Hi, Tech is my #1 choice mostly due to the fact that it’s in-state. I was considering majoring in economics and minoring in mathematics. However, I’m not too sure about the quality/prestige of the economics program at tech. Is it respected as much as the other programs at tech, and will I be able to land a job with it?
Usually those jobs hiring economics majors aren’t looking at the degree so much as the skills. Given this, unless you’re Yale, Harvard, Duke, or Chicago, the economics degree won’t really stand out in a vacuum. The only reason theirs even stands out is because of the mathematical and theoretical rigor. As in, the employers that hire many econ. majors value computational and quantitative skills, so that major combined with mathematics should be more than good enough to land a good job especially at Tech which has amazing recruiting. The program doesn’t need prestige, it just needs to give a skill set. If anything, the math major will be what makes you ultra competitive along with the reputation of the Tech degree. Note that unless you are dealing with the engineering school or other undergraduate “schools” such as business or architecture, then it is mainly the school’s academic reputation that will carry you, especially when you have a major in the liberal arts entity. You’ll of course want to seek internships and special opps whenever you can.
I am at Tech for a bachelor’s in CS, but I also have a master’s degree in economics from University of South Carolina.
Econ at Tech isn’t as prestigious as other programs at Tech. Tech is an engineering / technology school. Anything not in that scope is not going to be as prestigious. I know some over in the business department will disagree, but that is my opinion.
However, economics is the most rigorous social science there is, and being from Tech will definitely look good. But don’t waste your time with econ unless you want to go for a PhD. If you want a PhD then you are better of majoring in math and doing a minor or something in econ. The most successful econ PhD students do not have undergrads in econ.
If you really want to get the opinion of students in the program then head over to reddit.