Economics
About Economics
Our Program and Courses
By the time you graduate, you will have received a broad understanding of:
- Economic theories and practices
- Society’s social relations of production, distribution and consumption
- Economic models for the optimal allocation of resources
- Quantitative tools of analysis used in economics
- Institutions through which humans have organized the provision of goods and services
- Dynamics of markets for goods and services, as well as financial markets
Learning Outside the Classroom
At F&M, we want you to engage now — not later. You’ll find myriad opportunities to convert theory into practice and gain hands-on experience that will prepare you for your career or further studies.
Research Opportunities and Independent Studies
As you delve into the complexities of economics, you may find yourself wanting to
further explore a particular area or topic. While most undergraduate institutions
reserve research opportunities for students in their graduate programs, at F&M we
want you to engage now — not later. In fact, F&M is ranked among leading national institutions that prioritize research activity. Economics faculty are expert researchers on a wide array of topics, including banking
and monetary policy; economic development; statistical and econometric analysis; trade;
global finance; economic postcolonial theory; labor market outcomes for sexual minorities;
behavioral economics; gender and economics; and more. Your independent or faculty-led
research can even lead to departmental honors and publications in economic journals.
Explore research at F&M
Internships for Credit
Gain experience now and a competitive advantage later. Internships not only enrich
your academic journey, but also help you identify the careers within the expansive
field of economics that best fit your distinctive talents and goals. You can even
submit an application to earn academic credit for your internship experience.
Explore internships at F&M
Off-Campus Study
Studying off campus gives you extraordinary opportunities to see real-world economies
in action. These experiences enhance your understanding of the field by allowing you
to encounter, engage with, and understand perspectives around the world while directly
observing how economic theories and models play out in diverse markets.
Explore off-campus study at F&M
Entrepreneurship at F&M
In the spirit of living up to Benjamin Franklin’s legacy of creating solutions in
the service of the public good, Entrepreneurship at F&M is a program that offers exciting
opportunities for all students to explore and develop entrepreneurial skills.
Explore entrepreneurship at F&M
Economics Club
Clubs and organizations offer additional ways to get involved in your field of study while supplementing your academic experience. The economics club at F&M partners with the economics department to further your engagement with the discipline.
Success Beyond F&M
The tremendous success of F&M graduates demonstrates the tangible value of an F&M degree when compared to national outcomes.
Within six months after graduation, 92% of the Class of 2024 were either employed or furthering their education. This is higher than the national average, which is typically in the mid-80% range.
You, too, will be prepared to excel in your post-college pursuit. Graduating with
a liberal arts degree in economics opens a world of opportunities, whether you plan
to attend graduate school or begin your chosen career immediately after earning your
degree.
Graduate School
Many of our economic graduates go on to pursue advanced degrees in economics, law, business, policymaking, international relations, or medicine. They enter programs at the best universities in the U.S. and abroad, including:- Columbia University
- Cornell University
- Harvard University
- Oxford University
- Yale University
Career Paths
Career outcomes for economics graduates are diverse. Many embark on successful careers in education, business, banking, government, and law. Our alumni have held positions such as:- Attorney
- Business Analyst
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Financial Officer
- Consultant
- Credit Analyst
- Economist
- Equity Analyst
- Financial Analyst
- Fund Analyst
- Insurance Broker
- International Financier
- Paralegal
- Portfolio Manager
- Research Analyst
- Trade Analyst
Center for Career and Professional Development
F&M’s Center for Career and Professional Development offers targeted, expert guidance
while you discover your professional calling and develop the skills you need to succeed.
Our career guidance is structured through “career communities” – dynamic groups aligned
with specific industries that transform your aspirations into clear options, meaningful
opportunities, and a network of support.
Learn more
Student Spotlight
F&M Students Launch Global Nutrition Nonprofit
F&M’s global community brought together Jordan Samuels ’26, an economics major from Cape Town, South Africa, and Lyla Loria ’26, a public health major from Pound Ridge, N.Y., to tackle the issue of food access in South African schools. The two are the co-founders of Fuel for Thought, a nonprofit that provides meals and educational resources to students in South Africa through partnerships with local communities, schools and organizations.The first seeds of the idea were planted when Samuels was a student at Ubuntu Football Academy School in Cape Town, which would eventually become Fuel for Thought’s first partner school. Samuels and Loria traveled to South Africa in May to visit Fuel for Thought’s partner schools, and said they are already seeing the immediate impact of their work. Both students credited F&M’s liberal arts education for giving them the skills, resilience and innovative thinking they needed to navigate the process of setting up a nonprofit.
“Having that sort of education helped Lyla and me roll with the punches, because there were a lot of things we didn’t know,” Samuels said. “We really grew with the organization. To this day, we don’t have it all figured out, but we’re learning. We’re really proud of how far we’ve come.”
Read More »
Alumni Spotlight
“F&M was the perfect place for me to grow both intellectually and personally.”
Evann Tan '25, a double major in economics and business, organizations & society, said he chose F&M because of its strong emphasis on close student-faculty relationships.“The small class sizes and the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with professors and peers made F&M the perfect place for me to grow both intellectually and personally,” he said. “The relationships I built—with both my professors and my peers—have been the most meaningful part of my time at F&M.”
Read More »
This initiative provides an intellectual and communal framework that promotes critical
multidisciplinary research, dialogue, and action on issues of inequality and social
justice as they manifest in Lancaster and other cities and regions worldwide. The
IPPSOJ emphasizes a collaborative relationship with Lancaster communities to explore
how dynamics of power generate and reinforce economic and social exclusion, poverty,
and inequality. We organize activities through the curriculum, student-faculty research,
and a public forum. Enjoy the distinct advantage of a business education rooted in the liberal arts. Study
Business, Organizations & Society (BOS) at F&M and gain a robust understanding of
business principles, management philosophies, and societal impact, all while building
the essential skills you need to think critically, lead effectively, and make real
change. This certificate enables you to engage and evaluate legal discourse and argument as
informed citizens. Drawing upon exploration of legal doctrines, reasoning, and policies
in both public and private law, you will critically examine legal controversies from
literary, economic, philosophic, and cultural perspectives. The study of mathematics is ancient, and its roots in clear and creative thought can
still be seen today. While studying mathematics at F&M, you will learn both the fundamental
foundations and theories of the field as well as how to apply these theories to real-life
problems.Inequality, Poverty, Power, and Social Justice (IPPSOJ)
Related Fields of Study
Business, Organizations & Society
Legal Studies (Certificate)
Mathematics
F&M Economics in Action
September 3, 2025
F&M Faculty Promotions Recognize Excellence
Our faculty are at the core of what makes F&M extraordinary. Four faculty members have received promotions and seven have earned endowed chair appointments for distinctive scholarship, exemplary teaching, and commitment to the College.
August 21, 2025
Darij Kulchyckyj ’24 Maps Blueprint for Success
Darij Kulchyckyj ’24 wanted to merge his passions for math, music and the environment. F&M’s liberal arts approach helped him do just that. Now an environmental consultant at an engineering firm, Kulchyckyj also hit a major milestone in his music career thanks to a grant from F&M.
July 24, 2025
Field Research Leads F&M Grad to Hawaiian Wildlife Refuge
Owen Sobel ’24 swapped soccer cleats for hiking boots to pursue a rewarding career in environmental field research and conservation. A former Diplomat midfielder, Sobel is now a U.S. Fish & Wildlife biological technician at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.