Economics, B.A.

Chairman: Armando Rodriguez, Ph.D. University of Texas

Economics is the study of making choices. It is both a lens and an occupation. As a lens, economics enables us to view, organize, and explain the world around us in a coherent systematic manner. As an occupation, we find its fundamental principles are most often applied in the world of business-although not exclusively. Economics also prepares students for careers in fields as diverse as government service, law, and non-governmental institutions. Importantly, the economics degree offers outstanding preparation for graduate and professional programs.

The University of New Haven's undergraduate program in economics provides students with the analytical and technical skills that employers value. And we place considerable emphasis on providing our students with the wide array of practical skills and acquired intelligence necessary to respond to a changing natural and human environment. Our graduates bring a high degree of critical thinking, solid writing, and presentations kills to their employment field of choice. They are well-adapted, attentive, and prepared to respond to the inevitability of surprise, spontaneity, and innovation.

In addition to the General Education requirements, the B.A. Economics requires 45 credits. The 45-credit program is comprised of 36 credits of courses required for all B.A. Economics majors and one of three 9-credit concentrations. Two of these concentrations entail taking a series of more specialized economics courses leading towards a focus in Economic Sustainability or to one in Behavioral Economics. Alternatively, a student can choose to retain a more general and broader overview of Economics through the General Economics concentration.

The program goal of the B.A. in Economics is to prepare student for pursuing successful careers either in traditional fields or in any number of new, dynamic, and evolving fields. Our program provides students with a strong basis for life-long learning through professional experiences, on modern economic theory combined with a truly balanced curriculum across the social and natural sciences and the humanities and its relentless focus on recognizing the inevitability of surprise, spontaneity, and internal and external innovations.
 
The academic objectives of the program are to provide students with the following:

• A systemic and holistic approach to problem solving founded on broad-based interdisciplinary knowledge crafted around sound economic principles and skillful use of traditional economics quantitative and technical skills.
• A strong reliance on the scientific method as the foundation for approaching the understanding of risk and uncertainty in human, social, and natural systems.
• A general understanding of economics sustainability issues stressing the importance of systemic interactions as the building blocks of the greater world.
• Inter-disciplinary thinking and collaboration in facing and solving complex issues of the modern world.
• Highly developed individual behaviors and attitudes towards the natural and social environments based on introspection, reflection, creativity, and the scientific method.