<p>I was just wondering how the economics major at Tufts is compared to other top schools. (rankings and specifics would be good)</p>
<p>the econ department does not have a phd program. as a result, it can't be ranked with other schools that offer phds. the department offers a masters prgoram, which is supposed to be well regarded but it's not the same league as say LSE.
the department is only mediocre. as an econ major, i'm not particularly impressed with the types of electives offered. not only that, most professors are not heavily focused on research. though this can be good thing, in terms more time spent advising/teaching undergrads, it also cuts opportunities for hardcore research.
that said, it's tufts and the focus on the undergrad experience, which is also well reflected in the orientation of the department prolly makes up for the shortcomings elsewhere.</p>
<p>I would second what ignited has said. There's not a great deal of research opportunities in the department (although you can find them if you look) but the quality of professors, at least in the upper-level courses, is very high. Most are very highly educated and have a superior knowledge in their sub-specialties.</p>
<p>How would people say the undergrad tufts economics program prepares its students for masters studies (specifically for MBA) at the highly prestigious graduate schools?</p>
<p>The economics department prepares you well, this is especially the case if you choose the quantitative track.
Basically, you have two options: do a regular econ degree or a quant econ degree. The difference is pretty self explanatory in that the quant program is math intensive. You will survive only if you really like econ and math in this track. As a result, most I Banks and top consulting firms really value the quant econ majors. A good amount of my quant ec classmates are working in bulge bracket I Banks this summer, which I think says a lot about the strength of the program, given that Tufts isn't a priority school for these banks and since we don't have a business school/degree.
Apart from finance and the rest of the banking world, quant ec also prepares you for graduate econ really solidly. The stories are similar with a good amount of kids going into top econ phd programs.
The regular degree is also fine and people who major in it tend to be double majors with IR or other majors.
Hope that helps.</p>