Major in Economics (B.A.)

If you want to understand the causes and consequences of critical world issues like income inequality and economic development, you have to follow the money. As an economics major, you not only will gain an understanding of how economies work, but also will develop the problem-solving skills needed to address these issues for the betterment of all.

Clark has a long tradition of innovation in economic research and teaching that dates back to Carroll Wright, America’s first Commissioner of Labor and the first president of Clark’s undergraduate college.

Catalog Requirements for:

• Major
• Minor

Why Study Economics at Clark?

• Gain relevant insights through our unusually broad and deep curriculum, with particular strengths in international economics, spatial environmental economics, applied econometrics, and development economics.
• Put your learning into practice through research projects, worldwide internships, study abroad programs, and membership in Clark’s Undergraduate Economics Society.
• Customize your academic program with electives and courses outside the department to align your experience with your personal interests and career or graduate school objectives.

The Economics Path

• The economics major is designed to give you an understanding of the core theory of economics, frameworks for analyzing issues, how to identify and manipulate relevant data, the basic tools of statistical analysis (statistics and econometrics), and the ways such knowledge and skills can be applied to research and problem-solving.

Courses are available in international trade and finance, economic development, monetary economics and labor, environmental economics, development economics, economic history, and the economics of sport.

Eleven courses are required for the major:

• Six core courses in quantitative methods and economic theory
• Four elective courses in economics
• One related course in mathematics (calculus is recommended)
• A senior year capstone experience (this can count as one of your four electives)

In addition, we encourage you to take two courses that complement your major from outside the Economics Department. Your faculty adviser will work with you to develop a program that meets your interests and goals.

Skills You Learn
Skills you will learn include how to:

• Summarize an argument in the academic literature and interpret statistical results at the level of basic regression analysis
• Identify, collect, and interpret data appropriate to a topic for economic analysis
• Build on existing knowledge to analyze an economic issue or conduct a positive or normative analysis of a policy proposal
• Present ideas in written, oral, or other form

At Clark, your education extends beyond the classroom. Visit the Career Connections Center to learn more about internship opportunities that complement your coursework and put your economics knowledge into practice.

The economics major is designed to help you learn outside the classroom. The Undergraduate Economics Society hosts career forums, panel discussions, and social gatherings as opportunities to get to know each other and stay informed on topics of mutual interest. Recent events have included a field trip to the New York Federal Reserve Bank and the New York Mercantile Exchange. A team of Clark University seniors captured third place in the 2015 Boston Regional College Fed Challenge, an annual competition held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Many economics majors take advantage of internship opportunities during the academic year or over the summer to connect what they’re learning with professional development.

Other opportunities include:

• Study Abroad and Away
• Student Clubs and Organizations

At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.

By emphasizing careful thinking, analysis, and problem-solving, the economics major offers you skills that are highly valued in a number of careers and graduate programs, including banking, insurance, finance, and other business fields; planning and research in environmental and urban studies; international development; graduate study in law, public policy, and business administration; and economics as a profession, including teaching, research, and public policy.

Graduate School Placement
Graduate schools attended by economics graduates from Clark include:

• Yale School of Management; MBA
• London School of Economics; Master’s in economic development
• Vanderbilt University, Brown University, Cornell University; Ph.D. in economics
• University of California at Berkeley; Ph.D. in statistics
• University of Oxford; M.Phil. in development studies

Career Outcomes

• Price Waterhouse Coopers
• Associate analyst
• Environmental Protection Agency
• GIS Analyst
• IBM
• Senior Strategy Consultant
• Eastern Research Group
• Economic Analyst
• State of Connecticut
• Superior Court judge