Opportunities

Experiential Learning

Special Programs

• Washington Semester. Offered during the first semester of the junior year. Students study national government at the School of Social Science and Public Affairs at American University in Washington, D.C., with the opportunity to work with source materials and governmental institutions in the nation's capital.
• Seminar, Financing the American Economy, travels to corporate headquarters for study and career development.

Study Tours

A faculty-led, three-week trip to Costa Rica offers students an intensive course in the business and economics of sustainable development, examining the problems of environmental and social degradation-in the midst of some of the planet's most beautiful and diverse ecosystems.

Internships

Internships allow students to earn academic credit while gaining on-the-job experience. They are especially encouraged for those taking the managerial economics track. Economics offers internships in the following areas:

• Banking and financial services
• Brokerage and investments
• Manpower management, marketing and patient services
• Small businesses and regional development
• Environmental management
• Volunteer Tax Assistance Program

Awards

Student work of exceptional quality is recognized annually in awards for the outstanding junior and senior major, the best Senior Project, and the best student headed for graduate school.

Lectures and Seminars

• The department sponsors an annual guest lecture program. Guest lecturers have included Erica Goshen of The Federal Reserve, Nobel Laureate Robert Solow of MIT, Woodrow Wilson Fellow Marvin Suomi, and departmental alum Rodney Clark of Yipes! Communications.
• The Economics Club sponsors campus-based seminars on current economic issues, travels to a Federal Reserve Bank, and participates in the Economics Club of Pittsburgh's career seminars.
• An annual Managerial Economics Roundtable and Executive in Residence brings business leaders to campus for in-depth mentoring of students.

Graduate School

• About 70% of our majors eventually attend graduate or professional school. About 15% go on directly, with an acceptance rate close to 100%. Recent schools include:
  • Carnegie-Mellon University
  • Cornell University
  • Harvard University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Rochester
  • Vanderbilt University
• The most popular fields of study include: business administration, economics, public policy, health administration, and law.

Career Data

• About 85% of our majors seek jobs directly after graduation, and many secure work in their fields right away. The most popular fields with a bachelor's degree: banking, financial services, business management, business analysis, and sales.
• The most popular fields with advanced degrees: government service, business management, and academics.