Why Study Economics?
Click here to read about career paths and compensation following an economics degree.
The Bachelor of Arts in Economics is a STEM-designated degree that prepares students for a wide variety of careers. Combining social science with aspects of business, the degree examines decision making at the individual, business, market, and global level. Students gain skills in microeconomic, macroeconomic, and econometric analysis allowing them to develop critical thinking skills for the challenges of the global economy. Versatility of the degree allows students to prepare for careers in for-profit, non-profit, and governmental organizations. The major provides substantial flexibility with relatively low credit hour requirements allowing students to pursue and develop additional skills including as a double major. For example students might double major in mathematics for finance careers, political science for policy or law careers, and statistics for data analytics careers. In sum, the economics degree equips students with adaptable skills for an ever-changing competitive economy.
Click here to read about career paths and compensation following an economics degree.
STUDENTS MAY COMPLETE A MAJOR IN ECONOMICS AT UC DAVIS USING EITHER OF TWO APPROACHES:
- Complete the General track Economics Major.
- Complete the Economics Major with a Specialization. If you wish to declare a specialization, then please submit this declaration form to the advising staff.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN PURSUING A MINOR IN ECONOMICS?
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS HERE.
Most graduates in Economics obtain employment in fields that make use of their analytical training, especially business-related fields, rather then being employed as economists per se.
At the same time, some graduates pursue additional training in economics and economics-related fields. The American Economics Association website provides considerable detail on economics and careers.
What is an Economist?
"Economists have all kinds of jobs, such as professors, government advisors, consultants, and private sector employees. Using theoretical models or empirical data, they evaluate programs, study human behavior, and explain social phenomena. And, their contributions inform everything from public policy to household decisions.
Economics intersects many disciplines. Its applications include health, gender, the environment, education, and immigration. You can check out the field’s classification system (called JEL codes) for more topics that economists study."- American Economic Association.
Undergraduate degrees in economics most often lead to employment in accounting, auditing or bookkeeping (22 percent), management (14 percent), sales and marketing (11 percent) and insurance, securities, real estate and business services (11 percent). Experienced workers aged 35–44 with an undergraduate economics degree, but no advanced degree, had median annual earnings in 2023 of $100,000, which is high compared to graduates of other majors. Students who pursue further study after obtaining an undergraduate degree in economics most commonly enter MBA or law programs.
Why Economics? from American Economic Association on Vimeo.
The principal goal of undergraduate economics education is teaching students how and when to "think like an economist," as economics scholar and author John J. Siegfried observed. Graduates understand that scarcity drives our decision making. When presented with a question, they have the tools to weigh the alternatives and make well-informed decisions. Rigorous mathematically based analysis of models and the testing of theories using data are the key tools learned in a B.A. program in economics. Graduates may apply these tools to business, policy, government and other types of organizations given the great variety of occupations open to graduates in Economics. In the incredibly fast-moving global economy, economists are needed to make sense of consumer decision making, market interaction and the impact of government intervention.