<p>Hello, I know this question has been asked many times and I have read all the pages on CC regarding this matter but I was wondering if anyone could help me make a decision based on my personal situation.</p>
<p>I am currently a sophomore and developed an interest in Economics this year. I have never taken an economics course before so I am enrolled in Micro Principles and Econ Stats this semester and next semester I plan to take Micro Theory and Macro Principles. I am enjoying Micro Principles at the moment and would like to pursue further studies in economics but am not sure if I should major in it. </p>
<p>I also happen to enjoy math, which I am further along in. I am taking Linear Algebra this semester and next semester I will be taking Intro to Abstract Math and Differential Equations. However, at this point in time, I like economics more than math and would like to get a career in an economics-related field such as financial advisor, financial analyst or actuary. I know that these jobs require high quantitative abilities, but I don't know how much of the upper level abstract math courses apply to these jobs. </p>
<p>Now, I can't double major so I would need to major in one of these and minor in the other. People say that a math degree will open up more doors but I really do enjoy economics and it is what I would want to get a job for. If I major in economics, I can take Analysis, Statistics, Probability, etc. from the math department, classes which I've heard are the most useful to an economist. Or would it be better for me to major in math and take all the abstract courses like Algebra and Complex Variables? Also, which one is a better major for grad programs in econ?</p>
<p>Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Would you be considering a masters or Ph.D. for econ grad school?</p>
<p>If a masters, it doesn’t really matter which one you pick. A math minor is more than sufficient for a masters. You should just do which ever one you like more if that is your goal.</p>
<p>If you want a Ph.D., more math is better. As long as you take intermediate micro and macro, you’ll satisfy the econ prerequisites for any program you’ll apply to. Although you may want to consider taking a grad class in econ to supplement your application. Most importantly, you should try to take analysis, calc based probability, proof based linear algebra, and math stats if you want to go this route. Abstract algebra and complex variables will not be as applicable.</p>
<p>For going into finance out of undergrad, I don’t think it matters too much. It would be good to have classes like probability and differential equations if you want to be a quant. Stats in general is good for actuarial work, but I wouldn’t worry about proof courses. A math major with finance based internships should get you where you want to go, as will an econ major with a math minor.</p>
<p>How many electives does your math degree give you? I ask because the math degree I was looking at would give me 14 electives, plus micro econ would as a social science requirement and I could use an upper level econ course to satisfy my diversity requirement. I could end up taking more upper level econ courses than an econ major would. I don’t know if that would be the best way to supplement the math degree(or if some of the basic business courses like accounting would be better) but if you did that you would have more quantitative skills and quite a bit of econ/business classes as well.</p>
<p>Basically, don’t bother applying if you don’t have the first two. Probability is strongly recommended and required at most schools. 4 and 5 are a tossup, depending on what you’re interests are and where you are applying. They’re both strongly recommended. If you are applying outside of the top 30 schools, I think RA becomes less important. 6 is nice to have, but you probably won’t use it much. A lot of applicants will have it because it’s required for any math major though.</p>
<p>If you have a lot more questions about this, google the urch forums.</p>
You should really have all of them, hard to imagine doing it without all except real analysis, and even that’s important . Sounds like a very relaxed math major.
Do math if you can. It sounds like you haven’t really hit the challenging math courses yet despite being a sophomore, but if your department says you are making good progress, then keep on keeping on.