Department of Economics

Engage in Econ

With a goal of encouraging student connections and engagement, the Department of Economics has invested in the creation of Engage in Econ. This new and innovative program provides interested students with resources to create connections and build community to enhance their UW experience and network. By fulfilling all the requirements of the program (see below), a student will be included in the Chair’s List for that semester. Students who receive this designation on the Chair’s List are considered to be leaders within the Department of Economics and receive an exciting list of benefits. Read on for more information about the eligibility, requirements, and benefits of the Engage in Econ program!

Program Requirements

Engage in Econ (EE) is a program to promote and support our most engaged students. Participating students will connect with other economics majors and advisors through Econ-hosted programming, geared toward developing deeper understandings of current success in economics and post-graduation outcomes. To maintain good status in the program, students must accumulate a minimum of 4 Engage Credits each semester. Engage Credits can be earned by participating in special community-building learning events and Economics-hosted programming. Engage Credits are not academic/course credits and will not appear on your transcript.

By the end of each semester, students must have earned a minimum of 4 Engage Credits.
One engage credit is awarded each semester for completing each item below.

  1. Maintaining membership in any Dept of Economics Students Organization or Group.
    Registered econ student groups and organizations include:

2. Attending one “Economics Career Days” online workshop. 

  • Exploring Careers in Economics (Jan 6 at 3pm)
  • Steps for a Successful Internship Search (Jan 7 at 3pm)
  • Steps for a Successful Full-time Job Search (Jan 8 at 3pm)

3. Attending the talk given by Dept of Economics faculty member, Dan Quint  titled “How medieval cities regulated brokerage, why they got it right, and what it teaches us about modern online trading platforms” 
Professor Quint teaches many popular undergraduate classes. This is an exciting opportunity to hear from him about about historical and current events viewed through an economics lens.

  • Wednesday, Feb 19 at 4:00pm in 8417 Social Sciences

4. Attending “Exploring Graduate School” workshop to learn about Master’s and PhD options for economics majors. We will explore common grad school paths for econ majors and discuss the application process.

  • Friday, Feb 14 from 1:00-3:00 (snacks included!) in Soc Sci Room 6203.

5. Attending “Excel for Econ” workshop for hands-on training in Microsoft Excel tailored to economics majors. 

  • Bring your laptop with Excel installed! Wednesday, March 12 from 5:30-6:30pm in Grainger Hall, room 3070. Register Here

6. Attending “US Job Search Success for F-1 Students” workshop to hear from a panel of F-1 students who successfully secured internships and full-time jobs in the United States. Bring your questions!

7. Participating in LEAD@Econ (Note this is a selection-based program with limited spots)
This is the Economics Department’s signature leadership and career development certification program and has limited space. Students must apply in March and be accepted.

  • Apply HERE by Sunday, March 16.
  • Accepted students will be paired with a mentor/mentee and attend leadership retreats on April 2, 9 and 16 from 3:30-5pm in 8417 Social Sciences.

8. Participate in the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 25 (runs from 9:30am-4:15pm) at Union South. 1 credit will be awarded for either attending OR presenting/displaying research

  • To receive engage credit for attending, students must attend, learn about 2-3 econ related projects (projects designated as “Social Sciences” in the program) at the Symposium and write a brief 100-150 word text about what they learned. Email the text to econadvise@ssc.wisc.edu before Friday, May 2 at noon CST.
  • To receive engage credit for presenting or displaying research, students must email the title of their project to econadvise@ssc.wisc.edu before April 20 at midnight CST.

 

Program Benefits

Students will be recognized with a public spot on the Department of Economics Chair’s List should they meet program requirements at the end of each semester.  Students are encouraged to include this designation on their resume each semester they are on the Chair’s List (example resume here). Additional benefits include:

  • Building community with other econ majors and with the Dept of Economics
  • Learn about academic and career pathways to success within economics
  • Name featured on the Dept of Economics Chair’s List website
  • Students on the Chair’s List will receive special recognition at the Dept of Economics Graduation Ceremony

Past Recipients

Congratulations to Chair’s List students for the following semesters:

 

Eligibility and Registration

The opportunity to be included in the Engage in Econ program, earning a spot on the Chair’s List, is open to any declared undergraduate economics major. Attendance and participation are tracked throughout the semester and all students who earn at least 4 Engage Credits in a semester will receive this designation. Credits must be earned within a semester and cannot roll over semester to semester. There are no “make up” options and only students who meet the minimum requirements (4 Engage Credits) will qualify.

Next steps are easy! Just attend our events listed above! You will be asked to sign in at each event with your campus ID number. This sign in will give you one Engage Credit per attended event/involvement in Econ.

Questions about this program can be directed to Econ advisors at econadvise@ssc.wisc.edu