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Economics
Career Opportunities

Career Opportunities for Economics Majors

 1. The curriculum in most research-oriented law schools uses economic analysis extensively, making economics a superb choice for pre-law students. Some of our graduates have been admitted to the top law schools in the country.  The economics majors' average score in Law School Admission Test is in the top three comparing to all majors.

 2. Economics provides the theoretical background for many business courses and an ideal preparation for those who seek an MBA.

 3. Most public policy issues have a strong economic dimension; therefore, economics is a natural undergraduate major for those interested in graduate education in public policy, public administration, or public health.

 4. Economics majors may pursue graduate education toward a Ph.D. in economics or finance. Our recent graduates have entered graduate programs at Harvard, Chicago, Berkeley, Virginia, and Georgetown among others.

 5. Many private sector job opportunities are available for economics majors in the banking industry, brokerage houses, investment banks, insurance companies, and law firms.  Economics majors can work as financial analysts, risk management analysts, forecasters, or analyst staff members in litigation or merger and acquisition departments.  Our recent graduates have secured jobs at J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Ernst & Young, Prudential, Lehman Brothers, Bank of America, Signet Bank, UBS, Credit Suisse, ING, Wachovia, Robinson-Humphrey, The Brattle Group and Smith Barney among other places.

 6. Economics majors can work for one of the Federal Reserve Banks as staff members in the research department or as analysts in the compliance and enforcement divisions of the Bank.

 7. Other opportunities for economics majors include policy analyst and research associate positions in various government agencies at the federal, state, or local level, as well as in the think tanks throughout the U.S.

Spring 2008 Graduate Survey

In May 2008, the economics majors who graduated in May 2008 were asked to respond to a survey of occupational and educational pursuits. The following is a summary of the results.

Responses
Number of students asked to respond to graduate survey......	140
Number of students who responded...................................	44
Interviews & Job Offers
Number of students pursuing jobs before graduation.............	35
Average number of interviews granted...............................	7.03
Average number of job offers received...............................	1.80
Top Job Locations
Atlanta .........................................................................	11
New York........................................................................	4
San Francisco..................................................................	2
Charlotte........................................................................	2
Salaries
Number of students who revealed their salaries...................	20
Average of starting base salaries......................................	52,500
Maximum salary disclosed salaries..................................... + year end bonus (financial economics)	70,000
Minimum salary disclosed.................................................	32,000
Type of Company
Number of students who stated companies of jobs received...	25
Breakdown of types of ompanies:
1.) Financial.................................................................	23
2.) Teaching................................................................	2
Top 2 Educational Pursuits in Fall 2007
1) Law School.............................................................	5
2) School...................................................................	3

Spring 2007 Graduate Survey

In August 2007, the economics majors who graduated in May 2007 were asked to respond to a survey of occupational and educational pursuits. The following is a summary of the results.

Responses
Number of students asked to respond to graduate survey......	146
Number of students who responded...................................	45
Interviews & Job Offers
Number of students pursuing jobs before graduation.............	31
Average number of interviews granted...............................	8.5
Average number of job offers received...............................	1.7
Top Job Locations
Atlanta .........................................................................	11
New York........................................................................	9
Salaries
Number of students who revealed their salaries...................	24
Average of starting base salaries......................................	47,071
Maximum salary disclosed salaries..................................... + year end bonus (financial economics)	70,000
Minimum salary disclosed.................................................	20,000
Top 2 Educational Pursuits in Fall 2007
1) Law School...............................................................	7
2) Medical School........................................................	1

Spring 2004 Graduate Survey

In June 2004, the economics majors who were graduating in Spring 2004 were asked to respond to a survey of occupational and educational pursuits. The following is a summary of the results.

Responses
Number of students asked to respond to graduate survey......	191
Number of students who responded...................................	55
Interviews & Job Offers
Number of students pursuing jobs before graduation.............	33
Average number of interviews granted...............................	5.06
Average number of job offers received...............................	1.45
Top Job Locations
Boston.........................................................................	4
New York............................................................................	3
Salaries
Number of students who revealed their salaries...................	13
Average of starting base salaries......................................	45.2K
Maximum salary disclosed salaries..................................... + year end bonus (financial economics)	55K
Minimum salary disclosed.................................................	24K
Type of Company
Number of students who stated companies of jobs received...	19
Breakdown of types of companies: 1) Financial.................................. 10 2) Industry.................................. 4 3) Government............................. 4 4) Law ....... ............................... 1
Top 2 Educational Pursuits in Fall 2004
1) Law School...............................................................	6
2) Graduate School........................................................	3
Top 2 Future Educational Pursuits
1) Graduate Work in Business...........................................     Average number of years in the future not stated.	13
2) Law School...............................................................     Average number of years in the future not stated	10
3) Graduate Work in Economics........................................     Average number of years in the future not stated	7

Spring 2003 Graduate Survey

In June 2003, the economics majors who were graduating in Spring 2003 were asked to respond to a survey of occupational and educational pursuits. The following is a summary of the results.

