Undergraduate Information
The John E. Walker Department of Economics upholds a strong tradition known as the price-theoretic approach to economics. Price theory aims to explain and predict human behavior, addressing practical questions by simplifying complex problems to create testable hypotheses. This approach concentrates on competition, examining how economic agents react to incentives and how these reactions influence equilibrium prices and quantities. By combining rational choice and adopting a market-equilibrium perspective, we gain valuable insights into the impacts of technological changes, government policies, and other market disruptions. In today's big data era, integrating price theory with analytical skills provides crucial insights for business managers and decision-makers across various sectors.
Majoring in economics will prepare you for a wide variety of career options. Fields traditionally entered by economics majors are law, politics, banking, consulting, academia and government service. The common aspect of these diverse fields is their emphasis on analytical skills. The most common first jobs for our graduates are in banking and finance; however, in this era of big data, our graduates also have taken jobs analyzing data for various firms throughout the US. Our Alumni also hold key positions in government at both the state and federal levels.
If you want an MBA degree, you should know that top business schools favor applicants with strong analytical and quantitative skills. The study of economics offers you one of the best opportunities to develop those skills.
If you are interested in law school, you'll want to know which majors offer the best pre-law training. A recent national study found that economics majors consistently perform better on the LSAT, on average, than students majoring in any other subject. The likely reason for this is that the LSAT is primarily a test of logical reasoning skills, which economics majors have spent years developing. No LSAT-prep course is an adequate substitute for the training you will receive in the economics department. Perhaps that's why recent Clemson economics majors have been offered admission to and excelled at the law schools of Chicago, Harvard, Duke, Emory, UNC, Virginia and Yale.
Please see the Economics (B.S./B.A.) Degree website for additional program information.
