SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS, AND SCIENCES | stkate.edu/shas
ECONOMICS Do you worry about efficiency and equity? Do you enjoy solving business or societal problems? Would you like to work with a team to collect and analyze data? Economics — the study of how societies allocate scarce resources — isn’t just about business and finance. Economics is an important STEM field that examines questions as diverse as the causes of labor market discrimination, how to improve education for women and girls, why recessions occur, and the causes of pollution. In this program, you’ll sharpen your quantitative skills while refining your ability to think critically about the world. Economics majors typically earn 18% higher salaries than other college majors, according to College Factual’s 2021 college rankings.
YOU WILL LEARN TO: • Evaluate choices made by households and firms • Ask an economic question, gather information, form a hypothesis, then analyze data to draw conclusions • Develop big data and statistical coding skills • Discuss policies in pursuit of social justice, such as addressing race/gender discrimination, environmental sustainability, healthcare policies, and poverty
THE ST. KATE’S DIFFERENCE
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: We house the Minnesota Center for Diversity in Economics (MCDE) which promotes women and underrepresented students in the educational and career pipeline. IMPACT: Many of our students conduct research that makes a difference (e.g., women’s labor force participation and the economic impact of domestic violence).
CAREER PATHS TO EXPLORE
RETAIL ANALYST Work for a large retail chain, like Target or Best Buy, to evaluate its financial health, industry trends, and other market data in order to predict future performance POLICY ANALYST Work in a non-profit or government organization to evaluate public policies and their impact on communities and social groups SALES ANALYST Identify and evaluate industry trends to help increase sales and revenue for a company DATA ANALYST Conduct research and evaluate industry data to help your company or organization solve a business challenge, or to inform future business strategies and goals
COMMUNITY ENGAGED: Our classes often partner with community organizations such as Center for Indian Country Development, non-profit housing organizations, economic development offices, and the Federal Reserve. INDUSTRY EXPOSURE: 25% of economics majors present at regional and national conferences.