Bachelor of Arts in Economics

Advance Your Career with an Online Degree in Economics

An increasing world population, the scarcity of resources and the growing need for social responsibility are very prominent issues that we currently face in society.  The importance of these areas has created a need for individuals that can understand the actions of society and create incentives that lead to welfare and sustainability.
Economics is the social science that aims to understand and predict human behavior by combining a strong education in liberal arts with a thorough understanding of mathematics and computer science.
The curriculum of this program is designed to give you the tools to understand how incentives affect human behavior, markets, and economies so you can model real-life situations, effectively allocate resources, and map out the best outcomes.
Along with giving you the benefit of a top-quality liberal arts education, Penn StateҀs Bachelor of Arts in Economics can provide you with the additional advantage of a solid foundation in the analytical knowledge of economics, as well as the skills to think more critically in your work for complex national and international organizations, and to manage change and social challenges effectively.

Career Opportunities for Economics Graduates

With your bachelor of arts degree in economics, you can expand your career opportunities to work in diverse professional settings, with a varied set of professional responsibilities that could include:

• examining trends, such as turnover rates, product cycles, or immigration to help make predictions about the future
• carrying out quantitative analysis through surveys and data collection to understand and explain human behavior
• advising the strategic leadership of any organization to maximize the payoff for all stakeholders
• designing policies or making recommendations to optimize the use of resources in any project or plan

Who Should Apply?

A Bachelor of Arts in Economics may be most suitable for you if you wish to work in consulting or if you want to advance your career in the following fields:

• government
• health and environmental policy
• public policy
• small, medium or large businesses
• nonprofit organizations (national and international)

Stepping-stone for Your Long-Term Goals

The Bachelor of Arts in Economics program can offer you an excellent stepping-stone to graduate or specialized studies, especially in economics or law school.

Choose Your Focus in Economics

We offer both a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science in economics. Choose the one that best fits your career goals by deciding if you want to concentrate on the qualitative or quantitative aspects of the discipline.

• The Bachelor of Arts in Economics is best suited for you if you want to focus on the qualitative aspect of economics. The program places a stronger emphasis on social behavior, culture, international relations, and foreign languages to prepare you for work in national or international organizations.
• The Bachelor of Science in Economics seeks to help you develop solid analytical skills, especially in mathematic theory, research, and computer programming. It can provide you with the strong quantitative knowledge necessary to represent and interpret individual and group behavior through numerical concepts and models.

Online Education at Penn State

Penn State has a history of 100+ years of distance education and more than a decade of experience in online learning. We strive to create an online learning environment that brings you as close to the face-to-face experience as possible. Learn more about Penn State World Campus.