In a world with limited resources, it's not possible to satisfy all of our wants and needs; people must make choices. Economics is a social science that studies how people and societies choose among alternative uses of scarce resources, and how these choices are coordinated through markets. It also attempts to understand the role of government policy and its effects on economic behavior, and how such policy can improve our welfare. Economics is an incredibly powerful window through which we can see, and understand, the patterns of human behavior in the world. And the economic way of thinking is becoming increasingly important as a means for participating in the global economy.
The Department of Economics offers two majors in economics: the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree through the Terry College of Business, and the Bachelor of Arts (AB) degree through the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Each degree requires identical course work in economics: a solid grounding in intermediate-level theory, four courses in the specialized fields in economics (such as economic history, environmental economics, labor economics, the economics of law, and sports economics), and a capstone senior thesis. The degrees differ only in the choice of electives.
The BBA degree requires electives in the business disciplines, such as accounting, finance and management. The AB degree promotes a more general "liberal arts" education through course work in such fields as history, English, sociology, political science, geography and statistics. As with the other majors in the Terry College, there are no current opportunities to minor in Economics.
The Department also offers a joint Bachelors of Arts/Masters degree, in cooperation with the UGA Honors Program and the Graduate School. This program is aimed at highly motivated students who are interested in, and capable of, advanced work in economics in preparation for graduate school or employment. Please see the link to the left for further information about this program.
Majoring in economics provides an excellent foundation for careers in business, government, and all other sectors of the economy. Employers value the training economics students receive in using a systematic framework for understanding the world and evaluating the costs and benefits of policies and actions. The economics major provides valuable preparation for law-school and post-graduate study in finance, accounting, marketing and other business disciplines, as well as the social sciences.
And of course, many of our majors go beyond the undergraduate degree to pursue masters and doctoral degrees in economics in graduate school. Those obtaining the PhD degree teach and conduct research in academia, advise policy makers (and become policy makers themselves) in government, and provide consulting services. For more information on careers in economics, visit the Career Resources page.
As with all majors in the Terry College, the BBA degree program in economics is a high-demand major. As such, admission into the BBA economics major is limited each year to eligible upper-division students (juniors and seniors) on a competitive basis. Applications for the BBA degree must be made through the Terry College. Before applying, students must meet certain eligibility requirements. The BBA degree eligibility requirements are available at the admissions/applications link to the left, as is the information on the application process and selection criteria.
The AB degree, however, does not have a high-demand status. Therefore, students interested in this major do not need to apply for admission. Any student satisfying the following criteria will be admitted into the AB Economics degree program:
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