The Department of Economics offers both a B.A. and a B.S. in economics. The two degrees differ in admission requirements and in graduation requirements. Which degree is best for you depends upon your abilities, your interests, and your goals.

If the appeal of economics is its challenging and analytical approach to explaining social phenomena and if you are enthusiastic about economic problems and questions and the answers economists offer, then the B.A. is probably the choice for you.

If you discovered economics as you were taking other stimulating and rigorous courses in mathematics and the sciences, it is possible that the B.S. in economics with its more pronounced quantitative emphasis is the choice for you.

What are your goals after graduation? Most students will graduate and enter some sort of employment, finding that a career takes shape after a succession of employment positions. Most students do not have plans for advanced study after graduation in economics or other fields. Some students consider that they might go on to graduate or professional school such as law, medical school, business administration, public affairs, education, or international studies. The B.A. in economics provides the flexibility to allow all these students to pursue a demanding major in a social science, be prepared for employment in a variety of areas, and to take related and complementary courses outside the department.