Department of Economics

"An economics major provides the framework to build a career in any quantitative field. The entire program constantly asks you to not just question “why?” but to review all aspects of a given issue and apply data backed analysis to answer real life questions. Every day as a financial analyst involves being presented with a business problem and asks how to solve it through quantitative reasoning. In any job, it is imperative to understand what incentivizes and motivates coworkers and to understand their thinking. Majoring in economics prepares you for both the psychological and analytical sides to this coin."

"Economics by definition is often times associated with business concerning the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services but that definition doesn't do enough justice to the impact it has. More informally, Economics is a social science that analyzes societies as a whole and the actions or choices that the various agents make within said society. Economics taught me to be a critical thinker, but more importantly, a critical thinker that can understand context and nuance."

"What I like most about economics is the fact that everything does not have a straightforward answer. Although there are formulas, much of the time is spent on the how, what and why of solving a problem. That’s what sets economics majors apart from those who rely solely on formulas or outcomes to tell the bigger story."

"Economics requires an analytical skill set and understanding of human behavior applicable to nearly any field in public- or private-sector work. Studying economics develops the quantitative reasoning and intuition necessary to become a key problem solver for businesses or government organizations. Economics curricula provide the theoretical knowledge necessary to make strong normative arguments, and my economics classes at Kent State University prepared me as both a practitioner of data analysis and savvy consumer of research."

"Overall, studying economics helped me make sense of the world and many problems. It provided set of tools and heuristics that resonated with me. As a logical thinker who finds comfort in numbers, I appreciated the quantitative nature of the field and saw early on that I could take many paths with this major under my belt."

"In my current role, I am the Director over Risk Management, Credit Bureau Dispute Operations and Fraud Forecasting at Macy’s. I truly feel like I have one of the best jobs anyone could ask for. I work with a great team and I get to help set policy and develop strategy for Macy’s credit card portfolio in partnership with Citigroup. Every day is different and presents new challenges. The skills I use today are much of the same skills the Kent State University economics program helped me harness. The basic understanding of macro economics is also critical in my role."