticaltocompletethelowerdivisionandupperdivisioncorerequirementsassoonaspossible.ThisgeneralruleappliestoGEandEnglishcompositioncoursesaswell.GEcoursesarenotedbelow.TheseareonlysuggestionsforGEAreas,themajorityofGEcoursescanbetakeninanyorder.Majorcoursesareindicatedwithanasterisk.

6-SemesterRoadmap(3years)

3ForeignLanguageRequirement/Elective3Elective15

15

JuniorYear

FallSemesterSpringSemester

UnitsCourseUnitsCourses

3*ECON100A:IntermediateMacroTheory3ECN100B:IntermediateMicroTheory

3*ECON101:HistoryofEconomicThought

orEcon113:EconomicHistoryoftheU.S.

3*ECON140:QuantitativeEconomicAnalysis

3*ECONElective13*ECONElective2

3GEcourse†3*ECONElective3

3Elective3GEcourse†

1515

SeniorYear

FallSemesterSpringSemester

UnitsCourseUnitsCourses

3*ECONElective43*ECON145

3*ECONElective53*ECONElective6

3GEcourse†3Elective

3Elective3Elective

3Elective3Elective

1515

†

IndicatesGEAreasstudents shoulduse to satisfythe9-unitupperdivisionGE requirement,andtheRaceandEthnicityorWritingIntensiverequirements.

TransferStudentsandJuniors

Theroadmapbelowassumesthatstudentshavecompletedatotalof60unitsofUniversitycoursework, including42-unitsofGeneralEducation,theEnglishcompositioncourses(ENGL1AandENGL20),andthe lowerdivisioncoursesrequiredintheEconomicsmajor.Inadditiontotheremaining33upperdivisionunitsneededtocompletetheEconomicsmajor,thisleavesthestudenttocomplete9unitsofupperdivisionGE,andtheWritingIntensiveandRaceandEthnicityrequirements.

Thescheduleshownbelowassumesthatstudentshavecompletedtheirlowerdivisionrequirements.Thisaredesignedfortransferstudentsandstudentswhohavecompletedthelowerdivisionrequirementstosatisfygeneraleducationrequirementsorrequirementsforanothermajor(business). Itiscriticaltocompletetheupperdivisioncorerequirementsassoonaspossible.ThesecoursesareprerequisitesforECON145.

4-SemesterRoadmap(2years)

JuniorYear

FallSemesterSpringSemester

UnitsCourseUnitsCourses

3*ECON100A3*ECON100B

3*ECON101orECON1133*ECON140

3*ECONElective13*ECONElective2

3UpperdivisionGEcourse†3UpperdivisionGEcourse†

3Elective3 Elective15 15

SeniorYear

FallSemesterSpringSemester

UnitsCourseUnitsCourses

3*ECONElective33*ECON145

3*ECONElective43*ECONElective6

3*ECONElective53Elective

3UpperdivisionGEcourse†3Elective

3Elective3 Elective15 15

IndicatesGE Areasstudents shoulduse to satisfythe9-unitupperdivisionGE requirement,andtheRaceandEthnicityorWritingIntensiverequirements.

CAREERPOSSIBILITIES

AWideRangeofOptions

UndergraduateswhomajorinEconomicsacquireawiderangeofemploymentopportunitiesaswellasanexcellentbackgroundforgraduatestudyinavarietyofdisciplines.WhileEconomicsisasocialscience,andunlikevocationaltraining,doesnotprepareoneforonespecificjob,Economicsgraduatesareinconsiderabledemandbyboththeprivateandpublicsectors.Thosewithsuperiorquantitativeandanalyticaltraininghavethebestemploymentprospects.Largecorporationsuseeconomiststofillavarietyofmanagement,administrative,andfinancialpositions,withmostundergraduatessohiredreceivingadditionalon-the-jobtraining.Federal,state,andlocalgovernmentsemployeconomiststoconducteconomicresearchandtoassumemanagerialandadministrativeresponsibilities.Researchfirms,consultingfirms,andpublicinterestgroupsalsoactivelyrecruiteconomicsmajors.

Economistsstudyhowsocietydistributesscarceresourcessuchasland,labor,rawmaterials,andmachinerytoproducegoodsandservices.Theyconductresearch,collectandanalyzedata,monitoreconomictrends,anddevelopforecasts.Theyresearchissuessuchasenergycosts,inflation,interestrates,imports,oremploymentlevels.

