Why study Economics? The Economics program at IWU promotes students' critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills, the ability to compare costs and benefits in decision making, quantitative analysis, effective communication skills, and intellectual curiosity. These are skills that are valuable in a variety of settings. Read more about Economics.

At Illinois Wesleyan, many of our students work one-on-one with our Economics faculty, researching topics of their mutual interest. Seniors have the opportunity to develop independent study projects, presenting their work at local, regional and national conferences.

Every year the Economics department hires several of our top students as computer lab assistants, journal editors and tutors for introductory classes. The Economics Society, our student-run club, organizes a variety of extra-curricular activities for faculty and students to enjoy outside of class.

The Mark A. Israel ‘91 Endowed Summer Research Fund in Economics offers a unique research opportunity by funding an Economics student each summer to conduct independent research in close collaboration with a member of the Economics faculty. Through this opportunity, students are exposed to advanced research and gain hands-on experience in the discipline. A special feature of the department is the large number of students who work one-on-one with faculty in various types of collaborative research. Upper-division students have the opportunity to develop independent study projects on topics of special interest.