Program Overview

Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics and Data Analysis

Program Description

The Bachelor of Science in Quantitative Economics and Data Analysis program at the University at Albany prepares students for careers in the fields of labor, health, banking and finance, international trade and finance, business, public finance, macroeconomic analysis and forecasting, and economic development. This program is ideal for students who intend to pursue their professional education beyond the undergraduate level.

Program of Study

• Principles of Economics I: Microeconomics
• Principles of Economics II: Macroeconomics
• Intermediate Microeconomics OR Honors Intermediate Microeconomics
• Intermediate Macroeconomics
• Economic Statistics
• Econometrics and Data Analytics
• Calculus I OR Honors Calculus I
• Calculus II OR Honors Calculus II OR Math for Economists

Additional Economics Credits

• Five additional courses (15 credits) in economics at the 300-level or above, with at least two courses (6 credits) at the 400-level or Senior Honors Research Seminar

Honors Program

The Honors Program provides capable and motivated students with a greater understanding of economics and better prepares them for graduate and professional schools. Honors students must complete all requirements of the BS program in economics, including the Senior Honors Research Seminar as part of the program and submit a senior honors thesis acceptable to the Economics Honors Committee.

Applied Learning

• Gain work experience and develop career skills by engaging in an economic internship during the senior year.
• Participate in 150 hours of sponsored activity and complete career-relevant reading and writing assignments.
• Conduct undergraduate research and develop a research project through independent studies.
• Pursue honors in economics through the preparation of a senior thesis involving research.

Accelerated Undergraduate/Graduate Options

• Combine the Quantitative Economics and Data Analysis undergraduate degree with the following graduate programs:
  • MA in Economics
  • MPA in Public Administration and Policy
  • MS in Information Science

Career Outcomes

• Financial Analyst, corporate or independent
• Economist at a bank or corporation
• Consultant or Advisor on labor matters
• Economic policy maker in government agencies
• Financial Department Leader at a health care provider
• Monetary Director at a nonprofit or non-governmental organization

International Students

• This degree is designated as a STEM program.
• International students maintaining F-1 status are allowed to apply for up to 12 months of post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) following completion/graduation from their degree program.
• Currently, this degree program is also designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an eligible degree for the F-1 STEM OPT work authorization extension; students who secure qualifying employment may be eligible to apply for the STEM OPT extension for a cumulative total of up to 36 months of F-1 OPT work authorization.

Student Learning Objectives

• Understand the economic issues and problems faced by individuals, organizations, and society; the economic principles that help explain behavior; the operation of markets; the gains from trade; and the range of institutions that affect the allocation of resources.
• Apply methods of economic analysis (such as supply and demand, equilibrium, constrained optimization, and dynamic analysis) to decision-making, behavior, and economic outcomes.
• Independently apply state-of-the-art tools and advanced methods of statistical and econometric analysis to estimate economic relations and validity of economic hypotheses.
• Communicate economic analysis and empirical conclusions in the discussion of social phenomena and public policy.
• Develop mastery of issues and methods of analysis in the practice of specific fields of economic study such as labor, money and banking, public finance, international trade and finance, development, health, and the environment.