Best Economics Programs in Wisconsin for 2027

Wisconsin’s economics BA offers a mathematical emphasis for students who want more preparation for graduate study. That route adds multivariable calculus and linear algebra to the economics curriculum and requires Introductory Econometrics. Advanced economics choices include analytical public finance and the financial system. Students considering departmental honors should plan around the mathematical emphasis, since completing that curriculum is part of the honors requirements rather than a separate optional recommendation.

Mathematical Emphasis

Adds multivariable calculus, linear algebra or differential equations, and probability and mathematical statistics

Honors Capstone

ECON 580 Honors Tutorial in Research Project Design, then ECON 581 Honors Thesis or the two-term Senior Honors Thesis, with a 3.5 GPA in economics

Residency

15 credits in economics taken on the Madison campus and a 2.0 GPA over 15 upper-level major courses

Program Sources: Economics: Mathematical Emphasis | UW-Madison GuideEconomics: Mathematical Emphasis | UW-Madison Guide

La Crosse houses its economics BS in the College of Business Administration, so you take the sixteen-course business core, including accounting, finance, operations, information systems, business statistics and a capstone in applied business strategy, and add 21 credits of upper-level economics. That block starts with intermediate macro and micro analysis and Introduction to Econometrics, then twelve credits of electives, three of which can come from elsewhere in the business college. Up to three internship credits count. An honors program requires a 3.25 major GPA, an econometrics or mathematical economics course, and a thesis presented to a colloquium of faculty and students.

Business Core

Sixteen business core courses plus a business strategy capstone

Upper-Level Economics

21 credits including intermediate theory and econometrics

Honors Thesis

Requires a 3.25 major GPA and a thesis presented at a colloquium

Program Sources: Economics Major - Bachelor of Science (BS) | UW-La Crosse CatalogEconomics Honors Program | UW-La Crosse Catalog

Marquette teaches economics in two colleges, so the first choice is the degree. The Business Economics BS sits in the College of Business Administration with a 55-credit business core, an analytics requirement that econometrics can satisfy, and at least one international business elective, and it is built to pair with other business majors. The Economics BA, in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences, folds economics into the Marquette Core Curriculum. The department's distinctive hands-on experiences are the Regulatory Economics program and the Fed Challenge team, and the Milwaukee metro area supplies internships with leading firms and government agencies.

Hands-On Programs

Regulatory Economics program and Fed Challenge

BS Analytics Requirement

One analytics elective, which can be Introduction to Econometrics

Degree Homes

BS in Business Administration; BA in Arts and Sciences

Program Sources: Business Economics, BS | Marquette University Bulletin

Whitewater offers economics through two colleges. The BA or BS in Letters and Sciences is 30 units with a required approved minor, so the degree is designed to travel with another field. After principles, business statistics, intermediate micro and macro and econometrics, you choose fifteen units from electives such as Data Management and Handling, Big Data Methods for Business, Race, Gender and Economic Justice, Labor Markets, Business Cycles, Urban Economics and Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. A BBA in the College of Business and Economics is also available, including an online version through the UW online degree program.

Required Pairing

Approved minor required with the BA or BS

Data Electives

Data Management and Handling; Big Data Methods for Business

Other Format

Economics BBA, with an online option

Program Sources: Economics Requirements (BA/BS) | UW-Whitewater Catalog

Eau Claire builds its economics major around quantitative reasoning. The liberal arts major takes principles, intermediate micro and macro theory, Econometrics and a four-credit elementary statistics course, then adds electives such as game theory, sports economics, environmental economics, health economics or a Global Economics Immersion Experience. A comprehensive business version leads to a BBA. An applied economics internship course helps with career preparation, the department keeps a file of alumni mentors and sponsors visits to graduate schools, and the departmental honors program requires an economics GPA of 3.50 and completion of the full major, Econometrics included.

