Provost > Office of Undergraduate Studies > Majors

 

Economics

College: College of Liberal Arts

Department: Department of Economics

Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Required Hours: 120

Minor Available: Yes

Web: http://www.cla.auburn.edu/economics/

Economics is a behavioral science. Emphasis is placed on students developing a broad understanding of how consumers' and producers' behavior is influenced by certain events (changes in interest rates, changes in prices, new government regulations, etc.). While there is, of course, a certain amount of technical training that is standard in the economics programs at most colleges/universities, the overall emphasis has always been on understanding the behavioral implications of economic phenomena.

Economists study how and why individuals, as consumers and as managers of private and public sector organizations, make choices about the allocation of scarce resources. Economics majors study how competition in markets leads to efficient production of goods and services, and the consequences of government intervention in private markets. They gain an understanding of effective decision-making by managers of firms and other organizations.