Mathematics-Economics, B.A.

Affiliated Faculty: Faculty who teach in the Mathematics and Economics Departments
Degree Earned: Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics-Economics

The joint major in Mathematics and Economics will be of interest to math students seeking to apply their math skills and economics and business students seeking to improve their applied analytical skills. Students who graduate with an interdisciplinary degree in Math-Econ will have superior analytical skills that can be applied in a variety of fields, from business management to education to financial management, and much more. A background in Mathematics and Economics, combined with the core curriculum of the college, will give students the flexibility and analytical skills to succeed and prosper in an ever-changing world. Moreover, graduate schools in economics use the math GREs to weed out students. The joint major in Mathematics and Economics should improve the chances of Merrimack College students being accepted into management training and graduate programs.

The Math-Econ major requires more mathematical depth than a minor in mathematics, and the content of the courses included in this program will provide the necessary mathematical background to prepare students in applied analytical work and for graduate studies. A greater exposure to economics will allow mathematically strong students to prepare for a wider variety of possible careers, and will allow students desiring greater breadth (such as a minor in business or another area) more flexibility in their choice of courses.

Students will develop a better understanding of the fundamental tools and principles of economics, be familiar with how mathematics is used in developing economic principles and theories, and understand how math can be used in doing applied economic research to analyze economic and social issues. Students will develop their writing and oral skills by being required to use both forms of communication to demonstrate their competence within individual courses, and to use those skills to describe the process and results of mathematical analysis. Students will have the ability to approach new problems, issues and conflicts using a logical framework of analysis characterized as “the economic method” complemented by the use of mathematical analysis. Students will understand the complementary nature of mathematics and economics and how the research methods of economists can be used to study the domains of other disciplines.