The undergraduate program in Economics at MSU trains students to think logically, to express themselves clearly both orally and in writing, to analyze data and to conduct original research. Students with an undergraduate degree in Economics have access to a wide variety of private sector career opportunities, including jobs in business, finance, banking, insurance, sales, etc. Careers in government at all levels—federal, state and local—are also viable options as almost every federal government agency hires economists. A recent study concluded that Economics is one of the few non-engineering areas ranked among the top ten earners for jobs held by graduates with only a Bachelor’s degree (see http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/degrees.asp).

Several of our graduates have chosen to pursue advanced studies in a variety of fields, primarily economics, business and law. Our curriculum includes optional calculus-based courses that help prepare students for graduate school in economics. For those wishing to study business or law, it is worth noting that recent research indicates that average LSAT scores for economics graduates were the highest of any discipline, and average GMAT scores for economics graduates are the fourth highest—ranking higher than for business graduates and for graduates in any other social science (the data apply to disciplines with at least 2,200 test-takers; for details, see http://www.montana.edu/econ/studentresources/lsatscoreseconmajors.pdf,  http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=960088).

Economics Minors

A minor in Economics requires 6 economics courses (an approved statistics course may be substituted for one economics course) and is an excellent complement for students majoring in a variety of disciplines, including (but not limited to) Business, Political Science, History, Sociology and Mathematics.  Obtaining a minor in Economics is particularly easy for Business students, since all Business majors are required to take ECO 155, ECO 165 and QBA 237, and these courses satisfy 50% of the requirements for an Economics minor.

A major in Economics is available with both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.

The B.A. and B.S. degrees, respectively, require a minimum of 30 and 36 credit hours of economics courses. All students are required to take a set of core courses in Economic Theory and Econometrics. However, electives can be selected from a wide variety of courses, allowing students to pursue orientations for careers in business, public administration, government, or for graduate school. A comprehensive major is available under the B.S. degree which requires a minimum of 18 credit hours in other disciplines.

Several economics courses are available for credit in other majors or minors including Business, Global Studies, Law and Society, Health Care Management, Public Administration, International Relations, etc. Further, many economics electives meet the goals of Missouri State’s Public Affairs mission.

High school students who have completed all basic mathematics requirements generally do well in economics. Business-oriented classes, social studies and math are good high school foundations for the Economics program at Missouri State.

The following is a list of courses most frequently offered by the Department of Economics. Required courses for an Economics major (B.A. or B.S.) are indicated in bold capitals. Please consult the current Missouri State Catalog online at http://www.missouristate.edu/registrar/undercat.html for a complete listing of courses with descriptions and specific degree requirements. Also, see http://www.missouristate.edu/econ/70317.htm on the Economics Department's website for future course offerings.

• ECO 155: PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS
• ECO 450: Urban and Regional Economics
• ECO 165: PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS
• ECO 456: Comparative Economic Systems
• ECO 302: Economic Analysis for Investors 
• ECO 473: Mathematical Methods for Economics
• ECO 305: Money and Banking 
• ECO 475: Managerial Economics
• ECO 310: Labor Economics  
• ECO 500/600: Fundamentals of Economics
• ECO 316: Sports and Entertainment Economics
• ECO 504/604: Health Care Economics
• ECO 325: Industrial Organization
• ECO 515/615: Public Sector Economics
• ECO 346: International Economic Development 
• ECO 540/640: Economics of the Environment
• ECO 365: INTERMEDIATE MICROECONOMICS
• ECO 565/665: International Economics 
• ECO 385: INTERMEDIATE MACROECONOMICS 
• ECO 585/685: Advanced Economic Analysis
• ECO 397: Studies in Economics
• ECO 590: SENIOR RESEARCH SEMINAR
• ECO 409: APPLIED ECONOMETRICS
• ECO 710: Micro- and Macroeconomics Analysis
• ECO 435: The Economic Analysis of Law 

Majors must also take one of the following statistics courses: AGR 330, MTH 340, PSY 300, QBA 237, REC 328 or SOC 302.

 All classes (including Introductory and General Education courses) are taught by full time faculty. All faculty members act as advisors for undergraduates, and all are engaged in some form of research, consulting or service that enhances their abilities to be of value to our students.

Tutorial services are available to students free of charge both within the Department and at the Bear Claw (Center for Learning and Writing) and a computer lab is also available to Economics majors free of charge.

The Economics Department has an active, student-run Economics Club, which arranges external speakers, screenings of movies relevant for economics, etc. It also organizes trips to Economics Conferences for its members. Qualified students may become members of the international honor society, Omicron Delta Epsilon. Faculty members stand ready to help majors seek opportunities for employment or further study. The department awards seven annual scholarships to its majors: The Robert S. Hardie Memorial Scholarship, the J. David Lages Scholarship, the Economics Alumni Scholarship, the John M. Carnahan III Scholarship, the Dave & Lynn Wasson Award, the Larry & Carol Cox Scholarship, and the Scott and Gayla Moore Economics Scholarship. In addition, the Economics Minor Scholarship is awarded to at least two minors.