Economics Degree (Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.))

Develop insight into how the economy impacts people's everyday lives. At its heart, economics is the study of decision-making, and many decisions focus on the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. An economics degree will make you much more marketable when you begin the process of looking for a job.

Why Earn an Economics Degree?

• A recent study by the Department of Labor indicates that economics jobs in industry are projected to increase by 27 percent. A degree in economics can also make you more employable on the international scene. Studies indicate that economics majors are earning substantially higher starting salaries than other social science and humanities majors.

In the introductory courses, you’ll learn about basic market processes and how income, inflation and unemployment are determined at the national level. Areas you’ll explore in upper-level courses are:

• Development of economic thought since the Middle Ages
• Decisions that allow firms to maximize profit
• Economic issues of the developing world
• Effects of free trade and protectionism
• How nonrenewable resources can be efficiently managed
• How to get the most useful information out of economic data
• Why cities exist and how they develop
• Why markets fail and strategies to correct that failure

Marketable Skills

• Critical thinking
• Data analysis
• Supply and demand analysis
• Oral and written communication
• Understanding current/past economic performance
• Quantitative analysis
• Understanding of market equilibrium/adjustment
• Analysis of data using Excel

Economics Degree Highlights

• We are a large enough department that we can offer a wide variety of courses, including electives on topics such as health care economics, international trade, third-world development, money and banking, and many more.
• Our faculty members provide individual attention so you develop a clear understanding of how to apply economic theory to real-world policy issues.
• Besides the internship and career services provided by the university, we have a dedicated job placement officer who locates internships and job openings and helps prepare you for interviews.
• You may gain research experience by working on a project conducted in the Center for Economic Education, the Center for Environmental Economic Studies and Research, or the Economics Research Group.
• Our faculty members are well-known experts who have written hundreds of articles and books on general topics and specific fields in economics. They also have worked on projects in Thailand, Poland, Egypt, Mexico, central Africa, and South Africa.
• You can meet other students who share your interest in economics through the UNT Economics Club or the student chapter of the Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society.

What Can You Do With an Economics Degree?

• About 50 percent of the nation’s economists work for private firms in banking, consulting, financial services, health care, insurance, international trade, labor relations and marketing.

Possible career fields and employers include:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Aviation Administration or Federal Trade Commission
• International roles in the federal government, the United Nations, international or nonprofit organizations, and international business and banking firms
• Education such as teaching in secondary schools

Some of our graduates work for Citigroup, Texas Instruments, GEICO and Buxton. Other graduates are pursuing graduate studies in Economics or are enrolled in some of the nation’s top law schools.

Economics Degree Courses You Could Take

• History of Economic Thought (3 hrs):
• Economic Cycles and Forecasting (3 hrs):
• The Economics of Health Care (3 hrs):
• Strategic Behavior Across Market Structures (3 hrs):
• Industrial Organization and Public Policy (3 hrs):
• Urban Economics (3 hrs):