About the Department

The UO Economics Department, located in the College of Arts and Sciences, is composed of a vibrant group of 16 full-time faculty, one Dean, and several Emeriti faculty who continue to be active in teaching and research. The Department is distinguished among others in the College with four endowed chairs/professorships. The faculty publishes regularly in the leading journals in the profession, and serves on several editorial boards and national advisory panels. In addition to pursuing frontier research the faculty strive for excellence in the classroom. Among our faculty two are previous recipients of the Ersted Award, a University-wide award for distinguished teaching.

The Department's undergraduate student enrollment continues its long-term upward trend. In the 2000-2001 academic year the Department serviced over 4200 students across all undergraduate course offerings, with about 300 undergraduates choosing to major in Economics. Our majors have many opportunities to expand their academic activities beyond coursework, including participating in the Peer Advising Group and participating in research projects supervised by the faculty. Career opportunities abound for Economics majors and our graduates have found professional homes in both the public (federal, state, and local government agencies) and private (banking, consulting, retail) sectors. In addition, a degree in Economics is an excellent springboard for graduate school, including among others economics, law, or MBA programs.

The Department is unique among many of its peers in that in addition to offering a Ph.D. in Economics there is also a focused, terminal Master's degree program available to prospective students. Our Ph.D. program, with its low student/faculty ratio, is structured to develop high quality research and teaching skills. It prepares students for faculty positions in colleges and universities, and for advanced research positions in both government and private industry. Likewise, our Master's program prepares students for a wide range of consulting and applied research positions in private industry and government, as well as teaching positions in two-year and other colleges for which a Ph.D. is not required. The job market for economists at all levels has been excellent, and our graduates have obtained positions across the U.S. and world.