Responses
Number of students asked to respond to graduate survey......	165
Number of students who responded...................................	22
Interviews & Job Offers
Number of students pursuing jobs before graduation.............	22
Average number of interviews granted...............................	3.77
Average number of job offers received...............................	0.681
Top Job Locations
Washington................................................................	3
Salaries
Number of students who revealed their salaries...................	5
Average of starting base salaries......................................	45.2K
Maximum salary disclosed salaries..................................... + year end bonus (financial economics)	67K
Minimum salary disclosed.................................................	33K
Type of Company
Number of students who stated companies of jobs received...	7
Breakdown of types of companies: 1) Financial.................................. 1 2) Industry.................................. 2 3) Consulting............................... 1 4) Government............................. 3
Top 2 Educational Pursuits in Fall 2003
1) Law School...............................................................	1
2) Business School.........................................................	1
3) Economics................................................................	1
Top 2 Future Educational Pursuits
1) Business School.........................................................     Average number of years in the future not stated.	5
2) Graduate Work in Economics........................................     Average number of years in the future not stated	11

Spring 2002 Graduate Survey

In June 2002, the economics majors who were graduating in Spring 2002 were asked to respond to a survey of occupational and educational pursuits. The following is a summary of the results.

Responses
Number of students asked to respond to graduate survey......	194
Number of students who responded...................................	81
Interviews & Job Offers
Number of students pursuing jobs before graduation.............	41
Average number of interviews granted...............................	4.829
Average number of job offers received...............................	1.114
Top 2 Job Locations
1) Georgia ..................................................................	10
2) New York/Washington...............................................	3 each
Salaries
Number of students who revealed their salaries...................	14
Average of starting base salaries......................................	46.6K
Maximum salary disclosed salaries..................................... + year end bonus (financial economics)	65K
Minimum salary disclosed.................................................	21K
Type of Company
Number of students who stated companies of jobs received...	22
Breakdown of types of companies: 1) Financial.................................. 10 2) Education................................ 5 3) Law........................................ 3 4) Industry.................................. 2 5) Consulting............................... 1 6) Government............................. 1
Top 2 Educational Pursuits in Fall 2002
1) Law School...............................................................	4
2) Medical School..........................................................	6
Top 2 Future Educational Pursuits
1) Business School.........................................................     Average number of years in the future not stated.	8
2) Graduate Work in Economics........................................     Average number of years in the future not stated	8

Spring 2001 Graduate Survey

In June 2001, the economics majors who were graduating in Spring 2001 were asked to respond to a survey of occupational and educational pursuits. The following is a summary of the results.

Responses
Number of students asked to respond to graduate survey......	154
Number of students who responded...................................	53
Interviews & Job Offers
Number of students pursuing jobs before graduation.............	29
Average number of interviews granted...............................	6.79
Average number of job offers received...............................	1.24
Top 2 Job Locations
1) New York..................................................................	5
2) Georgia....................................................................	3
Salaries
Number of students who revealed their salaries...................	13
Average of starting base salaries......................................	39K
Maximum salary disclosed salaries..................................... + year end bonus (financial economics)	55K
Minimum salary disclosed................................................. (internship)	20K
Type of Company
Number of students who stated companies of jobs received...	16
Breakdown of types of companies: 1) Financial......................................... 7 2) Consulting....................................... 3 3) Education........................................ 3 4) Industry.......................................... 2 5) Government..................................... 1
Top 2 Educational Pursuits in Fall 2001
1) Law School...............................................................	4
2) Medical School..........................................................	6
Top 2 Future Educational Pursuits
1) Business School.........................................................     Average number of years in the future not stated.	8
2) Graduate Work in Economics........................................     Average number of years in the future not stated	8

Spring 2000 Graduate Survey

In April 2000, the economics majors who were graduating in Spring 2000 were asked to respond to a survey of occupational and educational pursuits. The following is a summary of the results.

