Degree: B.S.

Director: Edmund M. Tavernier  (tavernier@aesop.rutgers.edu)

To encourage students to develop depth in their understanding of the applications of economics, the curriculum offers the following four options:

Business Economics. This option includes all of the same foundation courses required in traditional business school curricula plus the additional analytical tools provided in the program's economic courses. It is this rich blend of courses such as Finance, Management, Marketing, Demand and Price Analysis, and Economics of Production that make graduates of this option so attractive to employers in business and industry as well as to those in government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Indeed, many of the graduates from this option are among the ranking economists, analysts, financial advisers, managers, marketing specialists, consultants, and policy directors in agencies and companies ranging from biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to Wall Street to smaller organizations including small business and entrepreneurial ventures. The option familiarizes students both with analytical and decision-making techniques used in the business world, and with the public and private institutional framework within which businesses operate. It is also appropriate for students who are interested in graduate studies in business management or economics.

Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. This option emphasizes the application of economics to policy issues associated with environmental problems and the utilization of natural resources. It familiarizes students both with analytical and decision-making techniques used in assessing problems of the environment and natural resources, and with the institutional framework within which environmental policy must be developed. It is appropriate for students interested in employment either by private organizations concerned with environmental policies or by government agencies responsible for policies relating to the environment and natural resources and for students interested in graduate study in environmental or natural resource economics.

Food Industry Economics. This option emphasizes the application of economics in the areas of food policy, marketing, and finance. It is appropriate for students interested in employment in the food industry or by federal or state departments of agriculture and for students interested in graduate study in agricultural economics.

Food Science and Management Economics. This option, offered in cooperation with the food science curriculum, is designed for students with a strong interest in the management aspects of food science, process, production, and product development. While the option requirements of both programs are similar, students seeking degrees in environmental and business economics take additional courses in economics. This option is appropriate for students interested in employment in the food industry or in graduate study in agricultural economics, economics, or business administration.