Economics is the study of decision making. Economists gather, manage, and analyze economic and business data to understand and predict trends so decision makers can make informed choices. Microeconomics focuses on developing theories about issues such as profit maximization, individual purchases, firm growth, etc. at the personal or company level; while macroeconomics focuses on decisions at a national level such as interest rates, money supply, unemployment, and more. Offering a low student-to-faculty ratio, each student receives individualized attention and mentoring from highly skilled faculty. Students in this program are actively encouraged to pursue faculty-guided individual studies and internships relevant to the field, with a particular focus on developing their quantitative skills. CWU offers multiple specializations and minors in the economics area, including the newest minor in Business Analytics, to help students diversify their skills. General Economics students learn to think creatively and deeply about important economic issues facing the world today. Students apply a variety of theoretical and empirical perspectives to issues of economic efficiency, economic growth, international trade, public policy, environment, and social justice. Economics teaches valuable critical thinking skills and problem-solving techniques that are highly valued in all aspects of business and in government. This specialization provides a great preparation for economics and public policy graduate programs, and law school.