Microeconomics studies commerce and industry at a local or regional level. Students will look at case studies of industries in cities or regions of the United States or other countries. The instructor will cover topics such as consumer demand, product-pricing techniques, company distribution, and business competition. Teachers also often provide case studies of specific businesses and how they have adapted to the economic conditions of their industry or location.
Macroeconomics examines economies on a national and international scale. Students learn about topics such as inflation, unemployment rates, currency trading, government bonds and international trade policy. Many macroeconomic courses include a project in which students must make policy decisions as if they were Federal Reserve or World Trade Organization officials. Instructors also teach students through case studies of how individual businesses react to national or international monetary policies.
This course discusses the role of banks and large financial institutions in the national or international economy. Students learn about the U.S. Federal Reserve, gold standard policy, monetary supply and demand, and economic intervention. The course is similar to macroeconomics in that it covers large-scale economies, but differs in that students get a close look at the actual policies in place at institutions such as the Federal Reserve. The instructor will discuss monetary theories by economists such as Milton Friedman, John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Hayek.
This course cover how economists measure economic activity in business and governmental organizations. Students learn how to perform a regression analysis to measure an industry's economic output. The instructor teaches students distribution theory, point estimation and how to determine probability. Many teachers assign students a final paper in which they must craft a thesis about the economic future of a business or industry.