Economics Degree: BA vs BS and What It Leads To

01What an economics degree actually teaches

An economics degree teaches you to explain and predict behavior with models and data: why prices move, how a minimum wage change ripples through a local labor market, what happens to borrowing when the Federal Reserve raises rates. The habit it builds is thinking at the margin and asking "compared to what?" That habit is what employers pay for, more than any single formula.

Most programs, whether campus-based or an online economics degree, are built around the same spine:

• Principles of Microeconomics and Principles of Macroeconomics: supply and demand, elasticity, GDP, inflation, unemployment.
• Intermediate Microeconomic Theory: consumer choice, cost curves, market structure, game theory. This is usually where calculus starts to matter.
• Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory: growth models, business cycles, fiscal and monetary policy.
• Statistics and Econometrics: regression, hypothesis testing and causal inference using real data sets. This is the most marketable course in the major.
• Electives: labor, public finance, international trade, money and banking, health economics, environmental economics, behavioral economics, industrial organization.

Many students also take a senior seminar or research paper where you pose a question, find data and defend an estimate. Keep that paper: it doubles as a writing sample for jobs and graduate applications.

02BA vs BS in economics: which degree in economics fits you

Schools label economics differently. Some offer only a BA, some only a BS, and some offer both. The difference is mostly about how much math and quantitative work sits around the economics core.

A practical test: if you think you might apply to a PhD program in economics, take as much math as you can, regardless of what the diploma says. Doctoral admissions committees look closely at math coursework. If you are headed for law school or a policy job, a BA with strong writing courses and a few quantitative electives is usually enough.

Some business schools offer a business economics major instead. It swaps some theory for courses in accounting, finance and managerial economics, which can make sense if you know you want a corporate role. Compare it against a general business administration degree or a finance degree before choosing.

03Economics degree jobs: what you can do with it

The most common answer to "what can you do with an economics degree" is: analytical work in almost any industry. The degree rarely names a single job, which is both its strength (flexibility) and its weakness (you have to sell the skills yourself). The table below lists roles economics graduates commonly enter, with 2025 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Notice that the economist job itself is small, with about 18,600 positions in 2025, and usually requires a master's or PhD. Most economics graduates never hold that title. They become analysts in banks, consulting firms, government agencies, insurers, tech companies and hospital systems, where the econometrics and modeling training translates directly. Actuarial work is another fit if you enjoy probability and are willing to sit for professional exams; see our actuarial science degree page for that route.

04Economics degree salary and employment: reading the numbers honestly

Economics degree employment outcomes depend far more on the job you land than on the major's name. A graduate who becomes a financial analyst is in a role with a median of $103,570 in 2025, while one who drifts into a general administrative job may earn much less. The degree opens the door; your quantitative skills and internships determine which door.

For broad context, the BLS reports that in 2025 full-time workers age 25 and older with a bachelor's degree had median weekly earnings of $1,578 and an unemployment rate of 2.8%, compared with $966 and 4.3% for high school graduates. Those with a master's degree earned a median $1,876 a week. These are averages across all fields, not economics specifically, so treat them as a floor for reasoning rather than a promise.

Three things tend to push economics graduates toward the higher-paying end:

1. Hard skills on the resume: SQL, Excel modeling, and either R, Stata or Python. Mention specific projects, not just course names.
2. An internship in a target field: a summer at a state budget office, a bank's research desk or a consulting firm counts for more than a perfect GPA.
3. A clear story: "I use data to answer pricing questions" lands better than "I studied economics."

05Policy, government and the law school path

Economics is one of the classic pre-law majors because it teaches structured argument, evidence and cost-benefit reasoning, which is the same toolkit used in antitrust, tax, regulatory and contract law. Law schools do not require any particular major, so the advantage is in skills and grades, not the label. If law is the goal, pair economics with heavy writing courses and protect your GPA.

Government is another natural home. Federal and state agencies hire economics graduates as budget analysts, research assistants, program evaluators and revenue analysts. Entry roles at the bachelor's level often involve cleaning data, building forecasts and drafting briefing memos for senior economists. A public administration degree is worth comparing if you want to manage programs rather than analyze them.

Nonprofit research institutes and think tanks also hire research assistants straight out of undergraduate programs. These two-year roles are a common stepping stone to a PhD.

06Online economics degree options

An economics degree online is less common than an online business administration degree, but it exists at public and private nonprofit universities, usually as a BA. The courses are the same theory and econometrics sequence; the difference is format. Expect recorded lectures, weekly problem sets, statistical software you install or access remotely, and proctored exams.

Before enrolling, check three things:

• Accreditation: the school should be institutionally accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education or CHEA. You can verify this in the ED database (DAPIP). Our guide to accredited online business degrees walks through how.
• Math support: intermediate theory and econometrics are where online students most often stall. Ask whether there are live tutoring hours or teaching assistants.
• Software access: find out whether the program provides Stata, R or Python environments and teaches them, or assumes you already know them.

For cost context, the College Board reports average published tuition and fees for 2025-26 of $11,950 at public four-year schools (in-state) and $45,000 at private nonprofit four-year schools. Online pricing varies widely by school, so compare the per-credit rate times the credits you still need.

07Master's degree in economics: when it is worth it

A master's degree in economics is the standard entry credential for the economist title, according to the BLS. Programs typically run one to two years and come in two flavors: applied programs focused on econometrics, forecasting and policy analysis, and theory-heavy programs that prepare you for a PhD.

It tends to pay off if you want to be a forecasting economist at a bank, a federal agency economist or a pricing economist at a large company. It is less necessary if your goal is a general analyst role, where experience and technical skills often matter more. Some people compare it with a master's in business analytics, which is more tool-focused and less theoretical.

Funding has changed for new graduate borrowers. Starting July 1, 2026, Grad PLUS loans end for new borrowers and federal graduate borrowing is capped at $20,500 a year and $100,000 in total. Confirm your situation with the school's aid office, since rules are in transition.

08Is an economics degree right for you?

An economics degree is a good fit if you like puzzles with numbers in them, are comfortable with abstraction and want options rather than a single career track. It is a weaker fit if you want a degree that maps to a licensed job on day one, as accounting does with the CPA, or if math genuinely drains you.

A simple self-check: open a principles textbook chapter on elasticity and work five problems. If you find yourself curious about why the answers come out the way they do, you will likely enjoy the major. If you only want the answer, a more applied program such as finance or analytics may serve you better.