Program Description

The Wall Street Journal describes economics as one of the most challenging and highly respected majors at colleges and universities across the U.S. The major offered by the Economics Program at Purchase College is designed to give students a rigorous understanding of economic theory and its historical development, the ability to apply the theory to important real-world problems, and the analytical skills to succeed in a highly competitive economy.

Students majoring in economics have the option of selecting a concentration in business economics. This concentration is designed for students who are interested in entering the business world or applying to an M.B.A. program after graduation.

Alumni of the Economics Program have gone on to enjoy successful careers in a wide variety of fields, including finance, journalism, education, the arts, government, and law.

Program Faculty

Requirements for the Major

• Three introductory courses (with a grade of C or higher in each):
  Macroeconomic Theory I
  Microeconomics I
  Economics and Everyday Life
• Two of the following intermediate theory courses:
  Macroeconomic Theory II
  American Capitalism in the 21st Century
  Microeconomics II
• Behavioral Statistics
• Four elective courses in economics
• Economics Senior Seminar I & II
• Senior Project in Economics

For the business economics concentration:
The four electives are business-related courses, and an internship is required (in addition to the course requirements listed for the major).

Representative Elective Courses

Political Economy of the Media
Globalization: Film and Lecture Series
Environmental Economics
Business Economics
Labor Economics
Cities, Culture, and the Economy
The Political Economy of Women
Money and Banking
Financial Economics
The Global Economy
History of Economic Thought
Political Economy of the Caribbean
Business, Government, and Society
Computers and Economics
Wealth and Poverty in the Global Economy
Corporate Financial Management
Money, Banking, and Capital Markets
Business Statistics

Representative Alumni

• Stephan A. Anagnost ’94, managing director, P! Solutions Consulting, Ltd.
• Drew Claxton ’83, senior consultant, National Economic Research Association (NERA)
• Nathaniel McClure ’00, CEO, Epicenter Studios
• Adam Nagourney ’77, chief political correspondent, The New York Times
• Marcia Van Wagner ’79, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin; deputy research director and chief economist, Citizens Budget Commission
• Douglas P. Woodward ’78, Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin; director of the Division of Research and professor of economics, Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina
• Cyrus Zulkarnaian Kazi ’00, M.P.A., Baruch College, City University of New York; program and development manager, Arab-American Family Support Center (AAFSC), Brooklyn, NY

For more information, visit the Economics site in Academic Programs.

Updated May 27, 2008