David A. Renelt Award
The David A. Renelt Award honors one outstanding rising senior economics major who best exemplifies the traits of growing intellectual curiosity, high ethical principles, enduring spiritual devotion and endearing congeniality.
Bachelor of Arts in Economics
How should we decide what to do with scarce resources in our rapidly changing world? An economics degree at the ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ develops your analytical and critical thinking abilities, equipping you with the tools you need to analyze problems and answer real-world questions asked by employers and policy makers.
Why Study Economics at St. Thomas?
Our degree program offers a large variety of courses focusing on topics ranging from managerial economics to environmental economics. We teach students to develop the qualitative and quantitative skills they need to understand complex problems and effectively communicate key strategic decisions. Economics graduates from St. Thomas have gone on to positions at companies like Medtronic, Citibank and EY.
Decisions, Decisions
Course Requirements
You start by taking foundational courses focusing on economic theory and analysis, progressing to courses in mathematics, statistics and econometrics to develop your quantitative skills. You choose additional economics courses that fit your interests and career goals exploring topics such as international trade, the healthcare market, data analytics and more.
Four-Year Plan
You start by encountering macro and microeconomics, the fundamental principles of economics. After that, you will have the freedom to choose courses based on your personal interests.
Other Economics Degrees Awarded
Tutoring
The Department of Economics offers student tutoring services to any student in a Principles of Economics course. These tutoring options are complementary and done on a drop-in basis.
Internships
Local companies and organizations actively recruit economics majors at St. Thomas for internships, some of which have offered interns full-time employment after graduation. These include Medtronic, Target, General Mills, Allianz, Dorsey & Whitney, Merrill Lynch, and U.S. Bank as well government agencies like the U.S. Treasury and the Minnesota Department of Revenue. The Department of Economics forwards opportunities sent by alumni at these companies to current economics students!
Course Requirements
Course Requirements
You start by taking foundational courses focusing on economic theory and analysis, progressing to courses in mathematics, statistics and econometrics to develop your quantitative skills. You choose additional economics courses that fit your interests and career goals exploring topics such as international trade, the healthcare market, data analytics and more.
Four-Year Plan
Four-Year Plan
You start by encountering macro and microeconomics, the fundamental principles of economics. After that, you will have the freedom to choose courses based on your personal interests.
Other Economics Degrees Awarded
Other Economics Degrees Awarded
Tutoring
Tutoring
The Department of Economics offers student tutoring services to any student in a Principles of Economics course. These tutoring options are complementary and done on a drop-in basis.
Internships
Internships
Local companies and organizations actively recruit economics majors at St. Thomas for internships, some of which have offered interns full-time employment after graduation. These include Medtronic, Target, General Mills, Allianz, Dorsey & Whitney, Merrill Lynch, and U.S. Bank as well government agencies like the U.S. Treasury and the Minnesota Department of Revenue. The Department of Economics forwards opportunities sent by alumni at these companies to current economics students!
What Can Economics Do for You?
Economics affects every facet of our lives from business to the environment. Here is what our faculty, students and alumni have been up to lately as they apply their knowledge on a daily basis.
Jake Mason
Jake uses his economics and statistics training as a Senior Data Scientist for UnitedHealth Group, applying machine learning to important issues in health insurance. He is also co-founder of StarEightyTwo, a non-profit dedicated to helping individuals learn data analytics while creating positive change for non-profits, for-profits and the public sector. You may encounter Jake since he serves as judge at the annual MinneAnalytics data competition too!
Shannon Heitkamp
With a double major in economics and English, Shannon took full advantage of her time at the university as an Excel! Research Scholar. After her junior year, she participated in a prestigious research program at the University of Michigan. She went on to work for Mathematica Policy Research as a Health Policy Analyst after graduating from St. Thomas. She is also pursuing a master’s degree in epidemiology at Columbia University.
