In this Guide
Learn the many ways you can extend your classroom experience to the real world.
- Choose from four degree options (all with co-op available):
- Honours Economics
- Honours Economics and Accounting
- Honours Economics and Financial Management
- Honours Economics and Data Analytics
- Take required courses based on your program outline and explore other subjects of interest.
- Learn about co-op – apply at the end of your first year (admission criteria include first-year marks, extra-curricular activities, recent work and volunteer experience, performance in an admissions interview).
- Live in the Business & Economics Residence Learning Community to extend opportunities for learning and development beyond the classroom.
- Enhance your academic experience at Laurier through professional one-on-one, online and peer-to-peer resources available through Academic Advising and Support.
- Complete core Economics courses to gain skills and learn about policy analysis.
- Broaden your academic horizons:
- Try out elective courses in economics such as Development Economics, Environmental Economics, Empirical Economic History, Economics of Gender, or Macroeconomic Forecasting.
- Or create your personalized degree by branching out into other fields you’re interested in such as environmental studies, user experience, music, political science or history.
- Come along to the annual Economic Outlook event – hear top economists discuss the main business and economic issues of the day.
- Join in the Economics Department’s data prediction competition or take courses to prep for the Bank of Canada’s Governor’s Challenge.
- Check on academic requirements for graduate studies or for professional designations including CFA and CPA:
- Talk to your professors about the types of courses you might want for graduate studies in economics.
- Honours Economics and Accounting graduates can also earn a graduate diploma in accounting and fast-track to the CPA designation with Laurier’s nationally-accredited program.
- Option to take courses to fulfil some requirements for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and/or prepare for the CFA designation/examination.
- Look for research opportunities through the Laurier Economics Club, the Laurier Centre for Economic Research and Policy Analysis (LCERPA) or individual instructors.
- If you’re thinking about applying to graduate school, talk with your professors and visit the Career Centre.
- Apply for jobs as an Instructional Assistant to help other students navigate their courses.
- If you’re applying to graduate school – including Laurier’s Master of Arts in Business Economics (MABE), look out for the Laurier Economics Club/Economics Department’s graduate school information sessions (Fall term) and application workshop (January). Or sign up for a scholarship proposal writing workshop and book a further education application appointment.
- Submit your research paper to the Bank of Canada’s student paper competition.
- Complete the Canadian Securities Course to become licensed to work within the Canadian securities industry.
- Apply to the Graduate Diploma in Accounting after your final year if you are pursuing the CPA designation.
As an Economics student, you can:
- Join student clubs such as the Laurier Economics Club, Lazaridis Students’ Society, Xlerate Lazaridis, Laurier Business & Economics Review (LBER), Women in Economics Laurier, or Laurier Women Investment Society and build leadership skills through joining an executive team.
- Enrol in Prism Resources training sessions to increase your digital literacy.
- Attend employer recruiting sessions hosted by the Career Centre and Laurier Economics Club meetings and events to network with employers.
- Join intramural sports or sport clubs, participate in recreational activities and attend varsity games through Laurier Athletics and Recreation.
Outside of your program, there are many co-curricular opportunities for you to participate in.
- Check out the Experience Catalogue for a full list of co-curricular experiences that are currently offered across campus.
- Volunteer with the Students’ Union (e.g., Laurier Orientation, Hawk Walk, EcoHawks, Food Bank, Emergency Response Team, Shinerama).
- Volunteer on campus with the Accessible Learning, Global Engagement, Sustainability Office, Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, WLU Student Publications and more.
- Get involved in the local community by volunteering off campus.
- Apply for on-campus jobs:
- Check Navigator frequently for job postings or contact individual departments directly.
- Search for job opportunities on the Students’ Union website.
- If you meet eligibility criteria, apply for the Laurier Work Study Program or International Student Work Experience Program.
- Attend Job Fairs to network with employers.
- Explore ways to get involved in research.
- Look into StartUp Lab opportunities for support in launching a new venture.
Job/Volunteer Search Tips
- While on-campus opportunities are posted year-round, recruitment often starts early! Start looking in the winter term for opportunities in the following academic year.
- Have your resumé and LinkedIn profile reviewed by Career Centre staff for both on and off-campus opportunities.
- Laurier offers a variety of co-curricular certificates that you can complete during your studies. Earn certificates in topics including academic development, professional development, wellness, leadership and career development.
- Participate in workshops, programming and events offered by the Career Centre, Gendered and Sexual Violence Prevention and Support, Laurier Library, the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and more.
- Engage in the First-Year Leadership Program including Campus Councils and House Council and the Leadership Certificate.
- Connect with Global Engagement to learn about international options available to you including opportunities abroad and language and culture sharing programs.
Design Your Degree
These are a few popular academic opportunities which allow you to dive deeper into your major area of study or broaden your knowledge. See undergraduate options, minors and courses for more information.
Develop Your Knowledge and Skills
As a Laurier student, you will develop the following competencies through your curricular and co-curricular experiences.
Competency Framework
Competencies are categories of transferrable skills that appear on your online Experience Record to help you reflect on what you've learned from your experiences. The competencies include:
- Adaptability and Resiliency
- Collaboration and Teamwork
- Communication
- Creativity and Innovation
- Critical Thinking
- Digital Literacy
- Diversity and Intercultural Understanding
- Functional Knowledge
- Leadership
- Problem Solving
- Professional Attributes
- Self-Awareness
Functional Knowledge
- Learn about who makes major economic and financial decisions and how - including businesses, governments and international organizations and everyday people and families.
- Use microeconomic and macroeconomic models to analyze important issues in economics.
- Learn how to conduct empirical analysis on large data sets using the latest statistical software.
- Apply economic analysis to a policy issue by independently managing a research project on a topic that you pick yourself.
- Recent examples include how to forecast semi-conductor prices, how inflation and unemployment are related, how trade can affect income inequality, and whether WNBA players are underpaid.
- Apply theory and empirical models, manage large datasets and utilize statistical analysis software.
Discover Career Options
All your experiences at Laurier can help you prepare for your future. Attend Career Centre events and workshops or book a career consulting appointment to explore career and further education options.
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Pursuing Further Education
160 Economics respondents from the 2024 Laurier Graduate Survey conducted by the Career Centre. Graduates were surveyed within 12 months of graduation.
Alumni Careers and Pathways
Sample Further Education Programs Within the First Year After Graduation
- Master’s Degree - Economics, Business Economics, Data Science, Financial Economics, Finance & Banking, Management
- Graduate Diploma - Accounting, Climate Risk Management
Sample Jobs Within the First Year After Graduation
- accountant
- anti-money laundering analyst
- associate consultant
- business analytics manager
- collections and accounts receivable specialist
- customer experience manager
- finance operations associate
- operations manager
- private debt analyst
- project coordinator
Careers Of Alumni Two to Five Years After Graduation
- capital markets analyst
- data engineer
- economist
- finance manager
- managing accountant
- marketing data analyst
- policy analyst
- senior business analyst
- senior consultant
- senior financial operations analyst
Career Options and Resources
Need some guidance on what you can do with your degree? Discover some career options and find resources to help guide you.
Career and Industry Options
- academia/education
- data science
- environment
- finance/banking
- global trade
- government
- healthcare
- insurance
- investments
- law/legal field
- public policy
- real estate
- research/market analysis
- sports/entertainment
- stock market
- urban planning
Career Resources
Your Experiences Tell Your Story
Share your story through your Laurier Experience Record. An interactive, shareable and official record of your hands-on experiences and learning opportunities at Laurier – the first of its kind in Canada!
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