Economics Major

Prepare to Go Further with an Economics Degree

The economics major at Concordia University Irvine prepares you for a wide range of career prospects related to business and finance. The economy is a central aspect to our culture and way of life. It affects everybody. Understanding economics is understanding a major pillar in the mechanics of how the world works. You will have opportunities to consider big questions like: "What makes this value correct?" or "Should this company be legal?" Our goal is to help you understand how institutions are philosophically managed, so you can operate effectively in your career.

If finance is understanding the numbers, economics is understanding the mechanism that creates those numbers. Not simply looking at the transactional nature of business, but the factors that make a business. What is the relationship between goods, services, and consumers? How have they created wealth?

This major aims to enhance your understanding of economics and its relationship between people and entities, creation and consumption, the regional and the global. Courses cover topics in efficiency, ethics, human behavior, psychology, and people skills. You will benefit from direct and consistent support from professors. Graduates may consider a world of employment opportunities in areas of economic development, government positions, nonprofit organizations, trade, equitability, sustainability, and the environment..

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Why Choose Economics?

Economics is a major that focuses on big questions and critical thinking. The skills you gain from the study of Economics are highly employable.

Economics is the only liberal arts degree that mixes both technical and liberal skills creating what has been coined as the “just-right” degree.

(Liberal Education & America’s Promise, The National Leadership Council of the Association of American Colleges and Universities)

Economics is the most employable liberal arts degree.

(Research as reported by CollegeRanker.com)

Economics is the highest paying liberal arts degree at both time of graduation and mid-career.

(The Top Highest Paying Liberal Arts Degree Jobs, 2019 College Ranker)

Economics majors are among the most likely majors to make the corner office, and they’re 250% more likely to become an S&P 500 CEO than business majors.

(Economics: The Most Employable Liberal Art, Bentley College research)

Economics ranks 13th among 44 majors in the number of bachelor degrees awarded in 2018.

(The Most Popular College Major, Niche, 2019)

Economics is the science of purposeful human action. It is the only liberal arts subject that interweaves the concepts of scarcity, subjective value, self-interest, proper incentives, and interdependence. As such, it allows for real and meaningful analysis and discussion about those human actions that result in God pleasing decisions.

(Anne Bradley, Be Fruitful and Multiply)

What Students Are Saying

IACBE Accreditation

As you research Business Schools, you may notice that some business programs are accredited by organizations with long acronyms such as AACSB, IACBE, and ACBSP. What is accreditation and why does it matter? Business schools seek out accreditation to obtain quality assurance as an institution of higher learning, as well as to ensure an environment of continuous improvement. The Concordia School of Business and Economics chose to voluntarily complete a rigorous process with IACBE to evaluate the effectiveness of our business programs. You can be assured at Concordia University Irvine our goal is your academic and occupational success.

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Alumni Success

Graduates from Concordia University Irvine’s School of Business and Economics are putting their degrees to work and excelling in various professional callings and postgraduate studies.

Opportunity to Learn to Think Critically

Devin Grimalda '15

Through athletics, economics, and a culture of nurturing, Devin reflects on his opportunity to learn how to think critically and problem solve as an Economics major at Concordia University Irvine.

Read Story

Where Our Alumni Are Working

The value of an education is demonstrated by the success our graduates enjoy upon completion of their degree. Concordia University Irvine grads are respected in the many industries in which they find skillful work. Here are just a few of the places our alumni have recently been employed.

ABB
Boeing
City of Fresno
Consumer Portfolio Services
Deloitte
Durr
FBF Loans
LA Angels

Mercatus Center at George Mason University
MGM Resorts International
National Sports Apparel
Profit Recovery Partners, LLC
Santa Barbara Asset Management
SCI Lighting Solutions
Sparrow Associates
USMC

Opportunities for Economics Majors

Career Opportunities

As an Economics major, you will explore tools like econometrics and clustering techniques. The skills you learn are useful for some of the fastest-growing job markets, such as data science, analytics, and marketing.

Economists enjoy a work environment that provides stable, long-term careers. 22% of economists work for the government, with a projected 6% job increase cross-industry by 2026 and an average salary over $100,000 a year.*
*CollegeGrad

Common career paths for graduates include:

Finance
Consultancy
Economics - micro, macro, and global
Accounting
Investments

Managing stocks
Policy Analyst
Financial planning
Legal monetary advisor

Academic Opportunities

As an Economics major, you can augment your studies with a related minor, another major (dual major), or a pre-professional program.

Extracurricular Activities

The School of Business and Economics offers many opportunities for you to become involved with on-campus events, clubs, and organizations. Many of our Economics majors also participate in our nationally-ranked Forensics team – applying the critical thinking skills they learn in the classroom to argumentation and debate in competition.

Curriculum

Concordia’s Bachelor of Arts in Economics will help you utilize your interdisciplinary education as tools in the analysis of today's very complex life issues. Our Career Services Office, School of Business and Economics, and relationships within our surrounding community afford you the chance to practice these skills outside the classroom.

