Professor in class

Economics provides great preparation for a job in just about any field. You'll graduate with broad-based liberal arts degree and a set of tools and analytic techniques to analyze a variety of problems. An organization looking for a good liberal arts graduate will also be looking for an economics major: this includes government, marketing, sales, finance and research.

If you're interested in a job that specifically relies on economics, there are several career paths open to you, including economic or management consulting firms. You could be doing anti-trust work, macroeconomic or market analysis and projections, demographic analysis, or litigation support, to name a few. Most state and local governments have jobs for economists in the areas of tax policy, planning, energy and telecommunications regulation, and others. Economics provides a very good background for many different types of graduate programs.

  • Sam Tweed

    Foundation for Finance

    A graduate of the Middlesex School in Concord, M.A., Sam Tweed '16 received a lacrosse scholarship at UVM and played defense for the Cats. In the classroom, he chose a double major in economics and math.

    “I had always been strong in math and developed an interest in economics while taking an AP course in high school – it seemed a good combination,” he recalls. “I thought it would be a useful combination for an economics PhD program at some point.”

    At UVM he found many opportunities to refine his skills and apply them in real-world settings.

    He spent a summer in Hanover, N.H. participating in the highly selective Bridge Program at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. The 30-day intensive program sharpened his skills in accounting, finance, microeconomics and strategy. The same summer, he worked as an economic research intern for the Vermont Legislative Joint Fiscal Office in Montpelier. Working with senior economist Joyce Manchester, he co-authored a paper illustrating Vermont tax revenues by age group in order to project future budget positioning as the state’s population continues to age.

    “It was a really big opportunity, working with a highly-respected economist on questions the state will be facing. Art Woolf (professor of economics) was instrumental in helping me get the internship.”

    Read more of Sam's story

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Law School

The average LSAT score for economics majors was the highest of any academic discipline. That's probably because economics teaches you how to systematically analyze a problem. Law and economics is also a growing field and you can take a specialized course Law and Economics (ECON 2750) in the economics department at UVM. Read more information on pre-law at UVM and our partnership with Vermont Law School through which you can earn a law degree.

Public Policy Programs

Many economics majors go on to get a masters in public policy. It's usually a two-year program and economics is a strong component of any MPP program. Students programs can focus on a wide variety of problems and issues, both domestic and international. These programs provide you with the training to be able to work for a variety of government or non-profit organizations.

MBA Programs

Some economics majors go to graduate programs to obtain a masters degree in business administration. There are also two-year programs that provide you with training to work in a business environment in a variety concentrations including finance, marketing, advertising, accounting, organizational behavior and IT. Many top-ranked MBA programs prefer to accept students who have a few years of business experience. Read a list of MBA programs and other resources.

Economics Programs

There are many masters and doctoral programs in economics and agricultural economics throughout the country. With a two-year masters degree, you can work in a variety of settings including government, higher education, non-profits and business. A Ph.D. program takes on average 5-7 years to complete and requires a strong mathematics background as well as economics. For those considering a graduate degree in economics, you may want to prepare by taking a number of additional math courses, beyond Math 1212, or getting a minor in mathematics.

Who Employs Economists?

Private companies such as banks, investment firms and large manufacturers

  • Goldman Sachs
  • PNC Financial Services
  • Burton Snowboards

Nonprofit agencies and think tanks

  • Environmental Defense Fund
  • Council on Foregin Relations
  • Mathematica Policy Research

Government agencies at the federal, state and local levels

  • Treasury Department
  • Housing and Urban Development
  • Federal Trade Commission