Major
	Economics (BA, BS) from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Economics (BBA) from the Tippie College of Business
Minor
	Economics
Four-year Graduation Plan
	Yes
Honors
	Yes
Teacher Licensure
	Yes, in Social Science
Links
	Web Site Courses General Catalog

Economists study how societies allocate limited resources to achieve competing ends. They employ empirical and deductive methods to analyze incentives, constraints, organizational forms, and market forces. They also draw on the disciplines of mathematics, statistics, philosophy, law, psychology, and history in their efforts to solve problems and address issues such as inflation, unemployment, interest rates, health care, education, and crime.

• Why Study Economics at Iowa?
• Course Work
• Student Activities
• Careers
• Scholarships

Why Study Economics at Iowa?
At Iowa, you’ll be able to major in economics as a student in either the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or the Tippie College of Business. You’ll earn a degree that will open the door to many career possibilities and will help you understand what’s going on in the world, make better business and personal decisions, and take an informed role in social debates.

Iowa’s Department of Economics has a strong commitment to quality education and maintains a steady output of important research. You'll study with faculty members who are involved in research and professional organizations. For example, one professor is director of the Midwest International Economics Group, which was founded in 1981 to foster and encourage research in international trade.

Faculty members have published more than 200 articles in major journals, and many serve on editorial boards for publications such as the Journal of Applied Econometrics, Journal of the American Statistical Association, Journal of Forecasting, and Review of Economic Dynamics. They also are highly successful at winning research funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Course Work
Students majoring in economics earn a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Tippie College of Business. Each degree requires a minimum of 120 semester hours (s.h.). All three programs provide you with options to tailor the economics major to your interests.

In addition to deciding which degree to earn, you’ll choose one of three economics tracks: business, policy, or analytical.

The Business Economics Track is designed for students who plan to take positions in the private sector and/or earn a Master of Business Administration degree after gaining the necessary experience.

The Policy Economics Track is designed for students who intend to earn a law degree or a graduate degree in a moderately quantitative area or to seek a decision-making position in the public or private sector.

The Analytical Economics Track is designed for students who plan to earn a graduate degree in a strongly quantitative area or to seek a technical and/or analytical position in the public or private sector.

No matter which degree and track you choose, you’ll complete foundation courses on economic theory, supporting mathematics and statistics courses, and a set of applied field courses in your track. You’ll work closely with your advisor to construct a plan of study and to be sure that you’re taking courses in the right order.

Economics Major for the BA

The major in economics for the Bachelor of Arts requires 32 s.h. (included in the minimum of 120 s.h. you'll earn for the degree). The BA program is considered “all-purpose” for economics students because of how it balances economic theory, mathematical tools, and field applications.

You'll take these courses for the BA major:

• Statistics for Business
• Statistics for Strategy Problems
  
• Calculus and Matrix Algebra for Business
  
• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
  
• Five applied field courses in one of the three tracks (business, policy, or analytical)

Economics Major for the BS

The major in economics for the Bachelor of Science requires 33–35 s.h. (included in the minimum of 120 s.h. you'll earn for the degree). The BS program has a more analytical emphasis than the BA program, requiring more mathematics and statistics course work.

You'll take these courses for the BS major:

• Introduction to Econometrics
  
• Calculus I-II
  
• One or two courses in statistics
  
• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
  
• Four applied field courses in one of the three tracks (business, policy, or analytical)

Economics Major for the BBA

The major in economics for the Bachelor of Business Administration requires 18 s.h. (included in the minimum of 120 s.h. you'll earn for the degree). The BBA program emphasizes economics as a foundation for other business areas, such as accounting, finance, marketing, business law, and management.

In addition to completing a number of courses that students in every business major must take (the common BBA requirements), you'll take these courses for the BBA major:

• Microeconomics
• Macroeconomics
  
• Four applied field courses in one of the three tracks (business, policy, or analytical)

For More Details

See Economics and Bachelor of Business Administration in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the economics major and for information about graduating with honors or earning a minor in economics.

Student Activities
There are dozens of business-related student organizations at Iowa, many of which appeal to economics majors. Students may join chapters of the Business Student Ambassadors, Economics Forum, Financial Management Association, HawkTrade, Leadership Council, and Women in Business.

Careers
The economics major prepares you for many positions in business and in government. Economics graduates have found employment in commercial and investment banking, business consulting, market research, investment advising, tax analysis, commodity analysis, securities sales, consumer analysis, employee relations, international development, budget analysis, transportation planning, utilities, foreign trade, law, and teaching.

The major also provides a good foundation for graduate or professional study in fields such as administration, journalism, law, management, political science, statistics, transportation, and urban and regional planning.

Scholarships
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites.