Economics and Finance

Your program tailored to your career goals

The Department of Economics and Finance offers majors in economics and finance, minors in economics, finance, business economics, and international economics, a Master of Science in Economic Development and a Master of Science in Economic Analytics.

Economics is one of the most versatile majors. The program is designated as STEM and allows students to tailor the program to their career goals in business, finance, healthcare administration, law, politics, foreign affairs, government and more.

The finance program prepares students for careers in financial planning, banking, corporate finance, securities analysis, investment and insurance.

The Master of Science in Economic Development prepares students for work in the field of local and regional economic development. The program offers Agribusiness Concentration.

The Master of Science in Economic Analytics places a strong emphasis on mastering data analytics and quantitative methods, skills that are increasingly valuable and sought-after in today's rapidly evolving big data and artificial intelligence landscape. It is a STEM program and offers Finance Concentration.

The department also offers Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (4+1) programs:

• Bachelor’s to MS in Economic Development: qualified undergraduate students pursuing any major in the Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business, or agricultural science in the Hutson School of Agriculture, who have already completed 70 credit hours, can apply to the program and complete their bachelor’s degree along with MS in Economic Development by fulfilling up to 12 credit hours of undergraduate course requirements at the graduate level.

• Bachelor’s to MS in Economic Analytics: qualified undergraduate students majoring in accounting, business administration, computer science, computer information systems, economics, finance, logistics and supply chain management, management, marketing, or mathematics, who have already completed 60 credit hours, can apply to the program and complete bachelor’s to MS in Economic Analytics program by fulfilling up to 12 credit hours of undergraduate course requirements at the graduate level.

Programs in Economics and Finance

Economics students have a wide choice of curricula with a mixture of business and non-business courses focusing on how individuals, businesses, and government make decisions, how markets work, and how economic forces affect market outcomes and social systems. In this current age of "Big Data," the program equips students with the requisite knowledge in economic modeling, econometric methods, and computational skills to create, analyze and interpret large-scale data initiatives.

Students in the finance program can pursue an area of finance, finance with financial planning track or finance with commercial banking track. The financial planning option is approved by the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards, and provides students with the background necessary to be allowed to take the test for CFP certification. The commercial banking option prepares students for employment with a commercial bank or bank regulatory agency.  The classes were formulated through much interaction with the Center for Banking and Finance Advisory Board, which consists of executive bank officers and regulators.

Course paths

Are you interested in what courses you'll need to take each semester? Our course paths provide an easy to follow guide of recommended courses divided by year and semester.

Contact the department of Economics and Finance