Economics & Business (ECB)

The department of economics and business combines two distinct yet related disciplines within the same major:

Economics courses explore the choices people make when faced with scarcity, and the rules, laws, and customs governing those choices. Economic reasoning is applicable to many areas of human choices including law, the environment, and personal decision making.

Business courses focus on economic decision making within firms. All organizations undertake strategies with limited resources, limited information, and shifting market conditions. Our business program emphasizes how managers make decisions, particularly financial decisions, in the face of such complexity.

We believe that a liberal arts approach provides a deep understanding of modern economics and business.

Curriculum

The ECB program cultivates analytical and quantitative approaches to solving economic problems. Our interdisciplinary curriculum offers a rigorous program in economic theory, applied economics and finance. Cornell’s distinctive One Course At A Time calendar allows us to deepen students’ understanding of economic problems through experiential learning.

Graduates

Many of our alumni have moved directly into careers in business and government. Some have started their own firms. Others have found the ECB major to be ideal preparation for graduate studies in business or law. We regularly place students in top-rated Ph.D. programs in economics.

Partnerships

To achieve our goals, our department partners closely with the Berry Center for Economics, Business, and Public Policy and the Career Engagement Center. The Berry Center provides many exceptional benefits to our students, including support for internships, off-campus courses, distinguished visitors, research projects, and post-graduate planning. The Career Engagement Center provides innovative and purposeful career development opportunities for Cornell College students, including the Cornell Fellows Program which provides high-level opportunities at companies and organizations throughout the world.

Academic Support

In Cornell’s ECB program, you will be challenged and enabled to succeed. Through the dedicated members of the Economics Honors Society, the department provides tutoring services for all of our introductory level classes. The department also works closely with Cornell’s Center for Teaching and Learning, which offers customized guidance on writing and quantitative skills.