BBa in Business Economics

Why pursue a business economics degree at North Central College?

A business economics major focuses on business applications with an eye toward working for corporations, the government, or in the financial sector—gathering or analyzing information and data on markets and business cycles. You’ll be grounded in the business core of accounting, statistics, management, marketing, finance, and strategy but also given the opportunity to augment that with applications of economic concepts to other industries such as international markets, the public sector, or health care, for example. At North Central College, we believe it's important to prepare our students with as many resources as possible when receiving an education. To help do that, we provide our students with hands-on experience through real-world applications so they can feel confident and prepared when entering the workforce. We're one of the few business economics colleges where a business student is able to work closely with a well-respected faculty member. This connection allows students to develop not only their analytical skills but also their critical thinking, reasoning, and decision-making skills while enrolled in our BA business economics program. This careful training will serve you well in virtually any career since thoughtful decision-makers are always in demand. We set up our students for success in earning their bachelor's degrees.

You can also:

• Apply for competitive internships and job opportunities arranged through faculty and alumni networks or through our Career Development office.
• Join student organizations like the Invisible Hand Economics Club, which arranges networking events and guest speakers.
• Visit the nearby Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Board Options Exchange, and Federal Reserve.
• Work with local schools through the newly established Center for Financial Literacy.
• Research your interests alongside faculty and present your findings on campus or at national conferences.
• Simulate trades and access thousands of proprietary reports and data screens in the Bloomberg Finance Lab, where 10 workstations are equipped with the Bloomberg Terminal software, the iconic dual monitors, and Bloomberg’s unique keyboards. You can also choose to become “Bloomberg certified” by completing a series of modules that cover economic theory, economic indicators, currencies, fixed income vehicles, options, equities, and more.

Since 1861, North Central has been a place where new ideas lead to unlimited possibilities. We’re an independent college dedicated to the power of the liberal arts and sciences to transform students into leaders both in their careers and communities. Our nearly 3,000 students study across more than 65 undergraduate and graduate programs, with their education, made richer by supportive faculty and staff, world-class facilities, and countless opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.

A College on the move

Building on the foundation of more than 150 years of excellence, North Central continues to grow with numerous new facilities, programs, and initiatives in the works.

The College opened with 40 students in a single two-story building in Plainfield, Illinois. Since then we’ve changed names twice (to North-Western, then North Central), moved once (from Plainfield to Naperville), and grown steadily (to about 3,000 students).

Over the years, thousands of dedicated students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends have helped us thrive through the toughest challenges – wars, economic crises, social upheavals, and more – and build a future brilliant with hope and promise.

We’ve met the changing needs of students from Civil War veterans to millennial entrepreneurs. And we’ve always stayed true to our heritage of moral courage and forward-thinking.

Today we’re a top-ranked private comprehensive college of the liberal arts and sciences. U.S. News & World Report counts us among “America’s Best Colleges,” one of the top six schools in the Midwest for a “strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Students choose from more than 55 undergraduate majors and five graduate program areas.

Although the College originally discouraged organized athletics as a distraction from weightier matters, our 26 intercollegiate sports in NCAA Division III make our athletic department the largest in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW). North Central is proud of its 32 team national championships and 123 individual national champions.

Though affiliated with the United Methodist Church, we welcome and encourage students and staff of all faiths. We are thoughtfully expanding our academic programs to respond to the needs of our ever-changing world, recently adding Middle Eastern and North African Studies, along with Arabic. And we’re transforming our facilities – most dramatically with a new interdisciplinary Science Center located at the corner of Brainard Street and Van Buren Avenue.

It’s been an amazing 150+ years. But it’s clear that the best is yet to come!