Message from the Department Chair

"Economics is the study of how societies create and allocate and resources. While economics is truly a social science (at many universities economics departments are located in colleges of arts and sciences), economics is also a foundational component to the study of business. At UW-Whitewater, the economics department is physically located in the Colleges of Business and Economics.

A key focus of the Department of Economics at UW-Whitewater is on applied business and economic analysis. Economics faculty members are actively engaged in applying the tools of economic analysis to answer questions important to both business and government. For example, one economics professor is currently involved in a project funded by the State of California to examine the economic impact of the Yellow Star Thistle (and invasive plant species) in the California rangelands. One goal of the research is to determine whether it is cost effective to reduce the impact of the invasive plant in the rangelands. More broadly, with the recently established Fiscal and Economic Research Center , there are opportunities for our students to get involved with practical applications of economic analysis. 

Are you a student who likes to think about issues more broadly? Do you value careful thinking and reliance on analytical tools to better understand/evaluate the world around you? If so, perhaps economics is the right major for you. Our goal is to provide the very best training possible so that our graduates are able to apply the tools of economic analysis in businesses and in government. We also strive to prepare students with ambitions to attend graduate school with the skills necessary to successfully complete graduate degrees in business, law, public administration, and economics. In recent years our students have gone on to graduate school at places like Marquette University , Ohio State University, the University of British Columbia , and the University of Wisconsin-Madison ."