Economics

Welcome

Economics is the social science that studies how societies use their scarce resources to produce goods and services. An economics major will prepare you to identify problems and the solutions to those problems throughout your professional life whether it is in business or government. You are prepared to make informed decisions in management, marketing, finance or the public sector.

Students in the economics program study unemployment, inflation, economic growth, the distribution of income and wealth, the balance of payments, and exchange rates, as well as topics related to labor, banking, the environment, health care, poverty, and the government systems and policies. 

Learning more about economics helps students understand how businesses, workers, consumers, and governments interact in domestic and international markets. 

Many economics majors elect to double major in economics and a related business or liberal arts field.  An economics major from UW-River Falls has excellent employment opportunities in the 21st century.

Economics Mission:

The mission of the Department of Economics is to provide students with analytical, critical thinking, research, and communication skills that are necessary for advancing in the public sector, the non-profit sector, and the business sector; and for seeking an advanced degree. 

The department also provides support to the College of Business and Economics by offering courses satisfying core and elective requirements for students in the Business Administration major and minor, and Accounting major.  In addition, the department supports the liberal arts orientation of this university by contributing courses to the general education, international studies, American diversity, and global perspectives curricula.

Learning Outcomes: 

An economics graduate will be able to

  1. Understand basic economic principles in order to understand and explain the world around them and to prepare for higher-level course work.

  2. Use economic theory to critically examine problems in the U.S. and global economy so that they understand, propose, and work for appropriate economic policies and solutions.

  3. Demonstrate and apply knowledge gained in the area of statistics.

  4. Conduct economic research, utilizing the tools of Economists, and present results so that they can contribute to economic education.

To see the complete Economics Assurance of Learning Plan, please click here.

Minnesota Economic Association Conference
October 29, 2010