Economics

Engaged Economics

Engaged Economics takes what you’re learning in your courses and puts it into practice through internships, research, study away, winter term, career exploration, and beyond.

Here's a sampling of recent projects, field experiences, and post-graduate destinations for economics majors.

RISE at Oberlin
Research. Internships. Study Away. Experiential Learning.

Ways Economics Majors Rise

Research

  • Majors in our capstone and honors seminar write research papers on many different topics:
    • Do earthquakes caused by wastewater injection wells affect house prices nearby? (published in academic journal)
    • Does a college education eliminate existing socioeconomic stratification?
    • How does Wal-Mart affect retail employment rates nearby?
  • Our faculty hire about 30 students/year as paid research assistants.
  • Winter term Albert Rees Policy Fellowships

Internships

  • U.S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC
  • Elizabeth Park Capital Management, Cleveland
  • Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Boston
  • BNP Paribas, New York City

Study Away

  • Business and Culture, Barcelona, Spain
  • The Swedish Program, Stockholm, Sweden
  • Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
  • Center for University Programs Abroad, Paris, France

Experiential Learning

  • All econ majors take a senior capstone seminar, where they conduct an original piece of research.
  • Oberlin Business Scholars, the Oberlin Finance and Investment Club and the Peoples Bank Case Competition
  • Bloomberg terminals allow for detailed, real-time analysis of equities, bonds, and economic indicators in class.
  • In our Danforth-Lewis Seminar Series and Financial Lecture Series, students learn from researchers, policymakers, and business professionals. Faculty members present their research in progress in the Economics Brown Bag

First Destinations of Recent Economics Majors

  • Graduate Schools:
    • MBA, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
    • PhD in economics, Cornell University
    • Master of Environmental Management, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
    • Master of City Planning, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, MIT
    • JD, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
  • Positions:
    • Research assistant, Federal Reserve Board of Governors
    • Operations analyst, Morgan Stanley
    • Economic consultant, Edgeworth Economics
    • Policy analyst, Fair Share Housing Center
    • Consulting analyst, Credit Suisse
    • Strategy consultant, Kellogg Consulting Group
    • Business manager, Cleveland Public Theatre