Business Economics Specialization

The specialization in business economics is organized around the fundamental economic theory and empirical methods that students interested in pursuing careers in the private sector, the non-profit sector, and the public sector (among others) will find useful in carrying out their day-to-day tasks. Students who begin by following the standard economics major path have several decision points at which they can choose to specialize in business economics.

As with the standard economics program, this specialization is divided into five component parts:

Core: The core component is designed to introduce students to the tools of basic economic analysis. These courses include fundamental course work in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and business education.
Methods: The methods component is designed to introduce students to the different toolkits on which economists rely to analyze problems in both microeconomics and macroeconomics.
Empirical Analysis: The empirical analysis component provides students with the fundamental techniques of data analysis. These courses emphasize the application of empirical methods to relevant examples and develop the essential computer skills students need to lead successful careers.
Perspectives: The perspectives requirement recognizes that successful careers require broad-based understanding of the markets and industries in which our potential majors are likely to participate. This requirement is intended to facilitate both the acquisition of sector-specific knowledge and/or job-specific skills that are likely to provide context for the student's economics and business training.
Electives: Electives from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and the Department of Economics allow students to tailor the program to their interests.

Courses that may meet the perspectives requirement are listed below. Note that this is not an exhaustive list.

ANTH 26740 Economic Organization of Ancient Complex Societies.
ARTH 18202 Creative Destruction: War, Violence, and Upheaval in 20th-Century Art.
BIOS 24208 Survey of Systems Neuroscience
BIOS 24231 Methods in Computational Neuroscience
BIOS 24232 Computational Approaches to Cognitive Neuroscience
BIOS 24408 Modeling and Signal Analysis for Neuroscientists
CLCV 24515 Money and the Ancient Greek World
CMLT 28900 Health Care and the Limits of State Action
CHDV 20240 Language and Economy: An Interdisciplinary Approach
CHDV 20882 Parenting, Culture, and Mental Health in Childhood
CMSC 14100 Introduction to Computer Science I
CMSC 25020 Computational Linguistics
CMSC 25025 Machine Learning and Large-Scale Data Analysis (good for the current major)
CMSC 25400 Machine Learning
EALC 24255 Everyday Maoism: Work, Daily Life, and Material Culture in Socialist China
ENGL 20140 London Program: From Industrial City to Financial Center
ENSC 21100 Energy: Science, Technology, and Human Usage
ENSC 23805 Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry
ENSC 24000 Geobiology
ENSC 245000 Environmental Microbiology
ENSC 25200 Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast
ENST 24102 Environmental Politics
GEOG 28201 Intro to Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 28400 Intermediate GIS
GEOG 28600 Advanced GIS Analysis
GEOS 13400/23400 Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast
GEOS 24220 Climate Foundations
GEOS 24705 Energy: Science, Technology, and Human Usage
GNSE 20127 Black Women Work: The labor of Black women in communities, families, and institutions
GNSE 20555 The Sociology of Work
HIST 16602 Markets Before Capitalism
HIST 18201 The History of American Capitalism
HIST 23300 Emergence of Capitalism in Early Modern Europe
LLSO 26201 Economics and Environmental Policy
LLSO 26202 Economics of Urban Policies
MATH 15250 Mathematical Methods for Economic Analysis
MENG 20000 Introduction to Emerging Technologies
MENG 20100 Turning Science and Innovation into Impactful Technologies
MENG 24310 Cellular Engineering
MENG 24200 Selected Topics in Molecular Engineering: Molecular/Materials Modelling II
MENG 24300 Selected Topics in Molecular Engineering: The Engineering and Biology of Tissue Repair
MENG 25000 Introduction to the Design Process
MENG 27100 Biological Materials
NEAA 20045 Economic Organization of Ancient Complex Societies
NSCI 20120 Cellular Neuroscience
NSCI 20130 Systems Neurobiology
PBPL 24751 The Business of Non-Profits and the Evolving Social Sector
PHIL 24096: Philosophy of Economics
PHIL 24098/34098 Character and Commerce: Practical Wisdom in Economic Life
PSYC 20400 Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 20500 Developmental Psychology
PSYC 20600 Social Psychology
PSYC 23165 Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Morality: Evolution, Psychology, Neuroscience, Law, and Public Policy
PLSC 21006 Political Economy of Inequality
PSYC 23370 The Bright and Dark Sides of Empathy
PLSC 23415 Emergence of Capitalism in Early Modern Europe
PLSC 23501 International Political Economy
PLSC 28005-6 Intro to Social Choice and Electoral Systems
PLSC 28710 Democracy and the Politics of Wealth Redistribution
PLSC 28900 Strategy
PLSC 29000 Intro to International Relations
PSYC 25101 The Psychology of Decision Making
PSYC 25700 The Psychology of Negotiation
PSYC 25901 Psychology for Citizens
PSYC 25750 Psychology and Neurobiology of Stress
PBPL 21800 Economics and Environmental Policy
PBPL 23100 Environmental Law
PBPL 24701 U.S. Environmental Policy
PBPL 26530 Environment, Agriculture, and Food: Economic and Policy Analysis
PBPL 26531 Advanced version of PBPL 26530
SOCI 20101 Organizational Analysis
SOCI 20120 Urban Policy Analysis
SOCI 20192 The Effects of Schooling
SOCI 20157 Mathematical Models
SOCI 20179 Labor Force and Employment
SOCI 20245 Global Health and Inequality (Development?)
SOCI 20252 Urban Innovation: Cultural Place Making and Scenescape
SOCI 20253 Intro to Spatial Data Science
SOSC 20258 Maverick Markets: Cultural Economy and Cultural Finance
SSAD 25005 Inequality at Work: The Changing Nature of Working Class Jobs and Prospects for Improvement

“As a graduating senior from the University of Chicago majoring in Economics with a specialization in Business Economics, I am extremely grateful for the exceptional education and experiences I've received from the Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics. My time in the military as a Marine instilled in me the discipline and determination to succeed in my academic pursuits, and the University of Chicago provided the perfect environment for me to grow both intellectually and professionally... Furthermore, the integration of Booth School of Business classes into my program allowed me to develop a strong foundation in business management and strategy, which will undoubtedly serve me well... The department's commitment to providing students with diverse learning experiences and fostering a supportive community has been invaluable in helping me achieve my academic and professional goals."
-Jonathan Vasquez, Business Economics Track, Class of 2023