Help Develop Solutions for Critical Global Issues
Some days, it’s hard to find a major news story that doesn’t have an economic angle. That’s because economics is a problem-based discipline that tackles some of today’s most important and difficult issues: access to health care, crime, economic inequality, education, global warming, inflation, labor shortages, poverty, supply chain instability, and unemployment, among others.
Economists play key roles in the private and public sectors. Why? Among many reasons, two stand out:
- The critical thinking and analytic skills they learn are indispensable in various occupations.
- Economic knowledge is the key to understanding the forces driving many types of change worldwide: technological, political, and ideological, among others.
Economics Curriculum at UM-Flint
We offer two bachelor’s degrees in economics, both of which have honors versions:
- Bachelor of Arts in Economics Curriculum: Students who want to study economics as part of a broad liberal arts education should choose this program.
- Bachelor of Science in Economics Curriculum: This program is more technical and is designed for students who plan to attend graduate school or pursue a career in a technical field such as data analytics. It offers an optional concentration in data analytics designed to give students programming and database management skills for jobs in the growing fields of data science and analytics.
Two minors are available to students in any program at UM-Flint:
- Economics (18 credits)
- Economics & Data Analytics (34 credits)
Students interested in economics may also want to consider the related Bachelor of Science in Data Analytics program.
Why UM-Flint?
The most important reason to study economics at UM-Flint is the quality of our faculty. They’re scholars who are engaged in research about topics like the impact of smoking bans on bars and restaurants, winners and losers in a GM strike, and how cost-benefit analysis works. But they come to UM-Flint because they love teaching and helping students succeed. That commitment extends to taking the time to get to know you and work with you individually.
It also extends to mentoring students. As an economics major, you have a faculty mentor with whom you can discuss everything from selecting classes to exploring career opportunities.
Here are just a few other reasons you should study economics at UM-Flint:
- The Student Success Center offers opportunities to be a paid tutor for economics courses.
- Research assistantships are available at the UM-Flint EDA University Center for Community & Economic Development.
- The Economics Club and the Entrepreneur Society give you a chance to meet students with similar interests.
- The UM-Flint chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the national honor society for economics, welcomes students who have at least a junior standing, 12 hours of economics courses, and a 3.0 GPA in economics courses and overall.
- In a paid or volunteer role, you can develop your research skills while working side-by-side with faculty on state-of-the-art research in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program or its summer counterpart, the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, which offers full- and half-time positions.
“What I valued most about my experience as an economics student at UM-Flint was the small class sizes and opportunity to interact with my professors and classmates. While economics can be a challenging degree, I always felt supported by the department staff and my classmates; which I don’t think I would have found anywhere else.”
Kristin is currently a Senior Program Manager at the American Hospital Association (AHA). y. In her current role, she supports policy and advocacy efforts for the AHA’s physician agenda.
Kristin Thorin
Economics 2011
Scholarships for Economics Majors
UM-Flint provides scholarships for economics majors through the Economics Scholarship Fund. To be eligible, you must have a GPA of 3.5 or more and have completed at least 12 credit hours of economics classes at UM-Flint.
Our Office of Financial Aid also offers a variety of other scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. They’re all part of our effort to make your world-class University of Michigan-Flint education affordable.
Academic Advising for Economics Majors
With so many educational opportunities and career paths available to our economics majors, we strongly encourage you to meet regularly with two people: your faculty mentor and the dedicated academic advisor for economics majors. They can help you choose classes, navigate program requirements, overcome personal issues, find internships and other experiential learning opportunities, explore career and graduate school options, and more.
Therasa Martin is the dedicated academic advisor for Economics majors. You can contact her at [email protected] or schedule an advising appointment.
To help you envision what your experience as an economics major will look like, we’ve created a major map. It provides year-by-year details about classes you take, experiences available both on and off campus, preparing for life after graduation, and more. Download the major map today and start planning your future.
Career Opportunities in Economics
Your bachelor’s degree in economics from UM-Flint will open the door to various career options. Consider these job projections for just a few possibilities from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:
- Budget Analysts
- Job growth through 2031: 3 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 4,000
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $79,940
- Data Scientists
- Job growth through 2031: 36 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 13,500
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $100,910
- Economists
- Job growth through 2031: 13 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 1,600
- Typical entry-level education required: Master’s degree
- Median annual salary: $105,630
- Financial Analysts
- Job growth through 2031: 9 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 32,000
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $95,570
- Operations Research Analysts
- Job growth through 2031: 23 percent
- Job openings annually through 2031: 10,300
- Typical entry-level education required: Bachelor’s degree
- Median annual salary: $82,360
More information about careers for economics majors is available from the American Economic Association.
Get Started on Your Economics Career Today
If you want a degree that provides a strong academic foundation and skills that open the door to graduate school or a wide range of exciting career opportunities, apply to UM-Flint’s economics program today. If you have questions, contact the program’s dedicated academic advisor, Therasa Martin, at [email protected] or schedule an advising appointment.
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