Economics and Business Management
Economists study and model decisions made by businesses, governments and consumers that collectively determine the production and distribution of goods and services in the economy. Fundamentally, economists study how scarce resources are allocated and how they can be allocated so that the well-being of businesses and individuals is maximized. Whether the resource allocated is income, entrepreneurial activity, time or a precious commodity, there is always a tradeoff associated with the use of resources in one activity or another. Individuals, businesses, and governments face these tradeoffs in countless ways every day.
The economics faculty at UC Merced seek to understand these trade-offs in many areas relevant to business and public policy. Our faculty currently conduct research in the areas of labor economics, international trade, economic development, public finance, health economics, industrial organization, long-run economic growth and innovation, environmental economics, finance and organizations, economic history and behavioral and experimental economics, and publish their work in top general and field journals in economics and management.
Our undergraduate programs focus on two areas, Economics as a general topic applied to numerous areas within our world today and Management and Business Economics, focused on preparing our students for meeting the demands of the 21st century business world. Both of our majors provide students solid grounding in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, statistical and econometric methodology, as well as applied economic, social and policy analysis.
Economics:
The Economics major emphasizes the role of incentives and institutions in shaping economic outcomes and explaining human behavior. It further analyzes how public policies influence economic performance and individual outcomes. Special emphases in the program include development economics, economic growth and innovation, economic history, environmental economics, health economics, international trade, labor and public economics, empirical methods and data analysis, behavioral economics and the economics of race and discrimination.
For additional information on the Economics major at UC Merced, please visit the Economics website.
For Economics major requirements, please consult your catalog.
Management and Business Economics:
The Management and Business Economics major, which graduates the third highest number of students among all majors at UC Merced, responds to the growing demands and needs of the modern business world. The major provides rigorous analytical and quantitative training from a blend of fields including accounting, business strategy, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, innovation, management, marketing and leadership. Today’s business managers tackle issues that involve a number of business management functions that do not always fit neatly into subject areas. The UC Merced approach is to integrate key ideas and approaches across subject areas to evaluate and understand all of the dimensions of a given issue while remaining firmly rooted in the foundation of business management, economics. The major reflects the demands of the private and public sector organizations for employees who are trained in analytical and quantitative decision-making, who work effectively in teams and on projects, who are comfortable in various cultures, who are “well-rounded” in sciences and humanities, and who have learned the art of self-directed learning.
For additional information on the Management and Business Economics major at UC Merced, please visit the Economics website.
For Management and Business Economics major requirements, please consult your catalog.
