WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A DEGREE IN ECONOMICS?

Virtually every element of the modern world is driven and shaped by economic forces.

Economists provide valuable assistance in analyzing and interpreting the impact of the business cycle, government policies, and international developments on consumer demand, prices, costs, competitive pressures and financial conditions. They work in manufacturing, transportation, communications, banking, insurance, retailing and investment firms, as well as in government agencies, trade associations, educational institutions and consulting organizations.

Careers

Guided by talented professors, economics majors at the College of Charleston acquire the knowledge and skills that enable them to take a leadership role in any field they choose, from government to business, and from education to finance and beyond.

Graduates with a minor or concentration in finance typically specialize in corporate finance or financial services. Careers in corporate finance include treasurers, comptrollers and financial analysts. Careers in financial services include investment management, banking, real estate, insurance and financial advisory services.

College of Charleston economics majors have entered all levels of government service, attended prestigious graduate schools and secured employment in many different areas, such as banking, manufacturing, economic consulting and retail and financial management. Recent economics graduates include the founder of Charleston’s Mellow Mushroom restaurant and the associate producer of the popular T.V. series SuperNanny.

Active Learning Opportunities

Internships. Through the department, a number of students complete internships in economics and finance. Students can receive academic credit for senior internships.

Independent research. Students can explore an area of special interest by working one-on-one with faculty through a bachelor’s essay, independent studies and tutorials.

Study abroad. The College of Charleston offers a wide variety of international programs, ranging from just a few weeks to a full semester in countries such as The Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Australia.

Innovative teaching methods. In some classes, economic experiments are used to emphasize the principles being taught. In others, professors have used Aplia, a hands-on applications-based economics site. In business finance, professors have used simulation games to reinforce the material taught in class.

Student Finance and Investment Club. This student club welcomes all students interested in finance and investments. Noted speakers recently hosted by the club include a current Merrill Lynch hedge fund manager, a former NYSE floor specialist and a former NASDAQ marketmaker.

Omicron Delta Epsilon (international economics honorary society). ODE offers students an opporutnity to become better accquainted with other students interested in economics, faculty members and professionals in economics-related fields. The journal, The American Economist, is published by ODE.

Learning Resources

Beatty Center. Equipped with fully up-to-date educational technology, including wireless connectivity throughout, the Beatty Center has dedicated facilities to support its unique role as a business center on campus. There is a conference room, a boardroom, a real-time investment trading room and a student services suite with an interview room.

Our unique resources include the Tate Center for Entrepreneurship, a regional center of business educational development. The Economic Partnership Initiative funds research and outreach programs that connect entrepreneurship with disciplines such as economics, psychology or sociology.

The Student Success Center offers integrated academic and career advising as well as internship placement, providing “one-stop shopping” for economics students.

College of Charleston Advantages

• Faculty members regularly publish articles in professional journals and make presentations at regional, national and international conferences and meetings. Some faculty serve on the governing boards of professional organizations while others are reviewers for professional journals or publishing houses.


• Small businesses are South Carolina’s economic core. They serve as “living laboratories” for our students to study economics in action.


• The Charleston area is a retirement haven for many senior executives, such as former CEOs and vice presidents of Fortune 500 companies, many of whom offer their talent and expertise in support of programs by serving as guest lecturers, part-time instructors and executives-in-residence.


• We have close working relationships with many firms and businesses in the Charleston area that lead to active recruitment of our students for internships and employment.


• The city of Charleston is one of the world’s great port cities and a top tourist destination.

“I transferred to the College of Charleston from a university with over 25,000 students, and I quickly discovered that professors here truly care about their students. All of my business and economics professors knew me and did everything they could to make sure I had the best possible academic experience. They helped me to connect with special opportunities, like a seminar in experimental economics sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies, led by top instructors in this new and exciting field. Thanks to my professors, I earned an internship with a hedge fund in Charleston – an experience that benefited me greatly when I entered the job market.”

Carly Petracco ’06