Fact Sheet 07: Economics and Finance

Revised August 2007

Economics and Finance

The primary objective of the Department of Economics and Finance is to provide a learning experience that will permit you, as a student, to achieve your maximum intellectual development in a chosen field of study and to prepare you for a satisfying career in that field. You will develop the capacity to analyze situations, relate and classify pertinent factors, and derive alternatives for solving problems. The department acquaints you with the economic challenges faced by the national and world economies, as well as the challenges posed by a rapidly changing financial environment.

The business programs at West Chester University are currently accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an international accrediting agency for business management programs.

Career Opportunities

Both economists and financial analysts are concerned with the interrelated behavior of individual business firms, consumers, and units of government. Economists analyze patterns of production and prices, distribution, consumption of goods and services, and national problems, such as inflation and unemployment. Financial analysts study capital budgeting, the determinants of interest rates, the effects of taxation, and investment behavior.

The Department of Economics and Finance provides you with a sound background in economics and finance, and builds a foundation in the general business areas of accounting, management, and marketing. Additional fields of study available to you as an economics major are political science, geography, and public administration. Graduates of the economics and finance programs at West Chester University are prepared for entry-level positions in business and government, and for admission to graduate school.

Those with degrees in either economics or finance have been successful in securing positions with leading companies and organizations in the United States and abroad. Companies where graduates have found employment include:

Federal government
First National Bank of Chester County
ITT
Merrill Lynch
QVC
State governments
Vanguard
Wilmington Trust

Graduates have continued their studies in business, economics, finance, and law at a number of prestigious institutions.

Undergraduate Degrees

As an incoming freshman, you must apply to the pre-business program. After completing 45 credits with a GPA of 2.5 or better, you may apply for the economics and finance major. If you are a transfer student, you also must have the 45 credits and 2.5 GPA to be admitted into the major.

Bachelor of Science in Economics. This program focuses on a business orientation of economic analysis.

Bachelor of Science in Finance. This curriculum focuses on a financial analysis of business decision making.

You may choose to major in either or both economics and finance, or you may combine either degree with one offered in another department for a double major.

Minors

The department also offers minors in economics and finance. These minors enable you to analyze in a different discipline from an economic or financial perspective.

Typical Courses

Corporation Finance
Economic Growth and Development
Financial Markets and Institutions
International Finance
Investments
Public Finance
Regulation of Competition

Special Study Opportunities

Economics and finance majors can participate in the business internship program. Under this program, you can earn three to six credits for on-the-job, career-oriented experience.

Related Student Activities

Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics honor society)
Economics and Finance Society

Advanced Degree

Master of Business Administration (concentrations: economics/finance; general business; management; technology and electronic commerce)

Faculty

You can obtain a complete listing of faculty and their academic qualifications for this program from the contact person listed below.

For More Information

Dr. Kevin Dunleavy, Chairperson
Department of Economics and Finance
Anderson 309-A
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-3422