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General Economics

Types of Degrees General Economics Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Economics can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	4,405
Bachelor’s Degree	16,432
Master’s Degree	679
Doctor’s Degree	110

What General Economics Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Economics build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Economics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Economics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Economics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General Economics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Economics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Economics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
StataCorp Stata	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Economics graduates include:

• Teacher
• Macroeconomics Professor
• Finance Professor
• Labor Economics Professor
• Adjunct Economics Professor
• Agricultural Economics Professor
• Economic Adjunct Instructor
• Economics Lecturer
• Microeconomics Professor
• Transportation Economics Teacher
• Lecturer
• Economics Adjunct Professor
• Labor Economics Teacher
• Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor

What Can You Do With a General Economics Degree?

Graduates with a degree in General Economics commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Economics Teachers, Postsecondary	2.9%	$69,831	$55,613–$84,048

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Economics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	44.6%
Doctoral degree	25.7%
Master’s degree	10.6%
Post-master’s certificate	4.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.9%
Some college courses	1.9%
Postsecondary certificate	1.9%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Economics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 66% of General Economics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7,363	34.0%
Men	14,264	66.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Economics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9,371	43.3%
Asian	2,859	13.2%
Hispanic or Latino	3,837	17.7%
Black or African American	1,018	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	36	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	28	0.1%
Two or More Races	911	4.2%
Race Unknown	721	3.3%
International Students	2,846	13.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Economics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Economics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$56,270
4 years	$74,609
5 years	$87,950

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $87,950 — roughly 56% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Economics Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for General Economics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	35	11
Bachelor’s	30	22
Master’s	4	8

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Economics Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Economics graduates earn a median of $74,609 four years after completion — roughly 96% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Economics	45,628
Political Science and Government, General	43,359
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics	22,727
Social Sciences, General	15,565
Development Economics and International Development	375
Applied Economics	368
International Economics	281
Political Economy	266
Economics, Other	250

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.