Designing surveys and planning methods for collecting data
Gathering economic information
Recording findings accurately and in detail
Participating in team work
Using mathematical, statistical, and computer methods to analyze and interpret data
Making oral presentations
Writing clear, concise reports and illustrating them with charts, tables, and graphs to represent statistical data in an easy-to-grasp way
Career Choices
Accountant
Actuary
Auditor
Bank officer
City manager
Consultant
Controller
Educator
Environmental economist
Foreign exchange trader
Forensic economist
Geographer
Home economist
Insurance agent
Investment advisor
Personnel manager
Policy economist
Political scientist
Securities analyst
Statistician
Stockbroker
Systems analyst
Trust officer
Underwriter
Urban planner
Career Hints
The most popular careers in economics are in financial services, including: brokerage firms (e.g. Merrill Lynch), investment banks (e.g. JP Morgan), retail banks (e.g. M&T Bank), and insurance companies (e.g.
AIG). Jobs in finance can generally be classified into sales (e.g. financial advisor) and analysis (e.g. financial analyst). However, economics is applicable in so many fields that our graduates are now working in such
varied areas as consulting, retail management, consumer goods industries, advertising, publishing, the health sector, not-for-profit research organizations, U.S. government agencies (local, state, and federal), and
various organizations such as the World Bank, United Nations agencies, and the International Monetary Fund.
The demand for economists has increased steadily over the past decades. There are several reasons for this. Foremost is the transition over the past forty years of economics into an applied science, a change
made possible by powerful computers, advanced mathematical and statistical software, and the collection of detailed datasets by government agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, research organizations such
as the National Bureau of Economic Research, and universities such as UB. The well-trained economics graduate today offers to employers analytic insights that were unavailable earlier. Second is the ever-wider application
of economic analysis. Organizations that never thought in economic terms now find themselves having to do so. Not least is the unhappy fact that resources are evermore scarce in our world and so how they are used grows
continually in importance. Economics is a science whose time is here. The need for economists is strong and will continue to grow. Starting salaries are high compared to those for graduates in most other subjects.
Salary Information
Based on the Fall 2015 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey, the average starting salary for economics majors was $54,415.
What percentage of graduates goes on to graduate school?
5-10%, most usually in economics, management or law.