Overview

Economics is, first and foremost, a conceptual approach — a way of thinking about policies, decisions and their implications. We prepare our students for a wide variety of career options, by providing them with a set of analytical skills that can be broadly applied in business, government, consulting and research.

Recent economics majors work for Kohler, Oshkosh Corporation, M&I Bank, U.S. Bank, Thrivent Financial, Fidelity, the U.S. Census Bureau and the USDA, along with a number of private consulting and investment management companies. Average starting salaries for economics majors are among the highest in the College of Business.

Economics is also about research. Our majors take Econometrics, a course requiring them to develop and complete their own research project. Many of our majors have been hired specifically for their research skills. Several have gotten undergraduate research grants to strengthen their research skills and a number have made presentations of their research at the Midwest Economics Association meetings, the Wisconsin Economics Association meetings and various undergraduate research forums throughout the state. Over the last six years, nine Economics students have published their research in the Oshkosh Scholar.

Econometrics isn't the only class where students gain quantitative and research skills. Students in the Times Series Analysis and Forecasting course learn how to use sales and production input data to generate forecasts of future demand or of future supply chain needs. And students in Macroeconomic Forecasting learn both the technical aspects as well as the art of generating macroeconomic forecasts based on the quantitative assessment of data and evaluation of world events. These students present their work to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago each fall.

Scores on the Law School Aptitude Test suggest that a major in economics, with its emphasis on logical thinking, is the best preparation for law school. It is also an appropriate major for students considering graduate work in business, sociology and political science, as well as economics. Our economics majors have been accepted into programs at Indiana University, U North Carolina State U., Syracuse U., UC Berkeley, Stanford, Oregon, Pitt, UC Davis, Purdue, U Conn., U Maine and UW-Milwaukee. We have also had economics-finance majors accepted into graduate programs at Florida State and Virginia Tech and an Econ major accepted into the graduate statistics program at Kansas State.

• Average starting salaries in 2008: $47,326
• Students participate in the Fed challenge
• Research and project-based experience though Econometrics course