This flowchart shows the required economics major courses you will need to take to earn your Bachelor of Arts in Economics. If you have any questions, please contact your Academic Advisor.

Economics Sample Courses
12 Units

BDA 337: Introduction to Business Data Analytics
3

This is an introductory course teaching applied job skills in close connection to the concepts and theories that drive the daily decisions relevant to data analysis and business intelligence. Each module focuses on a primary theme with real world cases where students will start by grappling with business problems and the underlying data to methodically drill down and solve problems from a technical approach. A few of these topics include, applications of statistics, data visualization tools in Excel, linear regression, time‐series, classification algorithms, and bias in data.

ECO 201: Macroeconomics
3

This is a survey course of the scope and methods of the study of the principles of macroeconomics. Topics will include decision-making by households and firms, supply and demand, operation of markets and the determination of prices, the evaluation of social welfare within alternative economic systems, international trade and foreign exchange, financial markets, the role and objectives of government in economic policy.

ECO 202: Microeconomics
3

This is a course covering principles of microeconomics. Topics will include decision‐making by households and firms, supply and demand, operation of markets and the determination of prices, international trade, elements of industrial organization and varying degrees of competition, and the evaluation of social welfare within alternative economic systems.

ECO 340: Morality, Social Policy, and Economics
3

This course will begin with a review of classical economic concepts and methods, and a review of the basic tenets of morality. The course will then turn to topics where “moral” social choice is often discussed, such as alleviating human misery, government assistance, pollution, crime, and poverty. The course will conclude by evaluating the methods and government programs that economics suggests can influence moral choice, and the obstacles inherent in the implementation and delivery of such programs. Recommended Prerequisite: ECO 201 or ECO 202.

FIN 331: Finance
3

This is an introductory course to the principles and practices of managerial finance, sources and methods of raising capital, cash flow analysis, financial statement analysis, financial markets, and stockholder equity concerns. Additional concepts will include decision making with risk and use of operation and financial leverage. Prerequisites: General education math requirements and ACT 211.

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Meet Your Professors

Professors in the School of Business and Economics are active participants in helping you reach your educational goals. Our courses are developed and delivered by faculty who integrate classroom techniques with best business practices, real-world experience, as well as a Christian moral, ethical, and value perspective of leadership.

Andy Grimalda

Professor Grimalda brings a wealth of experience as a senior manager and entrepreneur. As a Chief Financial Officer for 13 years, he was responsible for the management of the financial, accounting, human resources, and management information system departments. Professor Grimalda is a retired Colonel from the U.S. Army and earned his Masters in Management Sciences from the Sloan School of Management, M.I.T.

Professor of Business

Professor Grimalda brings a wealth of experience as a senior manager and entrepreneur. As a Chief Financial Officer for 13 years, he was responsible for the management of the financial, accounting, human resources, and management information system departments. Professor Grimalda is a retired Colonel from the U.S. Army and earned his Masters in Management Sciences from the Sloan School of Management, M.I.T.
Kit Nagel

Professor Nagel is known for his international business background, including a position as Marketing Manager-Asia for a Fortune 100 company. He has traveled and worked in diverse economic systems throughout more than 50 countries and believes success requires a broad cross-disciplinary perspective. Most recently, he was asked by the pharmaceutical company Bayer to work in Berlin and help realign its global supply chain.

Professor of Business

Professor Nagel is known for his international business background, including a position as Marketing Manager-Asia for a Fortune 100 company. He has traveled and worked in diverse economic systems throughout more than 50 countries and believes success requires a broad cross-disciplinary perspective. Most recently, he was asked by the pharmaceutical company Bayer to work in Berlin and help realign its global supply chain.

More Faculty

One of our greatest assets at Concordia University Irvine is our dedicated faculty. In a small learning environment, our professors care about you—not just your performance—and they cultivate lifelong mentoring relationships with the students they teach.

Economics Faculty Talk to a Professor

Resources

Learn more about Concordia's School of Business and Economics from the student handbook.

Student Handbook

Get in Touch

For more information about any of the many rewarding programs in the Economics major or Business Economics emphases at Concordia University Irvine, we invite you to contact us directly.

Karl Hoenecke
Assistant Dean, School of Business and Economics
[email protected]
(949) 214-3368

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School of Business and Economics

Prepare to Go Further with an Economics Degree

Why Choose Economics?

What Students Are Saying

IACBE Accreditation

Alumni Success

Opportunity to Learn to Think Critically

Where Our Alumni Are Working

Opportunities for Economics Majors

Career Opportunities

Academic Opportunities

Extracurricular Activities

Meet Your Professors

Andy Grimalda

Professor of Business

Kit Nagel

Professor of Business

More Faculty

Resources

Get in Touch

Get Started

Request Info

Schedule a Visit

Apply Now

Explore the Opportunities