Careers & Internships

Individuals with a Bachelor's degree in Economics can be found in a wide variety of fields and positions. Employers in business, politics, law, social work and education highly value the critical-thinking skills developed in economics. Employers can, for example, train you to do "marketing" the company way. But they cannot train you to do economic thinking. Economics develops your ability to organize your thoughts on complex issues, thus enabling you to write professionally and to make clear and persuasive arguments. Economics develops your investigative skills as you learn to analyze and interpret data. Economic thinking, or what is sometimes referred to in the corporate world as scenario planning, is a skill you bring to the employer.

Across all fields, employers are looking for three key skills, the ability to reason, the ability to communicate orally and in writing, and the ability to calculate. Economics provides the reasoning, writing, and calculating skills that employers seek. These skills explain why economics majors score higher on law school admissions tests than other majors and why economics majors receive among the highest starting salaries. While the most common entry level positions are in the area of management, marketing, finance, and analysis, economics baccalaureates can also be found in government, international agencies, teaching positions, non-profit agencies, and political consulting.

Career-related Links

• SJSU Career Center Links
  Career Center Home Page
  Economics: What can I do with my major?
  
  
• U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook .
  For a description of jobs as an Economist, and average salaries.

The Economics Internship Program provides three units of credit (on a credit/no credit basis) for graduate students (Econ 285) and undergraduates (Econ 185).

What is an Internship?

Interns complete 130 hours of work in a business, a not-for-profit agency, a government office or a research institute. This is a great opportunity for students to identify a company or industry for future full-time employment.

Do I qualify for an Internship?

Internships are open to graduate students and undergraduates majoring in economics. Graduates must have completed a minimum of 12 units of graduate courses with a GPA of 3.0 in those courses. Undergraduate majors must have junior standing and a GPA of 3.0 in the major.

Once the company or non-profit organization at which the student wishes to complete an internship is identified, the student must complete the Internship Contract.

For detailed information on the Department of Economics Internship Program, check out the Internship Program Information. Once the student has reviewed the available material, and wants to pursue an internship, contact the Intership Coordinator listed below.