The economics program is part of the School of Management. The program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics. Students have the option to double major in economics and inclusive childhood education to achieve teacher certification.
Completion of the economics major allows students to understand, evaluate, and analyze the economic issues and challenges of everyday life, as well as the economic systems in which we live.
Classes rooted in the liberal arts examine the causes and patterns of societal change within the framework of economics. The approach helps prepares students for graduate study in the fields of economics, business, law, and related disciplines, as well as for professional careers in a variety of fields in the public and private sectors.
Note: See Minors for list of minors designed to compliment School of Management majors.
The goals of the program are accomplished through:
•Interaction with instructional staff devoted to teaching excellence and student development.
•An innovative, dynamic, and relevant curriculum.
•The development of skills in the areas of critical thinking, qualitative and quantitative analysis, communication, and technology.
•Opportunities for interpersonal development through activities such as clubs and honor societies with peers and the community.
A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required for the economics core.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. Criteria for oral presentation of annotated bibliography in ECO 480 Senior Seminar include: content analysis and connections across economics curriculum and other classes, visual presentation of ppt and appropriate use of technology, and clarity and effectiveness of delivery.
2. Students have gained a liberal education and demonstrate the tools of the liberal arts (e.g.: critical thinking, quantitative and qualitative analysis, intellectual curiosity, engagement with moral and ethical issues.)
3. Students understand, and are able to analyze and evaluate, the economic issues and challenges of everyday life, as well as national and global economic systems in which we live.
4. Students are competent in the basic principles, concepts, theories and skills of economics and economic reasoning.
5. This assessment will be used to assess term papers in economics upper division electives and their use of the tools of the liberal arts (critical thinking and analysis), ability to examine society using economics reasoning, and demonstrate effective oral and written communication. Upper division electives are offered every semester and are typically populated with juniors and seniors and occasionally sophmores. This data is captured annually.
6. Students are able to examine the causes and patterns of societal change within the framework of economic reasoning and a liberal education.
7. Students will learn and apply economics research methodology, gather and analyze data, apply econometric techniques to test the constructed economic model. This will be done after they have reviewed relevant research in the area of that topic. From this students will then see what inferences, applications, and generalized facts can be drawn from their research.