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.
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.
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Finding Mentors
A classmate in Ben Vidal’s Charlottesville, Va., high school came back from a multi-college tour raving about his visit to UVM. Vidal’s friend ended up attending college elsewhere but his positive review set Vidal on a path that led to Burlington.
“UVM wasn’t on my radar at the time, but after visiting campus I was really impressed,” he recalls. “It seemed like an academically rigorous place that also had a really friendly atmosphere.”
It turned out to the right formula for Ben who took on a challenging double major in economics and political science. He also fell in with a group friends who were into outdoor recreation, so a bonus was learning to ski during his sophomore year.
Vidal arrived ready to concentrate his academic focus on political science and he found many real-world opportunities to learn about the inner workings of local government—he served as a research assistant for the Burlington City Council, completed an internship at the Burlington City Assessor’s Office, and worked as campaign manager for Adam Roof, Burlington’s Ward 8 City Councilor.
But he was also fascinated by his economics courses, beginning with an introduction to economics course he took during his first UVM semester. He saw the connections between the two disciplines and decided early on to pursue a double major.
He especially enjoyed the give and take in classes with professors Jane Knodell and Art Woolf in his economics classes. (The photo at left pictures Vidal with Knodell).
Read more of Ben's story
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.