At a Glance
I’m interested in this field of study. Can you tell me more about it?
Economics is the study of decision making under conditions of scarcity. The major is intended to train you how to think in a rigorous manner using carful logic and precise analysis. We study how people, firms, and countries use resources and respond to incentives. It is a broad discipline that helps us understand historical trends, interpret today’s headlines, and make predictions about the coming years.
Economics also intersects many disciplines. Its applications include health, gender, the environment, education, and immigration. It offers valuable tools for understanding political, commercial, industrial, and even household decision making. While economics often involves topics like wealth and finance, it’s not just all about money—it’s about understanding how choices are made and how those choices shape the world.
What are some courses appropriate for first-year students interested in exploring this field of study?
Principles of Economics (ECON 50) and Statistics (ECON 120) are appropriate for first year students interested in exploring the field of Economics.
If I decide to major or minor in this field, are there certain courses that need to be taken in a specific sequence?
We encourage students to take Principles of Economics (ECON 50) and Statistics (ECON 120) as early as possible since they are pre-requisites for other economics courses.
The calculus class (MATH 30) must be taken prior to Intermediate Microeconomics (ECON 101) and Statistics (ECON 120) must be taken prior to Econometrics (ECON 125).
Tentative Major Schedule
- First Year Fall: MATH 30 (Calculus)
- First Year Spring: Principles of Economics, or Statistics, or both
- Sophomore Year Fall: Intermediate Microeconomics
- Sophomore Year Spring: Intermediate Macroeconomics
- Junior Year Fall: Econometrics + Elective
- Junior Year Spring: Electives
- Senior Year Fall: Senior Thesis
- Senior Year Spring: Electives
Can students who major or minor in this field complete a second major or minor (as a double major or a major/minor combination)? If so, what are some common pairings?
Several students find a dual major in cconomics and another field very useful. Many also minor in economics while majoring in other another field. The typical combinations are with psychology, politics, data science, history, art, and music.
What other useful information should I know about this field of study?
A background in economics can lead to careers in academia, government, social work, consulting, finance, and various roles in the private sector. Using models and empirical data, economists evaluate programs, study human behavior, and explain social phenomena. Their contributions inform everything from public policy to household decisions.
Our graduates have completed masters, doctorates, and law degrees at Brown University, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard and Harvard Medical School, London School of Economics, MIT, Northwestern, Smith College, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UNC Chapel Hill, University of Washington, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt, and more. They’ve also held positions at the Federal Reserve Bank Board of Governors, JP Morgan Chase, McKinsey, Deloitte, Grant Thornton, Yahoo, Yelp, Uber, Google, and several nonprofits and think tanks.
About Economics at Scripps
Economics studies how markets allocate resources, goods and services, and incomes throughout the economy. It analyzes how the aggregate level of economic activity is determined; how well the economy performs with respect to inflation, unemployment, and growth; and the implications of government involvement in particular markets and in the economy as a whole via policies to improve economic performance or distributional equity. The major is designed to develop a core set of skills useful in analysis of economic issues while maintaining a commitment to a liberal arts education. While on campus, we encourage you to participate in the Scripps College Economic Society and the Student Investment Fund.
Course Catalog
Majors
If you wish to complete a dual major in economics and any other field, you must fulfill the economics major requirements with the following exceptions:
- complete three electives, with at least two having an intermediate theory prerequisite
- take the senior seminar either in the Department of Economics or in the department offering the complementary portion of the dual major.
BA/MA Program
A BA/MA program in economics with The Claremont Graduate University is available for Claremont Colleges students; contact CGU for more information.
Senior Thesis in Economics
The final requirement for a degree in economics or mathematical economics is the senior thesis. Senior theses are supervised by two members of the Scripps College faculty: the director of the thesis and a second reader chosen in the relevant field. A minimum grade of D is required on the senior thesis for graduation.
The Joan Robinson Prize in Economics was established in memory of this highly acclaimed female economist. The prize is given to a senior for superior accomplishment in their senior thesis, judged on analytical and creative merit.
Recent economics senior thesis topics include:
- The Effects of the Suspension of the Thirty-Year Treasury Bond on Thirty Year Mortgage Rates
- The Psychology of Frugality: Time Preference, Risk Tolerance, Personal Attributes, and Parental Influences as Predictors of Frugality (dual economics-psychology major)
- Market Power and Market Price: An Analysis of the Undergraduate Textbook Publishing Industry
- Costs and Benefits of State Lending to Chinese SOEs
- Institutionalized Identity: The Negotiation of Southern Economic Institutions and Historical Ideology in William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County (dual economics-English major)
- Effects of Disasters on Economies: An Examination of the Kobe Earthquake, the Gulf War, and the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001
- Hoola Lahui: Early Childbearing and the Native Hawaiian Population
- Are Capital Controls on the Rebound? A Case Study of Malaysia’s Response to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis: How Do the Stock Market and the Housing Market Affect Durable Goods Consumption?
- College Students and Their Credit Cards: Attitudes Toward Credit and Debt and the Relationship Between Debt and General Wellbeing: (dual economics-psychology major)