Having a hard time selecting your Major? MyMajor.com offers free guides and resources aiming to help prospective students select the right major for their career goals.

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• Double Major: A Good Idea or Too Much Stress?
• English Major: Yields Great Communication Skills
• Sociology Major: Utilizes the Teachings of Other Disciplines to Highlight World Issues
• Finance Major: Excellent Choice for People With an Affinity for Numbers
• Computer Science Major: Solid Choice for Analytical & Imaginative Individuals

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Economics Major: Perfect for Forward-Thinking Individuals

If you are looking for a good paying position in business or the government, then an economics major may be the right choice for you. Economists are in demand in many areas of the business world including:

• Insurance
• Banking
• Mining
• Retailing
• Manufacturing

For many students who choose the economics major, the baccalaureate degree is only the beginning. Some will go on to earn an MBA; others opt for law school. Either way, the study of economics is a good way to prepare for the analytical thought and problem solving skills necessary to succeed in business or law. Qualified economists have the option of choosing to work for either large or small firms. In a small firm, they may be the only employee in their department. A larger firm will typically yield a team of other economists with whom you will work as a part of a team. Personal choice largely dictates whether you’ll choose to seek employment with a large firm or a small one.

People who graduate as an economics major have many career options to choose from. With this degree, people have successfully worked in areas such as:

• Economic Development
• Budgeting
• Journalism
• Financial Analysis
• Investments
• Urban Planning
• Banking
• International Development

Courses required to earn an economics degree are notoriously challenging. People with an aptitude for mathematics and analytical thinking will nonetheless do well with this major. Some of the required courses you are likely to encounter as an economics major include:

• The Principles of Financial Management
• The Principles of Marketing
• Strategic Management and Leadership
• The Principles of Operations Management
• The Principles of Management Information Systems
• Managing Organizational Behavior
• Econometrics
• The History of Economic Thought
• Money, Banking, and Financial Markets
• The Political Economy
• Labor Economics
• Theory of Finance and Applications
• Securities Markets
• International Business
• Economic Development
• Futures and Options

Throughout the coursework, the student will have many choices for electives. These electives can help the student choose a concentration area, and may even point them in a career direction. In some economics programs, the student will be required to complete an internship with a local company or organization. Students should definitely look into programs that offer internships, because these can provide the student with valuable professional contacts and real world experience.

Although studying as an economics major does not necessarily prepare the student for one particular occupation, it can easily be seen to prepare the student for many different job opportunities. Most of the economics courses will stress the importance of critical thinking and problem solving skills, things which most employers would value, regardless of their industry. However, compounding the skills learned while earning an economics degree with a further degree, such as an MBA, can prove to be an unbeatable combination. With knowledge of how economies work and plenty of insight into the functioning of the business world, the graduate is prepared to take on a variety of roles, even including that of entrepreneur.

Although the economist will most often employ rational thought and logic, many idealistic dreamers are also drawn to this study. Some think that the study of economics can be a tool through which the world can be changed. Others see it as a means of providing business and financial success. Either way, this is a challenging field in which many people are displaying a growing interest.