School of Business Header Image

A Career in Economics

                                                                  Wall Street Journal -                                                                 
"At schools like Harvard or Columbia... Economics now is the most popular
major on campus... Even at engineering oriented Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, economics accounts for about one-tenth of undergraduate
majors.  'People feel an economics degree is going to be helpful as they
decide that their career paths may take them into business schools or
consulting or financial markets, ' says Rihard Clarida, Chairman of
     Columbia's economics department.    


Economists study the material well being of mankind.

Economists study how society distributes scarce resources such as land, labor, raw materials, and machinery to produce goods and services. They conduct research, collect and analyze data, monitor economic trends, and develop forecasts on issues such as energy costs, inflation, interest rates, imports, or employment levels. Economists use mathematical models to help predict answers to questions such as the nature and length of business cycles, the effects of a specific rate of inflation on the economy, or the effects of tax legislation on unemployment levels. Preparing reports, including tables and charts, on research results is an important part of an economist's job.

Skills developed with an undergraduate economics degree.

  • Gathering data and employing various data analysis techniques
  • Technical writing and communication skills
  • Critical thinking and quantitative analysis
  • Statistical estimation in business and the social sciences

People You Know Who Studied Economics

Political Leaders                                                                                               Business
George H. W. Bush, 41st US President                                            Ted Turner, CNN, Owner Atlanta Braves
Ronald Reagan, 40th US President                                                  Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft
Gerald Ford, 38th US President                                                         Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun Microsystems
                                                                                                                  Meg Whitman, CEO, Ebay
                                                                                                                         Arianna Huffington, Editor-in-Chief, Huffington Post

Legistlators
Phil Graham, US Senator
Dick Armey, US Congressman
Sandra Day-O'Connor, Supreme Court
George Schultz, Secretary of State
Roy Romer, Colorado Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Politician/Actor
John Snow, US Treasury Secretary

Popular Culture                                                                   Athletics
Danny Glover, Actor                                                  John Elway, Hall of Fame, Quarterback
Paul Newman, Actor                                                Bernie Kosar, Quarterback
Cate Blanchett, Actor                                               Alex Smith, Quarterback
Lionel Ritchie, Singer/Songwriter                         Tiger Woods, Golfer
Ben Stein, Actor                                                         Bill Billicheck, NFL Football Coach
Mick Jagger, Singer/Songwriter                             Peter Vidmar, US Olympian

LINKS:
-The Hot Major for Undergrads Seeking High Pay is Economics
-Careers for Economists
-Economics is the Best Prep for Law School
-Pay scale for Economists
-NABE Career Center