Economics

Career potential

A career in economics is incredibly versatile and can be applied to a wide variety of specialty fields and occupations. In today’s fluid work environment, where employees will often work for several different employers throughout the course of their career, a degree in economics can provide you with a marketable, transferable skill set, making you an indispensable asset to any company.

Economics is the study of decision making. Your course work for a degree in economics will focus on how people make business decisions in a world of limited resources and unlimited wants. You will study short-term and long-term effects on industry that result from changes in government policy, technology and other important factors. In addition, you will examine economic systems and the complex forces that affect them.

If you enjoy working with numbers, identifying and analyzing patterns through logical reasoning, and breaking down complex problems into their key components, you may enjoy a career as an economist.

Economists devise procedures and use mathematical models to develop programs that predict answers to real-world questions such as how long an economic downturn might last; what would be the effect of new tax legislation on unemployment levels; or why a specific rate of inflation would negatively impact the economy.

As an economist, you may be employed in banking, communications, energy, insurance, investment, manufacturing, oil and gas extraction, retailing, transportation, or the utility industries. You may work for a nonprofit agency, an international trade association or a governmental agency such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission or the Treasury department. Some economists work for consulting firms or are self-employed as consultants.

Studying economics will help prepare you for law school. Research from the Law School Admissions Test shows that, out of the majors with 1,900 or more students taking the LSAT exam, economics students had the highest scores.

Studying economics will prepare you for the master of business administration program. If you want to become a research economist working for a consulting firm or a university, you will need to earn a master’s and possibly a doctoral degree in economics. Otherwise, a bachelor’s degree should provide you with the skills most employers demand. Our students, many of whom work full-time, appreciate our faculty's “learn today, apply tomorrow” classroom philosophy.

UNT’s Career Center will help prepare you to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies, and interview preparation.

Majoring in economics

The College of Business is accredited by AACSB International — the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (777 South Harbour Island Blvd., Suite 750, Tampa, Fla. 33602-5730, telephone 813- 769-6500). This means the college has passed strict academic standards for excellence in education. UNT’s College of Business is one of the 20 largest business schools in the nation.

The college offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a professional field/major in Economics.

As an economics major, you will study consumer choice theory, demand and supply analysis, factors affecting employment, income level and output, financial institutions and money, market equilibrium under different market structures, national income concepts and measurements, and production and cost theory. Courses offered by the economics department in the College of Arts and Sciences focus on a variety of areas including econometrics, labor economics, law and economics, economics of sports, international trade, managerial economics, public economics, and urban economics.

Faculty members in the Department of Economics and in the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law, the department from which you will receive your B.B.A. degree, are professionals in their fields as well as dedicated teachers. Three faculty members were named Regents Professors for outstanding research and teaching. Regents Professor is the highest distinction awarded to faculty members at UNT. Professors at that rank devote at least half of their teaching load to introductory-level courses.

Another faculty member received UNT’s J.H. Shelton Excellence in Teaching Award. Beyond campus distinctions, faculty members in these departments have received the Kenneth G. Elzinga Distinguished Teaching Award from the Southern Economic Association and the Charles M. Hewitt Master Teacher Award from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. Quality instruction is a high priority for both departments involved in the program.

You may make connections with business professionals through the UNT Economics Club, which sponsors guest speakers, and Omicron Delta Epsilon, an honor society for economics students.

Our new Business Leadership Building will heighten your learning experience. Scheduled for completion in 2011, the 180,000 square-foot facility will contain 24 classrooms, team study rooms and a state-of-the-art general access computer lab. This building will help distinguish UNT as a leader in business education for students and executives.

Various scholarships are available specifically for economics students. Contact the Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law or Economics departments for more information.

Getting hands-on experience

Many economics majors develop valuable skills though internships. The department’s placement officer can provide critical assistance in locating positions and assigning faculty members to oversee your progress.

Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT’s Cooperative Education and Internships office. You may earn academic credit and money while gaining valuable work experience. More than 1,800 employers work with the office to provide these learning opportunities.

Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation. Internships can last for one full semester or summer. Some of these opportunities may become permanent full-time positions upon graduation.

You also may gain work experience in economics without leaving campus by working in one of the department’s research centers such as the Center for Economic Education, the Center for Environmental Economic Studies and Research, or the Center for International Economic Studies and Research.

Preparing for UNT: High School Students

We encourage you to fulfill the graduation requirements for the Recommended Program or the Distinguished Achievement Program in high school.

In your junior year, take the SAT or the ACT and have your scores sent to UNT.

In your senior year, submit your application for admission by March 1 (apply online at www.applytexas.org) and request that your high school transcript be sent to the UNT admissions office.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses can count toward college credit at UNT. For details, visit www.unt.edu/credit.

Preparing for UNT: Transfer students

As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you’re attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Articulation web page, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor/advisor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

UNT’s Transfer Center will help you make a successful transition to college life at UNT by connecting you to a peer mentor and other valuable campus resources. Each year, we welcome more transfer students than any other institution in the state. The center is in the University Union, Room 320. More information is at www.unt.edu/transferprograms.

Charting your path with academic advising

Full-time staff advisors in the College of Business will help you each semester to select the courses necessary to earn your degree. In addition, the student advisor for the Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law can assist you. All economics students pursuing a B.B.A. are also assigned an economics faculty member as an advisor. The Department of Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Law office is in the Business Building, Room 177. The College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Economics is in Hickory Hall, Room 254.

You can also utilize UNT’s new online degree audit system. This interactive tool will help you stay on track for graduation and prepare for advising appointments. The system is easily accessible through my.unt.edu using the “my academics” link on the student center page.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.