Mosteconomistsareconcernedwithpracticalapplicationsofeconomicpolicy.Theyusetheirunderstandingofeconomicrelationshipstoadvisebusinessesandotherorganizations,includinginsurancecompanies,banks,securitiesfirms,industryandtradeassociations,laborunions,andgovernmentagencies. Economistsusemathematicalmodelstohelppredictanswerstoquestionssuchasthenatureandlengthofbusinesscycles,theeffectsofaspecificrateofinflationontheeconomy,ortheeffectsoftaxlegislationonunemploymentlevels.

Economistsdevisemethodsandproceduresforobtainingthedatatheyneed.Forexample,samplingtechniquesmaybeusedtoconductasurvey,andvariousmathematicalmodelingtechniquesmaybeusedtodevelopforecasts.Presentingeconomicandstatisticalconceptsinaclearandmeaningfulwayisparticularlyimportantforeconomistswhoseresearchisdirectedtowardpolicymaking.

EconomistswhoworkforgovernmentagenciesmayassesseconomicconditionsintheUnitedStatesorabroad,inordertoestimatetheeconomiceffectsofspecificchangesinlegislationorpublicpolicy.Theymaystudyareassuchashowthedollar’sfluctuationsagainstforeigncurrenciesaffectimportandexportlevels.Themajorityofgovernmenteconomistsworkintheareaofagriculture,labor,orquantitativeanalysis;however,economistsworkinalmosteveryareaofgovernment.Forexample,economistsintheU.S.DepartmentofCommercestudyproduction,distribution,andconsumptionofcommoditiesproducedoverseas,whileeconomistsemployedwiththeU.S.BureauofLaborStatisticsanalyzedataonthedomesticeconomysuchasprices,wages,employment,productivity,andsafetyandhealth. Aneconomistworkinginstateorlocalgovernmentmightanalyzedataonthegrowthofschool-agedpopulations,prisongrowth,andunemploymentrates,inordertoprojectfuturespendingneeds.

Economicsmajorsarefoundinawidevarietyofcareersaftergraduation. Thelargestemployersofeconomistsarefirmsengagedinbusinessservicesandconsulting,thecommunicationsindustry,utilities,bankingandfinancialinstitutions,andfederal,stateandlocalgovernment. Economicsisanapproachtodecision-makingthatisvaluablethroughout“theordinarybusinessoflife.”

Thefollowingisasampleofjobtitlesthatcouldbefilledbyeconomicsmajors:Actuary*AdvertisingExecutive*Auditor*BankOfficer*BondTrader*BusinessForecaster*BusinessManager*CollegeProfessor*CostAnalyst*CreditAnalyst/LoanOfficer*Demographer*Entrepreneur*EstatePlanner*FinancialPlanner/Analyst*FinancialOfficer*GovernmentAdministrator*HealthcareAdministrator *HumanResourcesAdministrator*IndustryAnalyst*Industrial/InstitutionalBuyer*InformationScientist*InsuranceSalesperson*IntelligenceAgent*InternationalTradeSpecialist*Journalist*LaborRelationsSpecialist*Lawyer*LitigationAnalyst*ManagementConsultant/Analyst*MarketResearchAnalyst*PolicyAnalyst*Politician*PropertyManager*PublicAdministrator/Manager*PublicUtilitiesManager*RealEstateAgent/Broker* SalesManager

*SecuritiesSalesperson/Broker*Securities/CommoditiesTrader*Statistician*Teacher*TechnicalWriter*TransportationSpecialist*Underwriter*Urban/RegionalPlanner*

EmploymentOutlook

TheBureauofLaborStatisticsupdatesacareeroutlookguideforindividualsinavarietyoffields.AnelectroniccopyofthemostrecentversionoftheBLSoutlookforcareersinEconomicsisavailableat:

Top5DegreesinDemandbyEmployers(bachelor'sdegreelevel)

1.Engineering

2.Business

3.Accounting

4.ComputerScience

5.Economics

Source:NationalAssociationofCollegesandEmployersJobOutlook2011Survey,asreportedbyForbes,

EarningsPotential

StartingSalaryOffersbyMajor:2011

Major / AverageStartingSalary
Engineering / $61,872
ComputerScience / $60,594
Economics / $54,400
Business / $48,144
HealthSciences / $44,955
MathandSciences / $40,204
Communications / $39,577
Education / $37,830
Humanities / $35,503

Source:NACESalarySurvey,January2012.TheNationalAssociationofCollegesandEmployers

OpportunitiesforPost-GraduateandProfessionalStudy

Oneofthegreatestadvantagesofaneconomicsmajoristhatitallowsagreatdealofflexibilityincareerchoice. Ineconomics,studentsdevelopcritical-thinkingskillsthatarecrucialforanysuccessfulcareer.