Core Quantitative Courses

Econometrics and four-credit Elementary Statistics

Elective Range

Game theory, sports, environmental and health economics

Career Support

Alumni mentor file, internships and graduate school visits

Program Sources: Quantitative Economics, Major - Liberal Arts | UW-Eau Claire Catalog

Oshkosh splits its economics offering in two. The BBA sits in the School of Business with the business core and is easy to combine with another business major. The BS in Economics comes with four emphases: General, International, Applied Social Sciences and Quantitative. The Quantitative emphasis adds statistics, econometrics and predictive analytics to the core theory and suits students planning field research, data-heavy industry work or graduate study in economics, business administration or health and public policy. The Applied Social Sciences emphasis lets students from other disciplines count up to three major courses toward an economics second major.

BS Emphases

General, International, Applied Social Sciences and Quantitative

Quantitative Content

Statistics, econometrics and predictive analytics

Second-Major Path

Applied Social Sciences emphasis counts up to three courses from another major

Program Sources: Economics Majors | School of Business | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

UWM lets you take its economics BA fully online, fully in person or a mix of both, with personalized advising from faculty. Students choose among focus areas in economic theory, quantitative methods including econometrics, public policy, law and the economy, labor economics and international economic relations, and the electives are described as highly flexible. A combined BA and MA pathway is available. The department draws a clear line between economics, which looks at overall markets and policy, and finance, which concentrates on individual businesses and people, which helps if you are deciding between the two.

Formats

Fully online, fully in person or mixed

Focus Areas

Theory, econometrics, public policy, law, labor and international relations

Accelerated Option

Combined BA and MA in economics

Program Sources: Economics, BA | UW-Milwaukee

Wisconsin’s quantitative economics MS is a coursework-based degree with no master’s thesis. Its core combines microeconomics and econometrics with causal estimation, machine learning, and a course on advances in artificial intelligence for economists. Students add three electives from an approved set that includes labor markets, international trade, and financial economics. The program is designed for full-time study, with most students completing four semesters and an approved three-semester path also possible.

Program Shape

Seven core courses in microeconomics, econometrics and quantitative methods plus three electives, with no thesis

Newer Courses

Machine Learning for Economists, Applications of Machine Learning in Economics and Advances in Artificial Intelligence for Economists

Duration

Four semesters for most students, with a three-semester path possible

Degree Purpose

Terminal master's with more econometric training than similar programs

Program Sources: MSQE Program Requirements | UW-Madison EconomicsQuantitative Economics, MS | UW-Madison Guide

Wisconsin-Madison gives every economics doctoral student a year of econometrics, with further study in nonlinear estimation and inference available to specialists. Its public economics research covers taxation, social insurance, education, income distribution, and health. Preparation for entry is substantial: the department expects a three-course calculus sequence, linear algebra, and mathematical statistics. Those requirements make the program’s mathematical demands clear before students begin choosing their research fields.

Fields

Seven: econometrics, industrial organization, international, labor, macro and monetary, microeconomic theory, and public economics

Math Preparation

A three-course calculus sequence, linear algebra and mathematical statistics

Time To Degree

Most students finish in five or six years

Program Sources: Doctoral Program Admissions | UW-Madison EconomicsDoctoral Fields of Study | UW-Madison Economics

Milwaukee's economics PhD does not require a master's degree for admission, and it asks for 54 credits beyond the bachelor's, at least 27 in residence and at least 42 in economics. The core is advanced micro and macro theory, twelve credits in quantitative theory, fifteen credits across two areas of concentration, a research skill requirement filled through computer science, math, statistics or econometrics, and a minor field of 9 to 12 credits outside economics or electives. Concentrations include econometrics, growth and development, industrial organization, international economics, labor, monetary theory and urban and regional economics. New students start in fall, and files read by January 15 get fullest consideration.

Credit Requirement

54 credits beyond the bachelor's, 42 in economics

Concentration Areas

Industrial organization, international, labor, monetary and urban and regional economics

Admission

Master's degree not required; GRE optional but recommended

Program Sources: Economics, PhD | UW-Milwaukee