<p>This question comes up with great regularity </p>
<p>Your question comes up with great regularity on CC and the answers are quite predictable. After everyone posts his or her short list of favorites, you will be none the wiser. You'll find as many dubious opinions as well founded ones. </p>
<p>Some posters tend to speak with great authority, but hide the fact they are simply speculating or rattling a list that has no rhyme reason. For instance, does Denison really deserves to be mentioned as a strong program? </p>
<p>In the end, you would save yourself a lot of time by simply visiting the websites of all the selective schools. In the end, you'll find out that the Ivies, the best ranked universities, and the most selective LACs offer the best choices for Economics. It is, however, up to you to define your reasons to study Economics as the programs' flavor may vary from one school to another. With your own criteria established, check the faculty and check the classes they teach. This will help you decide which school represents a good fit for YOU.</p>
<p>It is important to make sure that the school you select fits YOUR criteria. The only way to do that is by scratching well below the surface. The Economics program at the University of Chicago may be quite different from the program at Harvard. In the same vein, the Economics program at Amherst, Smith or Wellesley may offer a direction and focus that is quite different from CMC. Trying to establish which one is "better" is exceptionally hard and ... subjective.</p>
<p>does denison deserve to be mentioned? yes. it has produced some outstanding undergraduate mathematics students in the last ten years. would it make my list of top undergraduate mathematics programs? no. would it rank above williams, which i didnt list? again, no. but not everyone has the 1500 sat to get into a top school and as such its important to point out some less selective programs that deserve a look. denison is one such deserving school. </p>
<p>my rhymes and reasons? one, i considered the size of the departments. very small departments can be quite troubling for a mathematics student trying develop his interest. two, i gave bonus points to schools that have performed very well in the putnam mathematics competition over the past decade. three, i considered my extensive personal experiences with mathematics undergraduates at various institutions.</p>
<p>that said, i do agree with much of what xiggi said. however, mathematics is a somewhat unique beast in that the undergraduate curriculum is relatively standardized and therefore the level upon which students are working can be more easily assessed. as such, my list of relative 'favorites' stands.</p>
<p>xiggi - You had it right with this (and it is just chronic on CC), "Some posters tend to speak with great authority, but hide the fact they are simply speculating or rattling a list that has no rhyme reason." </p>
<p>But more importantly, we seem to have lost the OP and we have NO CLUE what his or her stats are or his or her financial situation. </p>
<p>So what's the point in listing any schools at all?</p>
<p>You can get a degree in math from ANY REASONABLE COLLEGE and get a good job. Simply put, there are just not enough math geeks to meet demand. If you are interested in economics, you should understand the relationship between supply and demand. Math is a high demand field, so you have the luxury of choosing a program that will not cost you an arm and a leg.</p>
<p>Instead of looking at the "reputation" of a school, look for math programs that support what you think you want to do. Do you want to get a PhD? Do you want to work in industry? If you want to make a lot of money, look at schools that offer applied math or computational finance. If you want to go off and do research you probably want a different focus.</p>