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Welcome to the Economics Department!

Dr. Dietrich Vollrath, Chair

Welcome to the Economics Department! We have a faculty that is excited to guide you through learning the principles and applications of economics to study everything from interest rates and money supplies, to children’s health outcomes, industrial organization, and the consequences of migration.

I believe that an economics degree will give you a wealth of analytical skills that will stay with you, even if you never draw another indifference curve in your lifetime. To maximize those skills, I would encourage you to challenge yourself with the courses you take, and strongly consider aiming for the Certificate in Quantitative Economics. The courses required for that certificate will really give you a feel for how powerful a tool economics can be. 

Beyond teaching undergraduate courses, our faculty are also involved in their own individual research. Take some time to ask them about it during class or office hours. They can give you a feel for the range of questions that economics equips you to answer, and can help you see how to apply the principles you learn in class.

If you’re interested in graduate study at all, please seek out me, our graduate directors, or really any of our faculty, and ask about the possibilities. We have both an applied master’s program and a PhD program, and depending on your goals, we can help guide you towards the right one. And don’t be scared off of the PhD due to cost, we can help explain how most graduate study comes with tuition waivers and even a stipend for working as a teaching assistant.