I’m confused about this. Economics is a liberal arts and separate from business right? Do most colleges that specialize in undergrad business also offer great programs for students majoring in economics? I’m not sure which one to major in yet tbh, so I’m just a bit confused.
Sometimes the econ major is in the business school, and sometimes it is not.
This varies by school.
Generally, economics is more rigorous and academically oriented. Business is pre-professional.
Economics also sometimes comes in two+ flavors, one a Bachelor of Science track that requires more math and Econ courses focusing on data management, and the other a Bachelor of Arts more focused on theory or even finance/markets. Not all schools offer both options, but many do especially larger state school departments and larger LAC ones. If you want to pursue graduate study in Economics, the Bachelor of Science route is strongly recommended so that you have the math background for advanced research. A pre-law type, however, might want to go the Bachelor of Arts route.
It might help if you mention the college and what you want to do as your career
Economics is a social science. It’s ultimately the study of human behavior - of how economic agents interact and how economies work. Those things are driven by human social behavior.
Business is instead about how to run a business. It’s much more practically- and professionally-oriented.
You can see the difference by looking at the requirements in the course catalog at your college. Economics majors take core classes in microeconomics (economics at a ‘micro’ level - between individuals, groups, or companies), macroecnomics (at a ‘macro’ level - so at a national level), and econometrics (how to measure things in economics); their electives may include the economics of certain kinds of institutions, like health care or education or of developing nations; or how social policies and laws affect economies. There are classes on finance and trade, but mostly how those enterprises help shape economies. There’s likely more reading and more writing.
Business takes some of the elements of economics but puts them into practice at a much more micro scale. The classes you’ll take are focused on accounting, finance, management, marketing, operations, information systems - more the nitty-gritty of how to operate and manage businesses. Business majors usually take a few economics classes, but sometimes they are far more applied, and the goal is usually to understand some of the applications to running a business.
Economics can be more mathematics/quanitative based or more theoretical, depending on the college.