The Curriculum
The economics major is one of the most popular at St. Lawrence. The department also offers interdisciplinary majors with the University's highly respected environmental studies and Canadian studies programs and mathematics department. Some students choose to double major by combining economics with another discipline.
The first course in economics, Introduction to Economics, is a one-semester survey that includes both microeconomics and macroeconomics. This course is designed to develop an understanding of how economic principles and analysis can be used to study social problems and issues. Topics include supply and demand, comparative advantage, inflation, unemployment, economic growth, money and the banking system. This introductory course, a course in quantitative methods, intermediate-level theory courses in microeconomics and macroeconomics and a senior seminar are required of majors. Students who are planning to major in economics are also urged to take a calculus course.
Upper-level courses, which stress substantial writing and independent thinking, include Monetary Economics, Labor Economics, Environmental Economics, Financial Economics and History of Economic Thought. The department offers several courses with an international dimension, including International Economics, Economic Development and Comparative Economic Institutions. A one-semester accounting course features practical experience with spreadsheets using Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel.
If you are interested in an MBA, St. Lawrence offers 4+1 programs with Clarkson University and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) under which you can obtain both your undergraduate degree and your MBA in five years. If you elect to participate in one of these programs, you will spend four years at St. Lawrence completing your undergraduate major and specified foundation courses for the MBA. Your fifth year will be spent in graduate study at Clarkson or RIT. More information on the 4+1 MBA program.
Your Professors
All eight faculty members in economics at St. Lawrence are both teachers and researchers. With Ph.D. degrees from top universities, they have published academic books and articles in leading research journals and have been consultants for businesses, government and public policy organizations. Two have worked with Nobel Prize winners. Many have interests in international and interdisciplinary issues and participate in such programs across the campus. First and foremost, however, all are teachers who bring their expertise to the classroom and are deeply committed to undergraduate education.
Careers
Economics majors find many options for careers in business, law, teaching and government service. Recent graduates have entered employment in financial management with GE and Xerox Corporation; in brokerage firms such as Merrill Lynch; at such banks as Chase Manhattan, Manufacturers Hanover and Bankers Trust; and in sales with IBM and Kodak. Some go on to graduate school in economics, law or business administration at such major universities as Chicago, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Harvard, Northwestern, Stanford and Virginia.
Department Contact: Judy Van Kennen
Phone: (315) 229-5430
Email: jvankennen@stlawu.edu
