updated March 2009

About an Undergraduate Degree in Economics

Students of economics explore individual decision-making and national policy commonly used in modern mixed-market economies today.

Microeconomics examines the decision making process of individual economic agents such as firms and consumers. Microeconomics also considers the impacts of the decisions made by these agents on individual markets.

Macroeconomics explores the economy of countries as a whole. Macroeconomics considers questions of short-term fluctuations in economic activity, such as unemployment. Macroeconomics also considers issues of long-term economic growth.

Econometrics is the fundamental tool of empirical analysis used by economists. here we take data from the "market" or the "economy" and examine how well it corresponds to theory.

These frameworks serve as the foundation for considering questions of:   Industrial Organization- Why are some firms more profitable than others?
International Development- Why do some countries have a higher standard
                                      of living than others?
International Finance- Why do some people invest in other countries?
Public Policy - What is the most effective government policy?
                  

And many other questions.

Why study Economics?

An undergraduate degree in Economics gives students the ability to understand current economic issues and the environment within which we all operate. Moreover, students versed in Economics have learned a number of models which will allow them to predict the results of future changes in the global economy.  Graduates from the UNBSJ Economics programmes (we offer a BBA, BA, and BSc in Economics and form core parts of the BSc in Math and Economics and the BSc in Financial Mathematics) have entered into the workforce as journalists, analysts, researchers, government policy-makers, educators, and self-employed business people.  Some graduates have pursued further studies in such fields as law, journalism, and education. With sufficient background in mathematics and statistics, students from UNBSJ economics have gone on to top graduate schools in Economics and Economic Policy across Canada.