Department Description
A wise sage once suggested that economics is the study of peoples’ efforts to satisfy their unlimited wants by utilizing their limited resources. What is interesting about this statement is that all that is the study of economics is implied in it. Economics studies the cost implications of an individual making a decision to go to college and the cost implications of a society making a decision to go to war, and everything in-between. Economics might be the most broadly applied of the social sciences because economists believe that all human decisions have economic costs, and, therefore, are worthy of economic analysis.

Program Learning Outcomes
Identify and apply alternative explanatory systems or theories.

Identify and communicate alternative explanations for contemporary social issues.

Identify the methods and data that historians and social and behavioral sciences use to investigate the human condition.

Examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods or cultures.

Special Program Requirements
Courses in economics involve reading, writing, and analyzing information and data. College level skills in these areas are important. Microeconomics and macroeconomics courses have specific prerequsites that students should be aware of.

Transfer Opportunities
Economics courses offered at Central Lakes College fulfill requirements within the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum, Central Lakes College’s graduation requirements, and readily transfer to four-year institutions.

Employment Opportunities
A bachelor’s degree in economics will open doors into a number of career fields including the following: management, public administration, public policy, banking, education, business policy, and many others. As well, it can be used as a step to advanced degrees in many fields.