Developing a student's ability to "think like an economist" may be taken as the primary purpose of an undergraduate economics education.

Students must learn to use deductive reasoning in conjunction with simplified models to understand economic phenomena. Students must develop the ability to identify trade-offs in the context of constraints and distinguish positive (what is) from normative (what should be) analysis. Students must be able to trace the implications of possible changes in economic institutions or policies. Students must develop the ability to creatively frame economic problems and policy questions in ways that suggest novel approaches to their resolution.

At Carthage, these cognitive abilities and modes of thought are enriched by breadth and depth of knowledge that cuts across disciplines. Economic reasoning contains not only logic and facts, but also analogies, stories and value premises. Context — political, historical and cultural — is important. Students learn to make important connections between economics and other realms of human understanding.

In the Department of Economics, we share with other disciplines the desire to empower students with a self-sustaining capacity to think and learn. The department is housed in the A.W. Clausen Center for World Business, which brings together the economics, business administration and political science departments under one roof. This is reflective of the strong interconnections between these fields, and prepares students for successful careers in the real world.

The College is located midway between Chicago and Milwaukee in one of the major business corridors of the United States, giving economics students excellent internship and career opportunities.

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Student Voices

"If you see a professor walking around campus, they will stop and talk to you, even if you haven't had them since you were a freshman and now you're a senior. They are genuinely interested in your success."

— Chumley Hodgson, '10, Appleton, Wis.

Hear what students have to say about studying economics at Carthage.