Business Economics
Business economists provide the rigorous analysis required for decision-making in all major aspects of business activity. This diverse specialization gives students the foundation for careers in a variety of related fields, including:
- traditional corporate economics (working within a large firm to provide careful economic analysis and statistically-based forecasts relating to decisions on pricing, procurement, long-term investment, and other matters)
- labor economics (collaborating with unions and other workers’ groups)
- consulting (tackling any of a wide range of topics, including bank regulatory compliance, risk management, statistical sampling, federal tax and nontax policy, state and local tax policy, surveys, and litigation support.)
An option for MA and MBA students.
Career Paths
Common employers for graduates who earn this specialization include central banks, government agencies, consulting firms and financial institutions. Further information about careers in business economics can be found on the National Association for Business Economics website.
Requirements
Students must complete 20 credits at Brandeis IBS through the requirements listed below to earn the Specialization in Business Economics.
Group 1: Foundational (6 credits required)
| ECON 211f | Foundations of Econometrics II (2 credits) |
| ECON 207f | Applied Microeconomics I (2 credits) |
| ECON 208f | Applied Microeconomics II (2 credits) |
Group 2: Econometrics (minimum 4 credits; 8 recommended)
| ECON/FIN 250a | Forecasting in Finance and Economics: Time-series econometrics (4 credits) |
| ECON 261a | Empirical Analysis of Trade Policy (4 credits) |
| ECON 311a | Advanced Econometrics I (PhD level course) (4 credits) |
| ECON 212f | Survey of Advanced Econometric Techniques (2 credits) |
| BUS 211f | Analyzing Big Data I (2 credits) |
Group 3: Economics (4 credits required)
| ECON 135a | Industrial Organization (4 credits) |
| ECON 181a | Game Theory & Economic Applications (4 credits) |
| ECON 301a | Advanced Microeconomics (PhD level) (4 credits) |
Group 4: Electives (at least 6 credits)
Any course from the selection below or from Groups 1-3 not taken to fulfill other specialization requirements.
| BUS 212f | Analyzing Big Data II (2 credits) |
| BUS 253a | Marketing Research: Design & Analysis (4 credits) |
| ECON 262f | Outsourcing and Off-Shoring (2 credits) |
| ECON 205f | Applied Business Cycle Analysis (2 credits) |
| ECON 141b | Economics of Innovation (4 credits) |
| FIN 213a | Intermediate Financial Accounting (4 credits) |
| ECON 235a | Central Banking (4 credits) |
| ECON 236a | Managing Government Debt and Deficits (4 credits) |
| BUS 228f | Management Communication (2 credits) |
| ECON 299a | Master’s Project |
| FIN 253a | Global Financial Institutions: Management & Policy (4 credits) |
| ALSO | Any course in Groups 2 or 3 not taken to satisfy those requirements. |
| ALSO | Cost Accounting (offered at Brandeis IBS partner institutions; highly recommended for those interested in transfer pricing) |