General Economics

Types of Degrees General Economics Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general economics graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	17,564
Associate Degree	3,383
Master’s Degree	553
Doctor’s Degree	161
Basic Certificate	28
Graduate Certificate	10
Undergraduate Certificate	3

What General Economics Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to general economics were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for General Economics Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in general economics should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Skills for General Economics Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to general economics:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for General Economics Majors

General Economics majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a General Economics Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with general economics:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Economics Professors	10.9%	$101,480
Economists	6.1%	$104,340
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Survey Researchers	2.1%	$57,700

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in General Economics?

This major attracts more men than women. About 69% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of general economics majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1,804
Black or African American	866
Hispanic or Latino	2,199
White	8,713
International Students	2,636
Other Races/Ethnicities	1,346

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in General Economics, too. About 15.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Economics

Some careers associated with general economics require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to general economics have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	1.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.1%
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	37.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.7%
Master’s Degree	27.8%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	4.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.0%
Doctoral Degree	24.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.4%

Online General Economics Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	5	1
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	145	29
Bachelor’s Degree	9	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	116	4
Post-Master’s	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	67	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to General Economics

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to general economics.

Major	Number of Grads
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics	22,925
Development Economics & International Development	480
Applied Economics	460
International Economics	390
Other Economics	268

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By pixabay under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.