Enhance Your Education

Distinctive Programs in Economics

There are ample opportunities to enhance your studies in economics through independent research, off-campus study, and internships. These programs are integral to a Knox education, teaching you how to apply your skills in real world situations.

Student Research and Creative Projects
Knox is a leader in promoting top-notch undergraduate research. In fact, more than 90% of all Knox students complete an independent research or creative project by the time they graduate. Many students' projects are supported by an unusually rich array of Knox College funding programs that together provide students more than $200,000 each year in support of their work. These sources include: Richter Memorial Scholars Program, Ford Foundation Research Fellows Program, Ronald E. McNair Fellows Program and departmentally supported independent studies. In addition, special fellowships awarded to Knox through national competitions and through the research grants of Knox faculty make Knox a leader in promoting undergraduate research. Examples of some recent student research projects include:

• "Perfecting the Ultimatum Game," Sam Frank, '12, economics major.
• "Microfinance and Economic Growth," Sara Ahmed, '12, economics major.
• "Case Study of a Local Non-Profit," Carly Kirven, '11, economics major.
• "Readings in Game Theory," Kelly O'Connor, '11, psychology major.

College Honors
Outstanding students may elect to undertake College Honors in their senior year, carrying out an advanced research project presented and defended to a faculty committee that includes a distinguished outside examiner. Examples of recent Honors projects include:

• "Modeling the US Corn Market During the Ethanol Boom," Bethany Vittitoe, '08.
• "A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of the Effects of Code-Sharing Agreements on Fare Prices and Profits in the U.S. Domestic Airline Industry," Alan Bugler, '06.
• "Microeconomics of Roscas (Rotating Savings and Credit Associations)," Muhammad Khan, '03.

Off-campus Study
Knox offers you plenty of opportunities to begin exploring the world while still a student. Almost 50% of Knox students participate in off-campus study and consider their studies abroad to be the highlight of their college experiences. Knox offers several off-campus programs of particular interest to economics students:

• Business, Entreprenuership & Society and Urban Studies Programs in Chicago
  To put the theory into practice, you may consider these Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) Programs in Chicago. Participate in the economic, social, and political life of the nation's second largest city. Students take an interdisciplinary core course, as well as specialized seminars, and develop an independent study project. A central feature of these programs are the supervised internships -- in government, law, business, journalism, art, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, or a wide range of social agencies.
• Denmark's International Study Program
  Study economics and other subjects at the University of Copenhagen. The programs are taught in English for students who want to study abroad to enhance their majors, broaden their intellectual and cultural horizons, and achieve intercultural competencies for the world, including skills for the international job market.
• Washington/American University Semester
  Consider studying government in action in Washington, D.C., through the Washington Semester or its companion programs, the International Development Semester, the Foreign Policy Semester, and the Economics Semester. Meet with public officials, political figures, lobbyists, and others active in the federal government. Intern in a governmental agency, and perhaps use that experience to develop your own research project.
• Oak Ridge Science Semester
  With strong preparation in economics, you may strike out for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Participate as a junior member of a world-class research team, doing economic analysis of technological and environmental issues, such as forecasting the economic costs of global warming.
• London Semester
  Focusing on the new industrial and economic life of Europe from the British perspective, students pursue course work and possible internships in London. Prerequisites taken at Knox help you enhance your background in economics, political science, and history.

Internships
As a student of economics at Knox, you'll have the opportunity to expand your education -- to get that valuable experience you hear so much about -- by completing an internship. Internships provide an opportunity to explore and test career options, to gain experiences and skills needed to succeed as a professional, to build a resume, to network and make critical connections, and to experience a work environment. More and more employers are looking for college graduates with career-related experience. Knox's Center for Career and Pre-Professional Development specializes in helping you find an internship that best matches your goals and interests. Students have interned at Merrill Lynch, Edward Jones & Co., CNA Insurance, American Express, and AT&T. Examples of recent student internships include:

• Intern, Office of the Governor at the State Capitol, Topeka, Kansas.
• Intern, Wells Fargo Financial, Peoria, Illinois.
• Intern, Investment Bank Analyst, The Christman Group, Palatine, Illinois.
• Consultant Intern with Deloitte & Touche, Chicago, Illinois.
• Intern, Iowa Democratic Party.
• Market Research Intern, Frank N. Magid Associates, Marion, Iowa.
• Summer Employee, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• Business Marketing Intern, Chicago Data Solutions, Chicago, Illinois.
• Intern, Northwestern Mutual Life, Peoria, Illinois.
• Marketing Intern, Galesburg Regional Economic Development Association, Galesburg, Illinois.