Dr. Michael Walrath '03
Dr. Walrath is an official Tommie since he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematical economics and a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from St. Thomas in 2003. He then pursued a PhD in economics with the goal of becoming a ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ professor. He focused his dissertation on applying economic tools to religious organizations before coming back to the university in 2009—this time to be in front of the classroom.
Career Paths
We give you the tools to analyze complex situations and make informed decisions in the workplace or in graduate school. Here are some paths our alumni pursued after graduating.
- Research Assistant – Federal Reserve Board
- Master of Science in Epidemiology - Columbia University
- Transfer Pricing Staff – EY
- Financial Analyst – General Mills
- Data Scientist – UnitedHealth Group
- Data Analyst – Amazon
Scholarships
Economics Young Scholars
We solicit proposals from students pursuing undergraduate economics research projects and provide generous financial support. In addition, we offer limited financial assistance to students applying for graduate study in economics to help cover some of the costs of GRE fees, application fees and campus visit expenses.
MinneAnalytics Scholarship
This annual scholarship sponsored by MinneAnalytics is awarded to an undergrad student who display a passion for pursuing a career in analytics and a commitment to engaging with the ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ.
A Plethora of Opportunities
15
We have 15 dedicated faculty with a wide variety of expertise and strong interest in working with students.
$109K
According to the , the median annual salary earned by economists in 2020 was $109,000.
5
We offer five different economics majors tailored to your interest and career goals so you can pursue your passion.
Faculty with Real Dedication
Dr. Brad Wilson
Dr. Wilson’s research focuses on sports labor markets with an emphasis on professional hockey and collegiate athletics.
Dr. Agapitos Papagapitos
Dr. Papagapitos teaches the money and banking course and regularly co-leads a study abroad course about the Australian economy.
Dr. Suzanne Wisniewski
Dr. Wisniewski focuses on a variety of topics, including health and education economics in developing countries and international trade policy, and also consults for organizations like the World Bank.
Get Involved
Research, student-run clubs and conferences—the possibilities are endless for getting involved at the university and beyond.
Faculty Research
Our faculty are active researchers focusing on a variety of fields. They win government grants, are cited in the New York Times, publish in leading journals and present at global conferences.
Economics Club
The Economics Club facilitates economic exploration outside of the classroom. Activities include presentations from professionals on how they use economics in their careers and faculty discussing current economic events like tax reform.
Student Research
We support students as they pursue research. There is financial assistance for engaging in research and presenting results at conferences. Faculty include students in their projects as research assistants or collaborators.
Solving Everyday Problems
Economics students at St. Thomas have unique opportunities to explore a variety of issues affecting us every day. Here is how they have been making a difference lately.
Explore the World
Our study abroad offerings analyze economic issues in a number of countries, including Australia, Botswana, China and Northern Ireland. We offer J-term courses, as well as embedded international travel during the semester over spring break.
Put Your Skills to the Test
Our annual DataCom competition is one way you can work with data and engage in economic research. We provide a data set for you to use in the development and testing of various hypotheses. The top teams win prize money!
Making a Difference Locally
Students and faculty apply economic skills to advance the common good through a variety of courses. In the past, we partnered with the city of Delano, Metro Transit and the PLACE organization to improve the services helping people’s lives.
Get Connected
Our LinkedIn and Facebook pages, annual alumni panels and other alumni-faculty communication keep us connected to our valued graduates. In return, our alumni engage with current students and help future generations of Tommies.
Engaging with Your Peers and Faculty
Our annual Chili Fest sees faculty become chefs, while students judge their creations. We also say goodbye to our seniors each year with a Senior Send-Off Bowling event.
Practical Experiences
Economics students at St. Thomas have access to a diverse array of opportunities inside and outside of the classroom through research, competitions, dedicated faculty and more. Students use their skills and knowledge to make an impact in their communities every day.
Take the Next Step
There is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value ¸»¶þ´úÊÓƵ by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.