Prelaw Economics Emphasis
Advising Information
Advisor: Katrina Nye
Office: Business 615
Phone Number 435.797.2290
Email: trina.n@usu.edu
Why choose a degree in prelaw economics emphasis?
The prelaw economics emphasis is for students who plan to attend law school or pursue a career related to political science and who want to obtain a strong foundation in economics. The large number of elective credits included in this emphasis area provides enough flexibility for students to custom design their program of study to meet individual interests and educational goals. Several students have taken advantage of this flexibility to design a dual major with economics and political science.
What types of jobs are available to those with a degree in economics?
The important thing to understand about finding a job with an economics degree is that employers are less interested in whether you have a specific skill, like being able to find the intersection of the supply and demand curve, than they are in the package of skills that people with economics degrees have. (Secret: most of the skills which people use on the job they learn on the job.)
An undergraduate degree in economics trains you to "think critically" about a variety of complicated situations. For example, in intermediate microeconomics you learn about elasticity of demand. This theory illustrates how price setting for firms is more complicated than just "raise price to increase profits" – sometimes this strategy will lower profits. Learning about elasticity is not only useful because it is an important business concept but also because it teaches problem solving skills. Economics students also learn how to figure out what the right questions to ask are about business situations, solve problems, work with numbers, and a variety of other skills.
– Vascellaro, J. (2005, July 5). The Hot Major for Undergrads is Economics, Wall Street Journal.
What this means is that employers know that if they want someone who is a good thinker and who is going to be able to learn the specific job skills which they need, then they should hire an economics major. This is why statistics show that average starting salaries for students with economics majors are even higher than those with business majors.
Many jobs in business do not require students to have a business degree or a major in a specific field like accounting.
Employers are happy to hire students with undergraduate degrees in economics. They are often looking for good mathematics skills, good writing skills, ability to use a word processing program such as Word and a spreadsheet program such as Excel.
Job titles for economics in business include any kind of "analyst" or "consultant" title, "economist," "research assistant," and others. Economics majors can also apply for entry level positions in business as long as there isn’t a specific requirement to know marketing or some other skill which an economics major without a dual major might not learn.
A number of government agencies and government–related organizations (for example, the FTC, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve Banks) like to hire students with economics degrees to do many types of work. These jobs often involve doing research on programs which either are in place to find out how well they are working or evaluating different options for a new program being considered. In many cases, people with undergraduate degrees in economics will be a part of a team of researchers, some of who have graduate degrees.
Job titles for economists in government include "economist," "research assistant," and others. Employers will be looking for skills which are similar to those needed for business.
Degree path in prelaw economics emphasis:
An internship is recommended to gain experience in the field. Internships provide excellent contacts that can be used in finding employment upon graduation. While in school quantitative skills can be strengthened by taking additional courses in statistics and mathematics. Along with textbooks, the Wall Street Journal should be read for awareness of current events, especially those that involve economics issues.
Student Experiences
"The economic theory I absorbed while at USU really laid the foundation for everything professional I have done since leaving Logan. I acquired a set of analytical tools that have helped me fulfill responsibilities in both the public and private sectors. I learned entrepreneurship through a truly singular public finance class. I learned camaraderie from fellow students and a very special faculty. Most importantly, I learned how to think. To this day the richest learning environment I have experienced was through my experience at USU."
John Thompson
"I enjoyed my education through USU’s Economics Department so much that I returned after my finishing my bachelor’s degree and obtained a master’s degree in economics as well. The professors took the time to get to know me on a personal level and each did an outstanding job in helping me to achieve my academic goals. In addition, the quality of the classes was outstanding."
John Gutke