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Economics is about understanding the behavior of people. In particular, economics seeks to address how the world can be understood based on the incentives that various economic agents face. In practice, the study of economics involves using both conceptual and empirical tools to examine how people make choices. This theoretical and data work is, in turn, crucial in informing policymakers how to make their decisions.

Our majors gain strong quantitative skills through their courses and end up working in a vast array of professions: consulting, healthcare, banking, finance, pharmaceuticals, and real estate, to name a few, while others find careers in non-profit and public sectors. We also send our students to graduate school in law, business, economics, or public policy to name a few. 

Our majors also tend to have substantial earning power based on their economics degree. According to the Wall Street Journal’s “Degrees That Pay You Back” data, economics majors have the highest mid-career median salary of any non-engineering major.

So, please come visit us in the department and talk to our many faculty about your future major in economics!

NEWS

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  Is news bias fueled by journalists supplying slanted views or readers’ demanding them? An economist weighs in
  Associate Professor Tommy Leung published an article in The Conversation examining whether media bias stems more from journalists’ perspectives or audience preferences. Drs. Leung and Strumpf’s study suggests that supply-side factors, like journalists’ decisions, significantly shape bias, even when accounting for reader demand.. Full article
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  What’s behind the rising cost of groceries in the Piedmont Triad?
  Dr. Todd McFall talked with WGHP-TV about the rising cost of groceries. There’s a big increase in wages hidden inside the general inflation. “What we saw in the middle of 2022 was that consumers were willing to pay all of that price change … What ended up happening was wages went up in concert with […]
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  How Tariffs Might Impact the US Economy
  Economics Professor, Robert Whaples was interviewed on Ava Maria Radio with recently discussing President-elect Donald Trump who has threatened to impose tariffs on some goods imported to the US. Listen here.

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