The Department of Economics is one of the oldest and most recognized units on the Iowa State University campus. It has a long and interesting history that is described further in our online time line . The Department of Economics is currently jointly administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Read the Department Governance Document.
The undergraduate programs strive to train students to think independently and objectively about the inherent economic nature of many of the world’s problems, from basic decisions facing businesses and individuals, to the performance of the macroeconomic system, to global resource utilization issues.
The graduate programs emphasize rigorous analysis and advance training in economic theory, econometrics and several traditional and novel applied fields of inquiry. Research programs are targeted to a number of local, national, and international problems and cover a broad spectrum, ranging from theoretical disciplinary perspectives to applied economic and policy analysis, as well as contributing to exciting multidisciplinary efforts. Our engagement with Iowa’s economy and community is rooted in our extension programs, and also benefits from our faculty’s participation in a number of affiliated Centers.
