Program Overview

If you enjoy dissecting complex problems to figure out how to solve them, a major in Economics will help you hone your analytical skills and position you for a variety of career paths. Economic principles and theories are relevant to numerous industries, including business, manufacturing, labor, agriculture, natural resources and government. Students seeking their Bachelor of Arts in Economics through the University of Arizona's Eller College of Management will learn to ""think like an economist"" by learning to identify the essential elements of a problem and developing the analytical skills for finding solutions. Students who wish to earn their B.A. in Economics must first enroll in the Pre-Economics major. Economics majors must also complete a minor in a chosen area of interest and four semesters of a foreign language to graduate as well-rounded, knowledgeable economists.

Learning Outcomes

• Business Knowledge; Explain the relationships among business, government, and markets. Explain the determination of prices in a market economy. Apply profit-maximizing principles to common business decisions. Explain the determinants of international trade and the workings of international markets.
• Collaboration; Provide and receive feedback, ideas, and instruction in a professional manner. Organize tasks and delegate responsibility to complete collaborative projects in a timely manner. Explain the impact of each team member (including oneself) on the collaborative project and the role each member plays.
• Communication; Write appropriately for a given audience with conciseness and clarity. Utilize data in written and oral presentations.
• Critical Thinking; Identify a problem and the information needed to develop alternative solutions. Evaluate alternative solutions to a problem, using an appropriate analytical framework, and recommend an optimal solution. Use theoretical models to predict the behavior of individuals, firms, and economic systems. Articulate both sides of an argument, evaluate the quality of arguments, and evidence, and construct and defend the position taken. Use statistical data analysis to answer empirical questions, using appropriate software.
• Social Responsibility; Describe how alternative courses of action affect various individuals and social groups. Describe, evaluate, and apply criteria for weighing competing interests, for the purpose of making policy decisions. Compare and evaluate the arguments supporting various government policies.
• Technology; Make appropriate and effective use of information technology for research.