Economics students at MIT have access to a range of resources to help students thrive both in and out of the classroom. From student-led social events to research opportunities with our world-class faculty, learn more about how to make the most of your time with MIT Economics.
Resources for Current Students
The UEA is a student-led organization that aims to strengthen the economics community, provide mentorship channels for first-year students, and hold events that expose undergraduates to the wide variety of fields within economics and in possible careers. Check out the UEA's Course 14 Undergraduate Handbook to get the inside scoop on classes, careers, UROPs, and more.
The UEA creates a journal each spring to showcase and celebrate student research, with prizes awarded to top papers.
Students graduating with a degree in economics have access to a host of possibilities for employment and further study.
Managerial training programs in many firms, including banks, other financial institutions, and large manufacturing companies, accept economists in substantial numbers. There are also many opportunities for employment in government at the state, federal, or international levels. In addition, a growing number of research and consulting firms employ large numbers of economists in such areas as forecasting, industry analysis, and litigation.
The Department of Economics has prepared many undergraduates for study in the best graduate economics departments in the United States and abroad. Former undergraduates find that they are exceptionally well prepared for graduate school by virtue of their Course XIV training, since juniors and seniors often take subjects comparable to those in many graduate schools. Undergraduates can also receive advice about subjects in mathematics and statistics which will help prepare them for subsequent graduate study in economics. Many former Course XIV undergraduates have received doctorates and are now engaged in teaching and research on the college and university level. Others are currently employed in industry or government.
Interested in pursuing further study in economics? Check out MIT's Application Assistance and Mentoring Program.
An undergraduate economics training provides excellent preparation for either business school or the study of law. Since managers are always confronted with decisions about the allocation of scarce resources, it is not surprising that economics provides a useful background. Most business schools require their students to take several economics courses and look favorably on undergraduate training in this field. Several electives in the Course XIV curriculum focus on the analysis of firms, industries, and on government regulation of the corporate sector. In addition, as legal cases increasingly turn on points of economic analysis, many law schools are requiring their students to obtain a basic knowledge of economic principles. Some law schools offer specializations in Law and Economics, and virtually all regard an undergraduate major in economics as excellent preparation for legal study and practice. Electives which consider the economic effects of taxes and other public policies are especially relevant for students interested in analyzing legal institutions.
The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences is offering a 12-unit, CI-H, introductory seminar listed as "Compass Course: Moral and Social Questions about the Human Condition.” Offered for the first time in spring 2025, it is co-designed and taught by professors from political science, philosophy, music, history, literature, linguistics, history, STS, economics, anthropology, CMS/writing, and cognitive science. You can learn more at our website, compass.mit.edu.
21:01: Fast forward 25 years — sea levels rise, the media lies, democracy dies. Nothing is certain but love, death, and taxes. Are you a good researcher or engineer? Congrats. Have you made good decisions? Are you a good person? Do you know what is true? Is the world a better place for your existence? In this class, you will develop a compass to navigate a world full of challenges and complexity with insights from Beethoven, Dante, T. Chiang, LeGuin, Laozi, Kongzi (Confucius), Kuhn, Mill, J. Nagel, C.T. Nguyen, Plato, Rousseau, and more. The work will be done through a flipped, seminar style class taught by faculty across SHASS with debates, writing, and simulations.