Economics program
Learn to think like an economist. Your career possibilities and growth potential will expand.
An economics degree provides students with the ability to think clearly and analyze problems. This prepares them for diverse careers — in and outside of the business world — such as law, politics, government, education, consulting, advising, and international relations.
Economics and these related occupations are expected to experience above average employment and wage growth over the next decade, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Economics is an attractive major for those who are ambitious and willing to work hard as courses are rigorous and require significant writing and analytical reasoning skills. The payoff for that work can be huge. UW-La Crosse economics graduates have a reputation for being bright, clear-thinking, creative, hardworking and independent people who make significant contributions in their careers.
Economics definition
Economics is a social science concerned with how people make choices and allocate resources. Economists learn clear thinking and effective decision making, so they can analyze problems from different angles. For instance, a multinational corporation may use someone with economics training to forecast foreign demand for their products and determine how to sell more overseas. Or an economist could help government officials decide the best way to use a community’s financial and physical resources.
"The economics program at UWL gave me the analytical and professional skills needed to succeed in business. The campus is gorgeous, the community is welcoming and the academic faculty truly care about student's individual success."
Tom Martin
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Jobs for economics majors
Economics majors find a variety of career paths in diverse sectors of economy such as banking and finance, international business, law, non-profit organizations and government. By mid-career (45-54 years old), around 7.1% are lawyers, judges, magistrates, and judicial workers; almost 6.6% are in a management role; 4.5% are chief executives and legislators; 4.4% are financial managers; 4.3% are supervisors of sales workers; and 4.0% are accountants and auditors.
The median economics major starts out earning about $50,000 per year. Median earnings rise sharply from the start of one’s career until about 15 years since entering the workforce. Earnings stabilize from that point, with the median workers earning about $105,000 per year, according to information from The Hamilton Project.
Economics degree jobs
- Accountants and auditors
- Financial and investment analysts
- Management analysts
- Computer systems analysts
- Financial managers
- Treasurers and controllers
- Investment fund managers
- Personal financial advisers
- Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Primary, secondary, and postsecondary teachers
- Computer programmers
- Software and web developers
- Marketing and sales mangers
- Credit counselors and loan officers
- Marketing research analysts and marketing specialists
- data from the American Community Survey.
What distinguishes UWL's economics program?
The Economics Department is actively involved in international education. The faculty regularly teach courses for UWL students abroad, and economics majors are encouraged to participate in one of the many international study opportunities available.
Instructors include multi media presentations and small cooperative learning groups to develop students’ writing, oral communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills. Many courses feature computer tutorials and simulation games to enhance learning. Computers are used as a search tool and applied to common business and economic problems in most classes.
Faculty members are dedicated teachers, who are concerned about and committed to improving student learning. The faculty regularly develop tools to measure student learning and then create plans to improve learning and continually assess it.
The Economics Department has a history of involving undergraduate students in research. And faculty are actively involved in pursuing new research. Over the last five years, the economics department faculty have collectively published more than 60 papers in peer-review academic journals.
Upper level economics students with an exemplary academic record are invited to become department tutors for freshman economics courses.The position provides prestige, additional income and valuable experience that is attractive in the job market.
Three annual merit scholarships are offered exclusively for economics students: the David M. Cole Scholarship, the Barry Clark Award ,and the Maurice O. Graff Scholarship. Scholarships are available in amounts up to $2,500.
Electives allow students to pursue an area of specific interest. In response to the increases in globalization of production and trade, many electives contain significant international content. Other electives focus on the application of economic analysis to business decisions, sports management, the health industry, the entertainment industry, public policy, environmental problems, and the labor market. For students interested in consulting, statistical analysis is emphasized in several courses.
An economics degree provides excellent training for a career in fields such as law, politics ,government, education, consulting, advising, and international relations. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics publication, Occupational Projections and Training Data 2019-2020, economics and the related occupations described here are expected to experience above average employment and wage growth over the next ten years. In 2020, the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) rated the economists as having a bright outlook, signaling an expectation of rapid growth and demand.
Students can major or minor in economics through three different UWL colleges: the College of Business Administration, College of Liberal Studies, and College of Science and Health. Regardless of the college of origin, economics majors are required to take five courses: Microeconomics and Public Policy, Global Macroeconomics, Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis, Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis, and Introduction to Econometrics. The economics minor only requires two courses: Microeconomic and Public Policy and Global Macroeconomics. The remaining credits to earn the minor can be selected from the department’s upper-division offerings.
Sample courses
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