The Economics Department currently offers 7 different options under the Bachelor of Arts degree and two under the Bachelor of Science degree. In addition to the B.A. in Economics, we offer combined degrees with several other disciplines including accounting, environmental studies, finance, mathematics, political science, philosophy, and social studies. This academic year we launched a new Bachelor of Science in economics, and we reclassified the combined economics/mathematics major as a B.S. as well. This year we are offering just under 100 sections of economics courses ranging from ECON 101 to a wide variety of 400-level electives. These courses serve undergraduate general education requirements, foundation requirements for students in the College of Business and Economics, and our own majors. We currently have 18 active faculty in the department.
A degree in economics can lead to a variety of career paths. Western graduates in economics have found success in business, as advisors and researchers, as well as in education. Other graduates have gone on to professional schools such as MBA programs or law school. Employment as a professional economist often requires further study and many Western economics graduates have gone on to pursue a Ph.D. in economics or a related field.
An undergraduate degree in economics is a fantastic way to develop a solid foundation of critical thinking and analytical problem solving skills regardless of what field a graduate may choose later in life. Economics undergraduates often rank near the top in lists of best starting salaries and strongest return on investment for their degree.
We are identifying four specific areas of support for Give Day 2025.
Prof. Dave Nelson 2022After the retirement of long-time faculty member, Dr. David Nelson, he and his wife Lynne created the David and Lynne Nelson Scholarship endowment that supports economics students with scholarships. Additional donations towards this endowment will increase the amount of scholarship funds we can distribute to our majors for many years to come.
Our second area of focus is the Paul Storer Memorial Fund. This fund honors the memory of our friend and colleague, Paul Storer, and supports annual talks by a scholar in US-Canada Economic Relations, as well as sending students to economics conferences (conference fees, lodging, transportation). Last year we welcomed Dr. Rashid Sumaila from the University of British Columbia for the Storer Lecture (click here to view a recording of the lecture).
Our third designated fund is the Economics Department Fund. Contributions to this fund provide support to faculty and students in the department by funding student events, hosting student club events and guest speakers, and providing our year-end awards for academic excellence.
Finally, our fourth designated fund Student Research in Economics was created to support students in their research efforts. This fund was seeded by a donation from Jim Lazar (WWU Economics ‘74) in 2024 and we hope to grow the fund to support an even broader range of student research projects and events.
