Economics Program

Ready for the real world

As an economics major or minor, you will be taught how to conceptualize your own roles in society, whether acting as an individual, a member of a private-sector firm or as a public servant in the government sector. You will learn how to apply theoretical understanding and analytical skills to a wide variety of issues, problems and policies.

You will graduate ready to put those skills to use across a wide variety of industries working in business, finance, law or for governmental or non-profit agencies in nearly any field.

All of our classes emphasize real-world applications and implications of the material, always making the connection between what you are learning in the classroom and what you will need to be successful in your career and as citizen-leader.

Video

Explore economics at Pacific

From family-centered decisions to world-wide issues, economics affects everyone's lives. Learn more about the Pacific experience and the importance of hands-on learning and connecting economic theories to the real world.

INTERNSHIP DIARIES

What’s it like to intern with Accord Capital?

Economics major Haakon Mathieson ’24 interned at Accord Capital to experience working in the finance world. He says his Pacific coursework him with a strong foundation and a diverse tool set. He shares his tips for making the most of a finance internship.

Learn more about Haakon’s internship

Lucrative Career Paths

Economics plays an important role in many careers, and students with degrees in Economics are some of the highest paid college graduates in the marketplace.

Share of job postings for economics graduates by industry are shown below:

24 %

FINANCE AND INSURANCE

19 %

PROFESSION, TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC SERVICES

12 %

ADMINISTRATIVE AND SUPPORT AND WASTE MANAGEMENT REMEDIATION SERVICES

12 %

Manufacturing

CALIBRE Systems
Cordes Foundation
CRC Health Group
Federal Housing Finance Agency
Five Star Bank
JP Morgan Chase & Company
Merrill Lynch
Miller Coors
Morgan University
Nathan Associates
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Purdue University
Sapient Global Markets
The Clorox Company
VANTOM Associates
Verizon

Learning beyond the classroom

Our students have the opportunity for participate in internships with local firms, national and international businesses and organizations as well as government agencies. Thanks to a generous gift from alumnus John C. Beyer '62, two economics students each year are chosen as Nathan Scholars-a fully-paid summer internship at a Washington, DC-based international consulting firm. Students are also encouraged to conduct undergraduate research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Several students have been awarded summer research grant funds and some have presented their work at national research conferences.

The Nathan Scholars experience

Students who have worked as Nathan Scholars have helped run cost-benefit analysis on the expansion of the Panama Canal, studied trade and logistics on Moldovan trade routes and researched the cost of unhealthy women to the economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation nations.

In addition to performing meaningful work at a world-class consulting firm, students are also encouraged to engage with Washington's network of policy consultants.

"The Nathan Scholars Program takes interns to a whole new place and plugs them in there," said economics professor Farley Staniec. "It's not an internship where they're making copies. It really is designed to give them experience doing consulting, doing what economists do."

Nathan Scholars Internship Program

Unparalleled Opportunity

“Working in Washington D.C. [as a Nathan Scholar] has been an amazing experience and a substantial step toward my career goals after graduation.”

—Alayna Myrick ’19

Pacific Consulting

Pacific Consulting (PC) is a student-driven, management consulting group sponsored by University of the Pacific. We benefit students by providing hands-on consulting projects for real businesses.

Learn More

Choose your track

The Bachelor of Science in Economics degree allows you to pair your study of economics with other disciplines but has greater quantitative/analytical requirements than the Bachelor of Arts.

All of our classes emphasize real-world applications and implications of the material, always making the connection between what you learn in the classroom and what you will need to be successful in your career and as a citizen-leader.

Please see the General Catalog for coursework.

A general economics degree with a more quantitative emphasis.

This track is ideal for students interested in both economics and business and includes several courses, such as accounting and business law, from the Eberhardt School of Business.

This track is designed for students interested in applied mathematics or for those preparing to attend graduate school in economics and includes several courses from the Department of Mathematics as requirements.

Degrees Offered

Bachelor of Arts in Economics

Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics

Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Economics

Bachelor of Science in Economics, Social Science Track

Economics Minor

Economics Course Catalog

Dual-Degree Program

Bachelor degree in Economics & Master of Public Policy

Pacific and McGeorge School of Law now offer an accelerated pathway to a Master in Public Policy. You will major in economics and minor in public policy to earn a bachelor degree in three-and-a-half years. If you meet GPA requirements, you are guaranteed admission to McGeorge where you can earn your master's degree in a year-and-a-half.

McGeorge was the first law school to offer a master's degree in public policy. The program offers a foundation in law and focuses on developing the quantitative analytical skills used in formulating public policy.

Learn more

Dual-Degree Program

BS in Economics to Master of Science in Data Science

Students earn both a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in data science and are well prepared to enter the workforce in a variety of industries.

A total of eight units are double-counted toward both degrees, giving students a significant time and financial savings. During the fifth and final year, the hybrid modality allows students to work and finish the master’s program at the same time.

Learn more