Why Study
Economics
at Baylor?
Steve Gardner
Professor of Economics
Director, McBride Center for International
Business
It’s Interesting!
Choose from courses such as:
• Economics of Health and Medical Care
• International Trade Theory and Policy
• Economics of Poverty
• Law and Economics
• Economics of Gender
• Economics of Developing Countries
• Economics of Sports in America
It’s Flexible!
It’s the only major available in three degree
programs:
• B.B.A.—Good for career entry, pre-MBA, or may be
coupled with 2nd BBA major (i.e., finance)
• B.A.—Good for pre-Law, pre-PhD, or may be
coupled with a 2nd B.A. major (i.e., political science)
• B.S.—Good for pre-Med or may be coupled with a
2nd B.S. major (i.e., physics)
It’s Challenging!
A well-rounded economist should develop a
strong background in:
• Analytical and critical thinking
• Mathematics and statistics
• Writing
• Public speaking
• History and public policy
• Ethics and moral philosophy
Great Student
Organizations!
• Baylor Economists
– promotes social interaction and academic
involvement of economics students. Open
membership.
• Omicron Delta Epsilon
– national honor society in economics, received
its official charter in 1951. Restricted
membership
Great Faculty!
• Like all Baylor faculty, we are available to you.
• 20 faculty members, 13 of whom have PhD’s,
representing 12 different universities.
– Brown U., Indiana U., MIT, Michigan State U., Oklahoma
State U., Purdue, SMU, U.C. Berkeley, U. Florida, U.
Illinois, UNC Chapel Hill, USC, UT Austin.
• Economics faculty members are active in research
and most have significant international experience.
Prepare for Grad School!
Average LSAT Scores
Current
Rank
Major
Average
Score
Number of
Students
1
Economics
155.3
2,916
2
History
154.0
5,819
3
English
153.7
6,324
4
Engineering
152.7
2,656
5
Journalism & Languages
152.5
2,002
6
Finance
152.2
2,009
7
Psychology
151.9
3,977
8
Accounting
151.8
2,340
9
Political Science
151.6
15,388
10
Communication & Arts
150.7
3,898
Nieswiadomy, Michael (1998), "LSAT Scores of Economics
Majors," Journal of Economics Education, Volume 29, Number 4,
Fall, pp. 377-379.
Prepare for Grad School!
"Of all the majors, economics ranks in the top
four or five consistently. . . Logical reasoning
and analytical skills are critical to legal
studies.”
-Edward Tom, U.C. Berkeley Boalt law school admissions director
"The best people are more frequently taking
economics as their major. . . It shows they
have the intellectual fire in the belly to
perform well in an MBA program."
- Richard Silverman, Yale School of Management, admissions director
Source: Wall Street Journal, November 30, 1998 (Page A2
Employment
Opportunities
• A variety of employment opportunities in
business organizations, government agencies,
educational institutions, research centers, and
international organizations.
• According to the U.S. Department of Labor,
“Rising demand for economists should stem
from the growing complexity of the global
economy, competition, and increased reliance
on quantitative methods for analyzing and
forecasting business, sales, and other economic
trends.”
Source: Bureau
of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, Economists , on
the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos055.htm
It’s Rewarding!
Average Salary Offers to Bachelor Degree Graduates
Summer 2004
Computer Eng.
$51,572
Political Science
$32,999
Information Sys.
$43,053
English
$31,169
Accounting
$41,110
Liberal Arts
$30,152
Economics/Finance
$40,906
Communications
$30,094
Management
$38,188
Education
$29,805
Marketing
$35,321
Psychology
$27,791
Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers
What’s happening at
other top universities?
Economics is the top major [in enrollment]
at Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Stanford
and the Universities of Pennsylvania and
Chicago; second at Brown, Yale, and the
University of California at Berkeley; and
third at Cornell and Dartmouth.
Source: Wall Street Journal, November 30, 1998, Page A2
Let’s Keep Talking!
E-mail: Steve_Gardner@Baylor.Edu
Phone: 254-710-6147