Economics

• Ave Maria University is home to the Stein Center for Social Research, a non-partisan, interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to understanding pressing social questions, including poverty, educational outcomes, religious trends, and demographics.
• Our students have the opportunity to participate in conferences, lectures and research projects based at the Stein Center—and to meet a variety of scholars who visit from around the country. A partial list of speakers in the past few years includes: Michael Novak, Arthur Brooks, John Schindler, Samuel Gregg, and Mark Regnerus.
• Famous economics majors include serious politicians and business men such as Ronald Reagan, Warren Buffett, William F. Buckley, George H.W. Bush to public figures such as Cate Blanchett.

INTERNSHIPS

• Tertio Millenio Seminar, Kraków, Poland
• American Enterprise Institute Internship
• Acton Institute Internships
• Avesta Communities LLC
• Heritage Foundation Internships
• Atlas Network Internships
• Brookings
• Urban institute
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute Honors Program
• Koch Institute Internships
• Cato Institute
• Federal Reserve

CAREER FACTS

• Economics is one of the most valuable undergraduate majors. According to Census data, the median salary for an Economics major is $69,000.
• Economics is one of the most versatile undergraduate majors. An economics major is a great foundation for a career in business, law, or government.

Welcome to Economics at Ave Maria University! The department is composed of a boutique group of social scientists with a passion for teaching and mentoring. Though Economics is a young department, students who have studied in our courses or programs have already gone on to graduate school at the University of Chicago MAPPS and Columbia University PhD Program; to research associate positions at top centers such as the American Enterprise Institute and Heritage Foundation; and to excel in private industries ranging from banking and finance to real estate investment. Some of our graduates are young entrepreneurs, and some are giving back to the next generation, accepting teaching jobs at both private and public schools.

As a small department, we owe these successes to doing a few things very well. One of our most popular programs is the Family & Society Program—a cluster of courses in social research focusing on the analytical study of marriage, family, demographics, neighborhoods, economic mobility, education and religion. Another feature of our department is the use of applied game theory in a variety of settings. Students may specialize in Managerial Economics and Strategic Analysis (MESA)—a unique interdisciplinary major drawing from Economics and Business. Finally, we feature the advanced study of Catholic social thought as a required and invigorating component of every economics program at Ave Maria. This course—unique to Ave Maria—has been developed around the exposition and analysis of Papal writings since Leo XIII, and draws upon the work of some of the greatest interpreters of papal thought in the late 20th century, including F. Russell Hittinger, George Weigel, and Michael Novak.