Economics

Introductory courses recommended by faculty. Include at least one of these in your schedule:

Students with a Calculus placement

Students without a Calculus placement

Your first year of college is an opportunity for you to explore fields of interest to enhance your understanding of yourself, the world around you, and your main academic and career goals. Think of your schedule as including courses you must take (English, courses to explore potential majors, etc.) and courses you can take (everything else!) All courses are part of your degree - if necessary, review the components of the SAS degree on this page.

Through these degree components, you will curate your own unique educational experience - but we understand that this level of flexibility and freedom can feel overwhelming for new students. Like a recommendation based on a book or TV show you enjoyed, the information below can help you identify related courses to consider in your first semester.

The Schedule of Classes provides information about the courses being offered in a particular semester. There are literally thousands of courses offered each semester at Rutgers, and you may find it helpful to narrow down your options by looking for courses in subjects related to your potential major or minor. Use the recommendations below to find possible introductory courses in other subjects. 

To find potential courses in other subjects related to this one:

1. On the Schedule of Classes, select the current term, location "New Brunswick" and level "undergraduate". Click continue.

2. In the Search By box, click the "search multiple subjects" link. Select the following departments:

Mathematics (640)

Statistics (960) - also includes Biostatistics

Students considering this discipline are strongly encouraged to also incorporate the study of a world language into their Rutgers degree. This can be starting anew language or continuing a language per your World Language placement test results!

3. In Section Status, deselect Closed

4. In Level of Study, deselect 300 and 400. In general, 100 and 200 are appropriate for first-year students, 300 and 400 are often more appropriate for students with more familiarity with the subject. If you are interested in registering for a 300 or 400 level course, consult with an advisor before registering. 

Review these courses for possible inclusion in your first-semester schedule, or to consider for future semesters.

The Department fields a team for the Federal Reserve “Fed Challenge” competition each fall; There is an annual Forecasting Competition in the spring each year (student form teams and compete to generate the most accurate forecasts for a range of economic variables); The Rutgers Economic Society (RECONS) is a student-run group that sponsors outside speakers, including alumni from the department, representatives of firms hiring summer interns, and talks by department faculty; Omicron Delta Epsilon (ODE) is the Undergraduate Economics Honor Society, which sponsors additional speakers and economics-related events; Some faculty members hire undergraduate research assistants through the Rutgers Aresty Research Assistant Program and the Rutgers Aresty Summer Research Program.

Departmental honors can be earned by completing the Honors Thesis Program during the senior year. SAS Honors Program and Rutgers Honors College students who are economics majors may, as an alternative to the Honors Thesis Program, complete a capstone for their respective programs by taking a graduate course sequence of Advanced Microeconomic Theory and Advanced Macroeconomic Theory (16:220:585 and 586).

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Graduates go into many fields of work and further study, including work with financial firms (e.g., Blackrock, Goldman Sachs), consulting (e.g., Accenture), insurance, law school, graduate study in economics and public policy, and research assistantships in the Federal Reserve System, which is a common pathway to Ph.D. programs in economics.