Economics
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Why Major in Economics at Allegheny College
As an Allegheny Economics student, you’ll learn analytical and problem-solving abilities as you study how and why incentives influence the choices that people make. Putting those skills into practice, you’ll set the stage for careers in business, finance, management, and other fields.
Unusual Combinations
Students often combine Economics with:
Division
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Program Type
- Major
- Minor
Number of Credits
48 for major24 for minorAn Inside Look
Learn how we empower students for success by emphasizing real-world experience and providing a strong liberal arts foundation. Our graduates learn how they can use their financial insight and management expertise to serve humanity and leave a lasting legacy.
Where Economics Alumni Work Today
Relationship Manager
KeyBank
Kellie Lindstrom Liston ’17
Procurement Specialist
McKinsey & Company
Raymond Jozwiak ’15
Vice President, Organizational Excellence & Alignment
Indiana University Health
Andrea Kessler ’08
I quickly learned the real world isn’t always that simple, but my experience abroad and ability to communicate with different types of people landed me my first job in finance. And it ultimately got me to where I am today.
Your Four-Year Journey
Year 1: Understanding
Students take Introduction to Microeconomics and Macroeconomics to build a foundation for understanding how the economy works. They meet student Fellows of the Bruce R. Thompson Center for Business and Economics (CBE), faculty and staff, alumni and other visitors to campus, who will provide guidance and mentoring. Attending CBE events, such as the Lunchtime Learning series, will help students chose among courses of study and career paths.
Year 2: New Approaches
Students start to take theory courses (microeconomic and macroeconomic theory and statistics I and II), helping them build their modeling and reasoning skills. They start to take field courses in areas of interest, such as Development, Finance, International Economics, Law & Economics, Marketing, and Money & Banking. If they haven’t done so already, students start to actively participate in CBE events, such as the Financial Literacy Challenge and the Zingale Big Idea Competition. They may apply their class materials in a coop opportunity provided through ALIC. Coordinating with the Office of Career Education, they start career and internship planning. They may also plan to do summer research with faculty, engaging in Allegheny’s summer research programming.
Year 3: Delving Deeper
During their third year, students continue to specialize by taking field courses in areas of interest. Besides their coursework, they have important side-jobs: applying their in-class experiences to understand and help decision-making by individuals and organizations, building their professional networks, and finding an internship for the following summer. By this time, students may be CBE Fellows, earned their Bloomberg Certification, or become members of the Wealth Management Club, Women in Business and Economics Club, or ODE, the national Economics Honors Society (open to both Business and Economics majors).
Year 4: The Comp
During their final year at Allegheny, students complete their Senior Seminars and Senior Projects, the capstone of their time in college. Most alumni report that their Senior Projects were the most challenging and satisfying assignment that they did at Allegheny. The Senior Project allows students to find a topic that deeply interests them and study it, under faculty guidance, for an entire school year. Students also continue to engage in CBE events, building their professional networks with visitors to campus, and planning for jobs, graduate schools, and other post-graduation experiences. The vast majority of students who engage actively in learning both in and outside of the classroom have accepted a job, graduate school position or have other solid plans upon graduation.
Featured Courses
Research and Internships
Expand your skills, find a career path, and get ready for your promising future through the valuable experiences in business and economics that we offer, including:
- Internships and research
- Business and financial competitions
- Connections with alumni business leaders on campus and in the workplace
- And many more opportunities designed to set the stage for your success
Allegheny alumni regularly visit campus and host students at their companies to share their insights and find candidates for internships and jobs.
Opportunities include:
- Center for Business & Economics Board of Visitors — get a real-world perspective on trending topics in business and economics.
- Major city tours — visit leading companies where our graduates are succeeding.
- Executive-in-Residence — interface with an industry expert in classes and one-on-one.
- Lunchtime learning sessions — learn from alumni at all stages of their careers.
Compete for $20,000 in prizes to fund a business or nonprofit in our annual Zingale Big Idea Competition.
Our distinguished judges do more than evaluate business models — they offer constructive feedback, coaching, and encouragement to students.
This group of motivated students functions as a leadership team to support programming and act as ambassadors. They gain valuable experience in developing programs and mentoring their peers.
Allegheny’s Bloomberg terminals teach students to access and analyze real-time data on every market, discover breaking news, perform in-depth research and take advantage of sophisticated communications tools. Students can also earn certification by completing The Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) course.
Faculty and Staff
Professor
Department Chair
Ph.D., M.S., University of Illinois; B.A., Allegheny College
Email: tnonnenm@allegheny.edu
Phone: 814-332-3820
Professor
M.A., Ph.D., University of Connecticut; M.S., University of Ife; B.S., University of Port Harcourt;
Email: sonyeiwu@allegheny.edu
Phone: 814-332-3338
Featured News
Three Allegheny College Students Win The 2024 Zingale Financial Literacy Challenge
On December 7, ten students were selected to participate in the 2024 Zingale Financial Literacy Challenge finals with their personal finance budget and investing plan for life after graduation.
Program Contact
Tomas Nonnenmacher
Patricia B. Tippie Endowed Professor in Economics
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Address:
520 North Main Street
Meadville, PA 16335
Contact:
814-332-4351
info@allegheny.edu
admissions@allegheny.edu
