Major in Economics

Why Study Economics at Clark?

Gain relevant insights through our unusually broad and deep curriculum, with particular strengths in international economics, spatial environmental economics, applied econometrics, and development economics.

Put your learning into practice through research projects, worldwide internships, study abroad programs, and membership in Clark’s Undergraduate Economics Society.

Customize your academic program with electives and courses outside the department to align your experience with your personal interests and career or graduate school objectives.

The Major Path

The economics major is designed to give you an understanding of the core theory of economics, frameworks for analyzing issues, how to identify and manipulate relevant data, the basic tools of statistical analysis (statistics and econometrics), and the ways such knowledge and skills can be applied to research and problem-solving.

Courses are available in international trade and finance, economic development, monetary economics and labor, environmental economics, development economics, economic history, and the economics of sport.

Eleven courses are required for the major:

Six core courses in quantitative methods and economic theory
Four elective courses in economics
One related course in mathematics (calculus is recommended)
A senior year capstone experience (this can count as one of your four electives)

In addition, we encourage you to take two courses that complement your major from outside the Economics Department. Your faculty adviser will work with you to develop a program that meets your interests and goals.

Qualified juniors and seniors can join the Clark chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE), the international economics honor society. ODE offers members a number of benefits, including access to other members from around the world and opportunities to publish original research.

Read the Undergraduate Economics Handbook [pdf]

David R. Porter ’35 Prize for Excellence in Economics
The David R. Porter ’35 Prize for Excellence in Economics was established in honor and memory of David R. Porter, a member of the Class of ’35, and Trustee of the University, by his family and friends. The award is given every fall to the outstanding senior majoring in Economics.

Harry B. and Alice N. Sheftel Endowed Prize in Economics
Awarded annually by the Economics department to an outstanding undergraduate student, except in those years when extraordinary scholarship by a graduate student or faculty member deserves recognition.

The Roger Van Tassel Book Prize
The Roger Van Tassel Book Prize is awarded each year to an outstanding freshman or sophomore in elementary economics. The award takes the form of a book such as a biography of an economist or classic work in economics. Professor Van Tassel taught at Clark for 42 years, including 21 years as Department Chair. He had a special passion for introducing undergraduate students to economics and also taught courses in international economics.

Skills you will learn include how to:

Summarize an argument in the academic literature and interpret statistical results at the level of basic regression analysis
Identify, collect, and interpret data appropriate to a topic for economic analysis
Build on existing knowledge to analyze an economic issue or conduct a positive or normative analysis of a policy proposal
Present ideas in written, oral, or other form

During your junior year, you might be accepted into the economics honors program. Joining the program means you’ll work closely with a professor to create a thesis on a topic of your choice. Examples of recent honors thesis topics are:

Measuring the Gender Wage Gap in Pakistan’s Education Sector
Will the Integration of Morocco to the African Union have a Positive or Negative Impact on its Economy?
Does Money Buy Happiness: An Analysis of Income’s Impact on Happiness in the United States from 1974-2016
The Effect of Socioeconomic Factors on Water Quality throughout the United States
Institutions of Integration: The Role of Educational Systems in Integrating Foreign-Born Youth

The LEEP difference

An education merging knowledge, action, and impact

With Liberal Education and Effective Practice, lessons begin in the classroom but never end there. Your learning includes world and workplace experiences that forge your skills and shape your path.

Learn more

At Clark, your education extends beyond the classroom. LEEP Center advisers can help you choose from a range of opportunities that complement your coursework and put your economics knowledge into practice.

The economics major is designed to help you learn outside the classroom. The Undergraduate Economics Society hosts career forums, panel discussions, and social gatherings as opportunities to get to know each other and stay informed on topics of mutual interest. Recent events have included a field trip to the New York Federal Reserve Bank and the New York Mercantile Exchange. A team of Clark University seniors captured third place in the 2015 Boston Regional College Fed Challenge, an annual competition held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Many economics majors take advantage of internship opportunities during the academic year or over the summer to connect what they’re learning with professional development.

Other opportunities include:

In alignment with Clark’s LEEP philosophy, participation in a Study Abroad and Away program is an opportunity to gain world and workplace experience to complement your on-campus work. Clark approves semester, yearlong, and summer opportunities to earn credit through academic coursework, internships, community-based learning, or research. Explore our Study Abroad and Away page, where you can search programs by academic interest, location, and language. After you’ve identified some appropriate programs, ensure they fit into your four-year plan by talking with your faculty adviser as early as possible.

