Department of Economics and Accounting
Stein Hall, Fifth Floor
Phone: 508-793-3362
Fax: 508-793-3710
Chair: Melissa Boyle
Academic Administrative Assistant: Chelsea Mahoney
Accounting Coordinator: Steven DeSimone
Economics
Professor Katherine Kiel advises a student in her Environmental Economics course.
Why Study Economics at Holy Cross?
The economics department at Holy Cross is an integral part of a liberal arts education. Whether students choose to explore the wide variety of topics offered by the major in economics or simply take a few courses to augment other fields of study, they are taught the benefits of understanding the theories of economics and how they can be used to interpret current or historical events.
Professors are active professionally and are engaged in high-quality economic research programs which include Holy Cross students. The program is well respected by employers who recruit regularly on campus; and students are prepared for a wide range of careers, including consulting, finance, law, healthcare and government.
Faculty members conduct research over a wide range of social and policy issues, and engage with those issues in the wider public discourse as well. According to the latest rankings in Research Papers in Economics (RePEc), the department ranks No. 12 in the country among economics departments at liberal arts colleges based on publications, citations, and downloads, and ranks No. 10 in the world among all institutions in the field of sports economics.
Professor Victor Matheson regularly provides expert commentary on a variety of economic issues, and is a go-to source for journalists on all things sports economics.
Accounting
Why Study Accounting at Holy Cross?
The accounting major provides students with a unique opportunity to complete a program in accounting within the environment of one of the country's leading liberal arts institutions. Although students will find that the accounting major provides the appropriate background for a career in public accounting or industry, the curriculum also permits careers in business, government and nonprofit institutions.
Students receive special opportunities for oral and written communication, critical thinking and faculty interaction, which are not typically found at larger accounting programs. By grounding the program in the liberal arts tradition, our program provides students with an appreciation for accounting as a vital information system in contemporary society.
Holy Cross ranks No. 20 on PayScale's list of best schools for business majors by salary potential, a ranking based on our accounting major.
Compared to accounting programs at other institutions, class sizes are relatively small and students have an opportunity to work together on group projects, participate in microcomputer lab exercises and get to know the faculty. The majority of the faculty are certified public accountants with extensive field experience
Non-Majors
Introductory courses in economics and accounting are available to non-majors. Students with an interest in economics should consider enrolling in ECON 110 Principles of Economics (four-hour course). This course is open only to first- and second-year students. Some courses are offered for third- and fourth-year students who are not economics majors.
Non-majors seeking an introduction to accounting should take ACCT 181 (Financial Accounting).
YouTube Channel Run by Economics Professors
Rob Baumann and Justin Svec run a YouTube channel called “econphiles” devoted to understanding current events from the perspective of economics and economic research. The videos use simple language and displays of data to help convey the results of economic analysis in a straight-forward manner.
Video topics include the causes of the Great Recession of 2008, the most consequential economic event in modern US history: whether the policy responses of the government and the Federal Reserve (the Stimulus, quantitative easing, TARP, etc.) were successful in helping the economy recover from the Great Recession; public subsidies for stadium construction; and non-compete clauses.
Economics & Accounting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
We support the current protests demanding social justice and an end to systemic racism and violence. We commit ourselves to listen, to learn, and to make changes in our work and our lives.
We support the statements made by the American Economic Association and the American Accounting Association.
View the statements:
Signed
Chuck Anderton
Nancy Baldiga
Melissa Boyle
Miles Cahill
Conor Carney
Monica Carney
Joshua Congdon-Hohman
Steve DeSimone
Tom Gottschang
Kathy Kiel
Victor Matheson
Debra O’Connor
Kolleen Rask
Allison Richardson
Daniel Schwab
Olena Staveley-O’Carroll
Jim Stormes SJ
Justin Svec
Karen Teitel
Dan Tortorice