The Department of Economics features both undergraduate and graduate programs of instruction. At the undergraduate level, the major and minor are designed to equip students for employment or for further professional study. In addition, the department plays a major role in enhancing basic economic understanding on campus through its inclusion in the curricula of other programs such as business and engineering as well as through the University's general education program. The graduate programs prepare students for careers as professional economists in both academic and nonacademic settings.
The department is actively involved in research with a strong record of scholarly publication. The department has particular strengths in research and teaching in the core areas of microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics and in the fields of industrial organization, international economics, labor economics, economic development, monetary economics and environmental economics.