Asasocialscience,economicsdrawsfromhistory,politicsandmathematicstoprovideasystematicwayofanalyzingawiderangeofsocietalissues,fromahousehold’sdecisiontobuyanewcartoanation’spolicyonunemploymentortheenvironment. Aneconomicsmajoristhusexcellentbackgroundformanydifferentprofessionsinbusiness,government,laworeducation.

Economicsisexcellentundergraduatetrainingforavarietyofadvanceddegreeprograms,includingBusiness,Law,InternationalAffairs,PublicPolicy,EnvironmentalPolicy,UrbanStudies,aswellasEconomics. Eveninthenon-economicsprograms,economicsoftenisapreferredundergraduatepreparation.

Economics,alongwithHistory,English,andPhilosophy,arethemostcommonundergraduatemajorsforstudentsadmittedtolawschools.Mostlawprogramsvaluealiberalartseducationovernarrowemphasistaughtinvocationally-orientedcourses.

Economicsmajorsdoverywellgettingintoandcompletinglawschool. EconomicsmajorsareamongthehighestscoringstudentsontheLawSchoolAdmissionTest(LSAT).

InterestedinLawSchool?

AverageLSATScoresbyMajor,2007‐2008*

Rank / Major / LSATScore / #oftakers
1 / Economics / 157.4 / 3,047
1 / Philosophy / 157.4 / 2,184
3 / Engineering / 156.2 / 2,197
4 / History / 155.9 / 4,166
5 / English / 154.7 / 5,120
6 / Finance / 153.4 / 2,267
7 / PoliticalScience / 153 / 14,964
8 / Psychology / 152.5 / 4,355
9 / Sociology / 150.7 / 1,902
10 / Communications / 150.5 / 2,230
11 / BusinessAdministration / 149.1 / 1,971

Source:Nieswiadomy,Michael,LSATScoresofEconomicsMajors:The2008-2009ClassUpdate(June25,2009).AvailableatSSRN:

*Amongtheeightdisciplineswithmorethan1,900studentstakingtheLSAT. Amongmajorswithatleast400takers,economicsrankedsecondbehindphysics/math.

Considerwhatthesepeopledidwiththeirdegreeineconomics:GeorgeBush,Sr.,formerpresidentoftheUnitedStatesJusticeSandraDayO’Connor

LionelRichie

ScottAdams. CreatorofDilbert

RoyRomer.FormerGovernorofColorado

RichardTrumka.PresidentoftheUnitedMineWorkersMoseAllison.JazzArtist.

JohnElway.NFLquarterback

LesAspin.FormerSecretaryofDefenseWilliamIsaac.FormerChairmanoftheFDIC

JesseJackson.Ministerandsocialactivist.BAinEconomicsandSociology,N.CarolinaA&TPhilGramm.U.S.Senator.Ph.D.inEconomics,UniversityofGeorgia

MickJagger.Entertainer.UndergraduatestudentinEconomics,LondonSchoolofEconomicsTomMagliozzi.Carmechanic.Co-hostof“CarTalk.”B.S.inEconomics,MIT

DavidRockefeller.RetiredBoardChairman,Chase-Manhattan,Ph.D.Economics,Univ.ofChicagoRandyStoklos.Beachvolleyballplayer-1996OlympicGoldMedal.B.A.inEconomics,UCLACharlesTaylor.DictatorofLiberia.B.A.inEconomics,BentleyCollege

GraduatesoftheSacramentoStateEconomicsDepartment:

JaniceRogersBrown.FederalJudge,UnitedStatesCourtofAppealsfortheDistrictofColumbiaFelicienneRamey.FormerDean,CollegeofBusinessAdministration,SacramentoStateUniversityMartinHelmke.Commissioner,SenateRulesCommittee

CraigGallet. ProfessorofEconomics,SacramentoStateUniversity

TracyTurner. AssociateProfessorofEconomics,KansasStateUniversityJenniferFoote.MarketingDatabaseConsultantatWellsFargo

PatriciaLandingham.PrincipalFinanceBudgetAnalyst,CaliforniaDepartmentofFinanceKevinSchoening.SeniorVicePresident,WMDCapitalMarkets

DanaLeeCurry. Director:Transportation,BusinessandHousing,LegislativeAnalyst’sOfficeJamesFenkner.DeputyHeadofResearch,TroikaDialogInvestmentBank(Moscow)

JohnJordan.RegionalEconomist,Dept.ofInterior,BureauofReclamationJamesR.Barth–LowderEminentScholarinFinance,AuburnUniversity

ErichFleshman.LecturerinEconomics,ChulaiongkornUniv.ThailandandTVactor