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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On the Frontier of the Energy Future
An avid skier, David Schieren ’00 always loved being outdoors—the proximity of Burlington to the Green Mountains was a factor in choosing UVM for his undergraduate education. It was an appreciation for the clean outdoor air that indirectly led to his work as founder and CEO of EmPower Solar, a major solar installation company in Long Island and the New York City area.
“Lo and behold, when I arrived at UVM I became stimulated by the academic environment and skiing was deprioritized,” he recalls.
Though it was hard to resist heading to Stowe on an odd Tuesday following a fresh snowfall, he was immediately drawn in by the rigor of his academic journey. Schieren majored in economics at UVM and minored in Japanese. Under the tutelage of professors like the late Ross Thompson, he became intrigued by the relationships between environmental justice, public health and economic opportunity.
“Through my courses and my contact with professors I became more of a global ‘macro’ thinker. The social and entrepreneurial atmosphere in Burlington at the time really modelled what I was learning.”
Read more of David'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.