As an economics major, you might be especially interested in the London Internship Program in England, and the Washington Center and Washington Semester program, both in Washington, D.C.

You can participate in Clark’s many clubs, organizations, and athletic teams to complement your academic work. Here are some student organizations that might be of interest to you as an economics student:

The Barefoot College
Tilonia, Rajasthan, India
Apparent Networks Inc.
Wellesley, Mass.
Seven Hills Foundation
Worcester, Mass.
Grameen Foundation
Bangladesh
Aberdare Conservation Action Group
Kenya
Silicon Valley Bank
Boston, Mass.

Clark is committed to action-based learning, which means as an undergraduate you can join faculty and graduate students in their research. Faculty members, who collaborate with other economists at both national and international levels, have expertise in subfields of economics including international economics, urban economics, spatial environmental economics, applied econometrics, and development economics, among others.

Housed in the oldest building on campus, Jonas Clark Hall, the Economics Department sponsors a seminar series where you can join fellow economics majors, doctoral students, and faculty in learning about and discussing research trends in the field.

There are different ways you can get involved in research: as part of a course, internship or honors program, or by participating in faculty research.

You also can apply for funding to support your own research on a project of your choice during the academic year or during the summer.

Professional conferences

Some students attend professional conferences where they present their research and network with other economics professionals. For example:

One student presented his research, “The External Impact of CDFI Home Improvement Loans: A Study of Worcester, MA after the Crash,” at the 2015 Association for Public Policy and Management Conference in Miami, Fla.
Another student presented his research, “The Economic Impact of Public Subsidies for Sports Stadiums,” at the 2014 Annual Meetings of the Eastern Economic Association in Boston, Mass.
Two students presented their honors theses at the 2016 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.: “Lifting the Curtain on Myanmar’s Development” and “The Era of GeoAccounting: predicting land value per acre based on land use patterns and network connectivity in Lafayette, Louisiana”

Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day

Clark’s annual Fall Fest and Academic Spree Day are opportunities to share your research or creative work with the Clark community while you hone your presentation skills. Some projects economics students and recent alumni have presented are:

Economics and The Olympics
Measuring the Economic Benefits of Commuter Rail Service
Hammering the Sickle: Commodity price level shocks to GDP Growth
A Hedonic Measure of the Effect of Tree Canopy Cover on Real Home Prices
Real estate value and education

You can also submit your research results for publication in our student-run Scholarly Undergraduate Research Journal.

At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.

By emphasizing careful thinking, analysis, and problem-solving, the economics major offers you skills that are highly valued in a number of careers and graduate programs, including banking, insurance, finance, and other business fields; planning and research in environmental and urban studies; international development; graduate study in law, public policy, and business administration; and economics as a profession, including teaching, research, and public policy.

Graduate School Placement

Graduate schools attended by economics graduates from Clark include:

Yale School of Management; MBA
London School of Economics; Master’s in economic development
Vanderbilt University, Brown University, Cornell University; Ph.D. in economics
University of California at Berkeley; Ph.D. in statistics
University of Oxford; M.Phil. in development studies

Career Outcomes

Price Waterhouse Coopers
Associate analyst
Environmental Protection Agency
GIS Analyst
IBM
Senior Strategy Consultant
Eastern Research Group
Economic Analyst
State of Connecticut
Superior Court judge

Featured Courses

ECON 258

The Economics and Policy of Food

Use the lens of applied economics to explore a wide range of issues associated specifically with the U.S. food system, then undertake a research project on the value chain of one Massachusetts-based food product.

ECON 256

Modeling Ecological–Economic Systems

Master the art and science of creating computer-based simulations to model ecological-economic systems, and use them to address a range of problems by generating and testing hypotheses, and making predictions.

ECON 232

Policy Evaluation & Education in Developing Countries

Learn the tools and methods needed to assess the impact of student education policies, and how they’ve been used in the developing world — then write a policy evaluation proposal to solve a real-world problem.

Why Study Economics at Clark?

Our Stories

The Major Path

Academic Achievement Awards

Skills You Learn

Honors Program

Related Programs

An education merging knowledge, action, and impact

Study Abroad and Away

Student Clubs and Organizations

Present Your Research

Featured Courses

The Economics and Policy of Food

Modeling Ecological–Economic Systems

Policy Evaluation & Education in Developing Countries