Economics at Humboldt

Why study economics?

New! Student-created videos about the Economics major at Humboldt State: (Video #1, Video #2, and Video #3)

Economics affects all aspects of our lives, and is a vital component of public policy. Economics combines a rich intellectual tradition with pragmatic and useful skills. Economists work in an amazingly diverse range of careers, including urban and regional planning, environmental and social advocacy, healthcare policy, financal advising, insurance, real estate, banking, business management, public policy analysis, regulation, demand analysis, economic forecasting, economic impact assessment, teaching, and many more. Economists share a common set of analytical tools and methods, but represent a broad range of philosophical and political perspectives.

Why come to Humboldt to study economics?

Our faculty of experienced economists are committed to student learning as their first priority. We do not "mass produce" majors; our students develop cutting-edge analytical and communication skills, and acquire a thorough understanding of economics, through close contact with our faculty. Economics involves learning core concepts and developing valuable analytical skills that can then be applied to a wide range of subject areas. As a result, our innovative program of study involves all majors taking a rigorous core curriculum, and then allowing students to choose one of five interdisciplinary pathways (in the areas of politics, applied math or computers, environmental and natural resources, business, or an individually designed pathway) in which they take a minor (or equivalent) in a related area of study. This pathway system provides students with broad choice in the direction of their economic education and career. Click here to see what our recent graduates have to say about what they liked about our program.

What opportunities are there for real-world applications?

All of our faculty are active researchers. Professor Steven Hackett is the 2005-2006 HSU Scholar of the Year and Professor Erick Eschker was awarded a President McCrone Promising Scholars Award in 2004.

There are many opportunities for students to collaborate with faculty on real-world projects that teach useful skills such as analyzing data, writing technical reports, and presenting original research at conferences. Recently an economics major published a paper with a faculty member in The Northwest Journal of Business and Economics and an economics major and Professor Beth Wilson recently presented a paper at the American Real Estate Society Meetings. Some other project examples include the monthly Humboldt Economic Index, research related to the economics of forest road decommissioning, production of economic indicators for the Klamath River basin, background research for the City of Arcata's economic development strategic plan, and research on HSU's regional economic impact. Students can also take a service-learning course in which they receive credit for working on local economic development projects, while at the same time helping the community. You can also work with faculty and employers to identify internship opportunities.

Where do your graduates go?

We have a strong record of placing our graduates in a diverse range of career jobs, or into strong graduate or professional schools. Click here to see a list of recent job and graduate school placements from our program, including information from a recent survey of our alumni.

For more information about our unique interdisciplinary program visit the HSU Catalog.