Responses
Number of students asked to respond to graduate survey......	93
Number of students who responded...................................	78
Interviews & Job Offers
Number of students pursuing jobs before graduation.............	53
Average number of interviews granted...............................	7
Average number of job offers received...............................	2
Top 2 Job Locations
1) New York..................................................................	14
2) Georgia....................................................................	12
Salaries
Number of students who revealed their salaries...................	22
Average of starting base salaries......................................	42K
Type of Company
Number of students who stated companies of jobs received...	40
Breakdown of types of companies: 1) Finance and investment banking.......... 17 2) Consulting....................................... 11 3) Telecommunications.......................... 3 4) Armed services.................................  2 5) Education........................................ 2 6) Industry.......................................... 2 7) ".com"............................................. 1 8) Government..................................... 1 9) Media............................................. 1
Top 2 Educational Pursuits in Fall 2000
1) Law School...............................................................	6
2) Medical School..........................................................	3
Top 2 Future Educational Pursuits
1) Business School.........................................................     Average number of years in the future...........................	33 2.9
2) Graduate Work in Economics........................................     Average number of years in the future...........................	10 1.9

Career Contacts for Economics Majors & Minors 

Economics Career Coordinator
Name: Dr. Andrew Francis
Phone: (404) 727-1381
Email: andrew.francis@emory.edu

Economics Contact at the Career Center
Name: Kori Neville
Phone: (404) 727-0510
Email: kori.neville@emory.edu

Career Links

The Career Center: www.emory.edu/CAREER/
Career counselors assist students to clarify goals, assess personal abilities and values, and systematically explore academic major and career options. Campus recruiting, resume workshops, career counseling, job search strategies, internships, graduate school, etc.

JOBTRAK.COM: www.jobtrak.com/
Utilized by over 450,000 employers to fill entry-level and experienced, full-time, part-time, temporary, and internship opportunities.

Internship Exchange: new.interncenter.com/new/searchliststart.asp
Interested in searching for internships from other schools within the United States?


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ECON 449: Economics Internship The Economics Internship course is 2 credit hours and is granted by permission only. The course is taken on an S/U basis and, therefore, does not count toward the economics major or minor. You may take ECON 449 once during the course of your studies if you meet all of the following requirements:

A)	The Requirements
	1)	You are a declared economics major or minor.
	2)	You have already taken at lease two of the intermediate economics requirements (ECON 201, 212, 220, or 221).
	3)	You must have an internship offer, and the internship must overlap with the course (no retroactive credit). Also, you can not do the internship in the summer and get internship credit during the academic year.
	4)	Your economics advisor approves that your internship has an economic component worthy of academic credit.
B)	How you sign up for the internship course:
	1)	Click here to obtain the Internship Permission Form, complete it.
	2)	Discuss the internship with your economics advisor (or with the Director of Undergraduate Studies if you are an economics minor). Fill out the form and have your advisor sign it. (Advisors may refuse to sign if the internship is not relevant to the study of economics.)
	3)	Turn in the signed form to the Undergraduate Program Assistant who will give you a permission number. Use the permission number to enroll on-line for the internship course (on an S/U basis). (If you do not turn in the signed form, the Registrar will not allow you to enroll in the course.)
C)	What you need to do for the course:
	1)	You must write a three-page report (double spaced) discussing how the internship experience related to your economic training and in what ways it helped your professional development. You may draw on the textbooks listed below.
	2)	You must turn in this report to the Undergraduate Program Assistant (312 Rich Building) no later than 5 p.m. on the last day of classes in the semester in which you are taking the internship. A grade of U will be assigned to those who do not turn in their report on time; no exceptions will be made.
	3)	Suggested Textbooks:
		a)	Barksdale, K. and M. Rutter, 1998, Corporate View: Orientation, ISBN 0538684712.
		b)	Ehrlich-Green, N. M., 1998, Internship Success: Real World, Step-by-Step Advise on Getting the Most Out of Internships, ISBN 0844244961.
		c)	Scannell, J. and K. Simpson, 1996, Shaping the College Experience Outside the Classroom, ISBN 1878822683.
		d)	Sweitzer, H.F. and M.A. King, 1994, "Stages of an Internship: An Organizing Framework," Human Service Education, Vol. 14, No. 1, 25-38.
		All books are on reserve at the Woodruff Library and also available at www.amazon.com

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