Economics

The Bachelor of Arts in Economics prepares future leaders with the proper analytical, ethical, and communication skills necessary to succeed within all areas of economics.  This is accomplished through offering students a solid foundation in economics to understand the complexities of the economy and how it impacts and is impacted by all other aspects of society.  Then, students select additional courses from policy (sustainability, law, health) or international (trade, developing world, political economy) areas to specialize according to their interests. Upon completion students will be able to engage in evaluative and critical analysis of economic issues and determination and evaluation of relevant policies.  This prepares students for careers in their designated areas of interest as well as for continued graduate studies.

Program Goals

• Leadership and Public Policy: Formulate and argue policies that impact the economic environment, reflect on the impact of those policies upon oneself and one’s community in order to potentially effect beneficial public policy.
• Ethics and Social Justice: Distinguish and apply both positive and normative economic tools to define and debate economic issues and policy. Recognize and analyze issues relating to ethics and social justice to propose and defend courses of action to create a more just world.
• Economic Skills and Knowledge: Define, describe, demonstrate and apply intermediate level economic theory. Apply scientific method to develop new knowledge.
• Global/International: Integrate relevant cultural, social, political, historical, geographic, and environmental factors into the analysis and debate of economic issues and courses of action.
• Critical Thinking and Informational Analysis/Application: Identify, access, & analyze relevant quantitative & qualitative information to evaluate economic issues/problems, to develop forecasts and to select and evaluate appropriate courses of action.
• Communication: Produce and deliver effective written and oral communications in a variety of context using appropriate technologies.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Leadership and Public Policy:
  • Identify the changing role of public policy leadership  
  • Analyze the relevant economic policy environment in order to formulate and argue policies that impact that environment
  • Evaluate policies in light of their potential impact
  • Demonstrate skills in leading people in decision making
  • Identify and follow the limitations and possibilities of public policy decision making with respect to laws, ethics, and/or standards
• Ethics and Social Justice:
  • Distinguish and apply both positive and normative economic tools to policies and issues
  • Identify key issues in a case/issue
  • Identify alternative courses of action with respect to a case/issue
  • Analyze the implications of courses of action from the view of multiple perspectives   
  • Recommend a course of action with clearly stated reasoning
• Economic Skills and Knowledge:
  • Define, describe, and demonstrate intermediate level economic theory and concepts
  • Apply intermediate level economic theory and concepts
  • Apply scientific method to develop new knowledge
• Global/International:
  • Analyze global issues/topics with clear and compelling reasoning
  • Analyze causes and contributing factors relevant to global issues/topics
  • Analyze  relevant aspects of society with respect to global issues/topics
  • Analyze possible policy solutions relevant to global issues/topics
  • Analyze appropriate comparative elements between economic systems
• Critical Thinking and Informational Analysis/Application:
  • Demonstrate a clear, accurate, and comprehensive understanding of an issue/problem
  • Determine and gather the appropriate, relevant, and high quality data
  • Create factually relevant and accurate analyses and evaluations of the issue/problem in order to make a forecast and/or select an appropriate course of action
• Communication:
  • Produce communications of appropriate substance
  • Organize complete and well-reasoned communications
  • Deliver appropriate quality communications in different contexts