Economics Major, B.A.

About this Program

Economics has an increasingly widespread effect on our social and political environment. Economists influence policy in areas as far-reaching as resource depletion, climate change and wealth distribution.

An Economics bachelor’s degree from MSU Denver will enable you to critically analyze and evaluate economic issues. You will graduate with a fundamental knowledge of domestic and foreign economies and have the tools you’ll need for independent analytical research and thought. In addition, you’ll gain skills needed to succeed not only as a professional economist, but also in related fields.

If your interest is in teaching, pair MSU Denver’s Economics degree with secondary social studies licensure. This meets Colorado Teacher Licensure Standards and prepares you to pass the corresponding licensure content exam and to teach to the Colorado Model Content Standards. If you are planning to seek teacher licensure, consult with an advisor in Economics as well as in Teacher Education.

Benefits of Earning Your Degree at MSU Denver

MSU Denver economics professors noted experts in areas such as the global markets and macro-monetary theory. They will give you the opportunity to conduct research that can be submitted to the annual MSU Denver Undergraduate Research Conference, and even co-author published journal articles, enhancing your marketability after you graduate.

The Department of Economics’ Exploring Economic Freedom Project brings eminent scholars to MSU Denver to discuss the role of economic and political freedom in promoting entrepreneurship, economic growth, prosperity and peace. The project also provides funding for senior Economics students to present their research related to economic freedom at the Association for Private Enterprise Education’s annual research conference.

Career Opportunities for Our Graduates

Economics graduates start businesses, work in finance and government and attend graduate school for degrees in law, economics, public policy and business. Entry-level positions include research assistants, financial analysts and market research analysts. Economists are well-prepared for jobs in any field attracting liberal arts graduates.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2016 Occupational Outlook Handbook, financial analysts had a median salary of $81,760, and the field had a faster-than-average growth rate of 12 percent. Market research analysts had a median salary of $62,550, with a 19 percent growth rate.

Employers include:

• Business, banking and finance
• Economic development organizations
• Federal Reserve and public finance
• Federal/state/local government agencies
• Health care
• International trade
• Marketing and retail
• Public policy think tanks
• Real estate and urban planning

Featured Alumni

“The chairs of MSU Denver’s Economics department were Ralph Byrns and Gerald Stone, who, at the time, had the nation’s No. 1 selling macroeconomics textbook. They got me focused on, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’”

Hugo Teufel III, MSU Denver ’85, was named by President George Bush as the second-ever chief privacy officer for the then newly created U.S. Department of Homeland Security and earned his law degree from American University.

Faculty

Nicholás Cachanosky

His research in monetary policy and business cycles has been published in numerous academic referee journals. He is also a fellow of the Sound Money Project and co-editor of the journal LIBERTAS: Segunda Época. Cachanosky is also active in the Spanish-speaking media, being a regular commentator on economic issues in TV and a frequent op/ed contributor to Infobae, the largest online media outlet in Latin America.

Christina Huber

The director of the MSU Denver Center for Economic Education, which works closely with the Colorado Council for Economic Education to promote economic literacy among K-12 students. Her main research interests include issues of maternal and child health in developing countries, economics of the family and the scholarship of teaching and learning. She has published in Demography, the Southern Economic Journal and the Journal of Human Capital, among others.

Alexandre Padilla

He has published several academic articles on insider trading, entrepreneurship and regulation. His current research involves studying the institutional impact of migrants. He is the director of the Exploring Economic Freedom Project at MSU Denve, which has has hosted over 25 campus debates and lectures on a wide variety of issues related to economic freedom such as immigration, sweatshops, the war on drugs, foreign and domestic policy and entrepreneurship.

Alumni at Work

MSU Denver Economics graduates have worked for Morgan Stanley, CoreFirst Bank & Trust, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Denver Public Schools, Level 3 Communications, the State of Colorado, Great West Financial, U.S. Bank and Presbyterian Health Care Services.

They have also pursued advanced degrees from universities including American University’s Washington College of Law, Harvard Law School, CU Denver and Regis.