Talent Johnson ’27 (center) completed an economics-focused internship in Tanzania this summer
By Nichola Monroe ’27
Economics is one of the most popular majors at Scripps, with its students going on to work and study in scores of fields, including law, public health policy, finance, and nonprofit work. This widely applicable area of study gives students the knowledge of our economic system and an analytical skillset to go out into the world and create the lives they desire.
The major is designed to develop a core set of skills in analysis of economic issues while maintaining a commitment to a liberal arts education. Double and dual majors are very possible and common, combining economics with art history, psychology, math, music, and more. Claremont Graduate University also offers a BA/MA program in collaboration with Scripps College for those interested in staying in Claremont a little longer and deepening their expertise.
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.
Wide range of career paths for economics majors
Some Scripps graduates pursue more traditional routes and lead highly successful careers in finance and consulting. Others, like Sarah Lantz ’00, use their liberal arts degree to their advantage by combining economic thinking in a field they find fulfilling.
“If you’re going to major in economics, the assumption is that you want to go into project-based work like management consulting,” she says. “I think that you can take those skills of looking at data and analyzing trends and find a way to apply them in different sectors.”
Sarah Lantz ’00
Lantz began her career doing research and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Washington D.C., before moving back to LA and working in corporate America at Capital Group. Ultimately, she found her place in secondary education as dean of students at The Webb Schools.
“Working in education, I constantly think about trends: what high school kids need right now, the curriculum we offer and how that is marketable to parents. I also teach math and statistics at Webb; we talk about the economy and how it affects this generation now and other generations of people that my students now,” Lantz continues. “A lot of the analytical thinking that you learn in economics is applicable in education, especially as an administrator.”
The student perspective: applying economics to real life and prep for the future
Current students at Scripps have found similar ways to apply their learning in other sectors. This summer, Talent Johnson ’27 completed an internship working with a nonprofit in Africa, funded by Scripps’ Career Planning & Resources’ internship grant program.
“I worked in Tanzania for three months in educational policy, and did a number of research projects,” Johnson explains. “For one of them, I did a dataset analysis project on how socioeconomic outcomes may be influenced by educational factors. I was able to use what I learned in my econ statistics class I took for the major.”
When determining next steps after graduation, Johnson credits her internship grant experience with informing her future.
“When you expose yourself to different cultures, [you see] the ways that people are marginalized in ways that you can’t even imagine,” she says. “In the future, I want to work in fiscal or educational policy—I feel like there is so much to do with econ.”
For prospective students thinking about majoring in economics, Associate Professor of Economics Patrick Van Horn says the “return on investment” is strong.
“Nearly all of our seniors have jobs by the time they graduate. A lot of them are returning to internships as permanent positions, so many have jobs within six months of graduating,” he notes.
As Chair of the Department of Economics, Van Horn has some pointers on how to get the most out of the program and Scripps.
“Start early, take intro classes your first year and field classes you’re really interested in, and spend time with faculty,” he advises. “Getting the most out of the major means doing well in your classes, but at Scripps it also means interacting a lot with your professors. They can point you towards interesting areas of study, connect you with alums, or offer student research opportunities.”