Economics studies the allocation of resources between competing and alternative uses. Students gain an understanding of consumer and firm-level decision making and how the economic system functions and can be influenced. It is both a rigorous and flexible program of study that provides analytical tools and aids in the student’s development of problem-solving skills for economic analysis, while allowing individuals the opportunity to explore specific areas of interest in various fields of economics. Majors study macroeconomics, which addresses issues such as the level of output and prices, inflation, and unemployment within the economy; microeconomics, which pertains to how consumers make purchase decisions and utilize their time as well as how firms make decisions on what to produce and who to employ; and econometrics, which provides the technical tools to estimate economic models from data and to forecast economic outcomes. Application areas include such topics as health care, sports, tax policy, financial markets, international marketing and trade, and natural resources. The following options are available:

Economics is a great degree for getting a job after college. According to THE ECONOMIC VALUE of COLLEGE MAJORS published by Georgetown University, Economics and Business Economics are two of the top 25 ranked best majors by wages. (Anthony P. Carnevale, Ban Cheah and Andrew R. Hanson 2015, p. 19) Find out how much your college major is worth using this interactive tool courtesy of Georgetown University. College Major Earnings Tool Here are some of the places WSU students with degrees in economics have gotten jobs. Amazon Northwest Farm Credit Services Dowe New York Yankees Boeing Congressional Budget Office