Overview

The Department of Economics is one of the oldest academic units within the University of Nevada, Reno. It was founded in 1911 as the Department of Economics & Sociology, which was part of the College of Arts & Science. We awarded our first B.A. in Economics in 1919. The name was changed to Department of Economics, Business & Sociology in 1922, and in 1924 we awarded our first B.S. in Economics. The College of Business was born from this department in 1956. Our current department emerged as part of the college. We gave our first M.A. in 1966 and our first M.S. two years later. In addition to separate M.A. and M.S. programs, we are also offering Nevada's first and only Ph.D. program in Economics. Our mission is to provide high quality education through our degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, undertake cutting-edge economics research, and assist public and private decision makers in practical ways. Consistent with our university's land grant mission, we serve as a resource to the community through applied scholarship, outreach programs, and economic development. Examples include the University Center for Economic Development, the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, the Omen Center for Entrepreneurship, and the institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming. With 21 faculty members and an administrative assistant in the department, we are serving about 170 economics majors, more than 100 economics minors, and about 30 graduate students including 20 Ph.D. Students. We are also responsible for scheduling entrepreneurship and gaming classes in the College of Business and help with entrepreneurship minors.