Economics Department

Economics

Why are some countries rich and some countries poor?
Why do women earn less than men?
How can data help us understand the world?
Why do we ignore information that could help us make better decisions?
What cause recessions?

Economics can help us answer these questions, and can be defined in a few different ways. It’s the study of scarcity, the study of how people use resources and respond to incentives, or the study of decision-making. It often involves topics like wealth and finance but it’s not all about money. Economics is a broad discipline that helps us understand historical trends, interpret today’s headline and make prediction about coming years.

Economics ranges from the very small to the very large. The study of individual decisions is called microeconomics. The study of the economy as a whole is called macroeconomics. A microeconomist might focus on families’ medical debt, whereas a macroeconomist might focus on sovereign debt.

Careers in Economics

What community college students can do with an economics major?

Economists have all kinds of jobs, such as professor, government advisors, consultants, and private sector employees. Using theoretical models or empirical data, they evaluate programs, study human behavior, and explain social phenomena. Economics interests many disciplines. Its applications include health, gender, the environment, education and immigration.
(Source: American Economic Association)