Careers

Study International Economics. Do Anything.

What can I do with an International Economics major?

Students networking

International economics students do go on to do almost anything. Many graduates find careers in finance, banking, consulting, and in other fields like consulting, analytics, banking, sports, and communications.

Many also pursue graduate school in the humanities and sciences. Others seek full-time service work for a year, or more, to help others and make a difference in the world.

Skills you'll learn

As an international economics major, you will learn skills that position you for professional success, including:

  • Critical thinking and analytical reasoning
  • Data driven problem solving
  • Ability to think like an economist and apply these tools to real world problems
  • Econometric theory and applications
  • Ability to articulate complex thoughts and theories
  • Effective oral communication
  • Strong writing
  • Team work
  • Ethical judgment and decision making
  • Ability to analyze and solve problems with people from different background

Kate Broadbent '16

First Year Academic Advisor, Center for University Advising - University of Notre Dame

I stumbled into an international economics major my freshman year because I really enjoyed calculus. I quickly fell in love, though, with the tools I was given with which to analyze the world. As an undergraduate seeking truth and meaning in a world that can often feel chaotic, economics provided a clear and coherent path to examining anything from international trade policies to the effects of laïcité on religious tolerance in France.

  • Kate Broadbent '16

    First Year Academic Advisor, Center for University Advising - University of Notre Dame

    I stumbled into an international economics major my freshman year because I really enjoyed calculus. I quickly fell in love, though, with the tools I was given with which to analyze the world. As an undergraduate seeking truth and meaning in a world that can often feel chaotic, economics provided a clear and coherent path to examining anything from international trade policies to the effects of laïcité on religious tolerance in France.

  • Danny Martin '17, M. Ed '19

    Spanish Faculty, Bellarmine College Prepatory

    In opting to become an ACE teacher right after graduation, my critical thinking and creativity were put to the test every single day. My international economics major prepared me not only to teach high school Spanish, but to address my Master's coursework with deeper insight into the quantitative side of education. The questions raised from this time teaching and learning led me to move to Santiago, Chile, to dive into the reality of education from an international perspective - a reality that I know will inform my career moving forward.

  • Elisabeth O’Toole Tierney ’17

    Team Lead, Experience Designer, CVS Health

    “Since graduation, I have worked in two economics research labs specializing in impact evaluations of social service programs. The international lens, in particular, allows me to collaborate in Spanish with our regional office in Latin America and to consider a broad perspective while assessing study implications. International economics taught me to think critically, to extract lessons from data, and to communicate results with those directly impacted.”

  • Georgia Twersky '20

    Senior Associate Marketing Manager, Roche

    “For my senior research project, I studied the economic cost of pollution in Santiago, Chile. I utilized both the quantitative tools when working with my datasets and also the qualitative, human-centered perspective Spanish gives me to understand the communities I was observing. I am participating in an accelerated development program at Roche Diagnostics, a full-time job that I was placed in through the Orr Fellowship. Not everyone can wrestle economic journals in Spanish or can engage in conversations about Latin America, so having these analytical tools under my belt will be awesome for working at Roche, a multinational medical diagnostic company."

  • Connor Edward Murphy '19

    Consultant

    "When I enrolled at Notre Dame, I declared an economics major on a hunch that I would enjoy the subject. After four great years in the program, I found myself armed with a robust set of quantitative skills and, thanks to the college of arts and letters, the wherewithal to apply what I learned to real-world problems. As a consultant, I’ve been able to bring these abilities to a diverse spread of subjects, supporting clients ranging from a confectionary redesigning their network of factories to a state government increasing their COVID-19 testing capacity. My degree in economics has given me credibility with my clients and coworkers as someone who can tackle an analytical task and translate the results into business or policy action."

98% of International Economics majors found full-time employment, enrolled in graduate school, entered service programs, or launched independent projects within six months of graduation.

66% find full-time jobs

  • Accelerated development program associate, Roche Diagnostics
  • Account manager, Transperfect
  • Analyst, Goldman Sachs
  • Area manager, Amazon.com
  • Assistant brand manager, McKinsey & Company
  • Assistant community manager, Greystar
  • Associate consultant, Beghou Consulting
  • Business development representative, Keeper Security
  • Business transformation consultant, IBM
  • Clinical research coordinator, Northwestern University
  • Commercial banking analyst, JP Morgan
  • Data operations associate, Flexport
  • Data analyst, Regenstrief Institute
  • General management consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Government relations associate, NETWORK Advocates for Justice
  • Marketing engineers program, MediaMath
  • MDP, Morningstar
  • Partnership operations specialist, Facebook
  • Program associate, American Bar Association
  • Research and innovation fellow, U.S. Agency for International Development
  • Research assistant, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
  • Sales operations analyst, Kin Insurance
  • Technical services, Epic
  • Technology analyst program, AIG

International economics alumni leave Notre Dame with an expansive worldview and various real-world skills.

Employers love that students are passionate, curious, and socially engaged. Once on the job, they find that ND international economics graduates are critical thinkers, problem solvers, innovators, and collaborators.

They are the embodiment of Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters’ motto: our students study everything so that they can do anything.

14% go to graduate or professional school

  • Economics: University of California at Los Angeles
  • Law: Georgetown University, New York University, the Ohio State University

The Honors Program is an excellent way for students to prepare for graduate research. It can also provide a means of pursuing interests not covered in the traditional curriculum. International economics thesis writers demonstrate their advanced ability to conduct independent studies and the development of skills in research, analysis, and writing.

9% enter service programs

  • Amate House
  • Jesuit Volunteer Corps
  • Teach for America

Postgraduate service can be a life-changing experience and provide international economics students with transferable skills for the next step in their careers.

Every year, approximately 20 percent of the graduating senior class in Arts & Letters make a one- to two-year commitment to serve in areas such as public and private education, family and children services, after-school programs, developing countries, and non-governmental organizations.

9% join the miliary

Note: Outcomes data comes from First Destination reports, a survey of recent graduates conducted by the Notre Dame Center for Career Development and Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research. Status is known for more than 90% of each graduating class. 

Further Reading

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