Welcome to the Economics Department at Williams College

Faculty and Students

The Economics Department has 22 regular faculty. In a typical year, the group in residence numbers about 16. On average, we have about 90 economics majors in each graduating class, with another  10-20 majoring in political economy, an inter-departmental major in economics and political science with a strong public policy focus. In addition to a strong undergraduate program, the College also has the Center for Development Economics, staffed by the Economics Department, which offers a one-year Master's program in Development Economics for about 25 economists from developing and transitional countries each year.

Research

Department members present results of their ongoing research at weekly economics faculty seminars throughout the academic year. The Department has recently been ranked first among economics departments at national liberal arts colleges based on research publications (J. Hartley and M. Robinson, "Economics Research at National Liberal Arts Colleges: School Rankings," Journal of Economic Education, Fall 1997). In addition to the faculty's own research, the Department and the Center for Development Economics regularly bring in economists from other institutions to present work in progress. The Department has three working paper series -- Research Memoranda on economic development topics, Discussion Papers from the Williams Project on the Economics of Higher Education, and Research Papers on all other topics. These papers are distributed to a large number of individuals and institutions in the U.S. and other countries and we receive their working papers in exchange.

The department is part of NEUDC network, a major forum for the field of development economics. The location and sponsorship of the annual NEUDC conference rotates among the organizing institutions: Williams College, Boston University, Cornell University, Harvard University and Yale University.

Curriculum

Economics courses at Williams offer the advantages of a liberal arts college setting, including small class sizes and significant interaction between faculty and students. The Department offers a wide variety of courses, including introductory classes designed to serve the needs of potential majors and non-majors alike, core courses in economic theory and econometrics, numerous lower-level and upper-level electives, tutorials, and senior seminars involving a significant research and writing component.  The offering of electives is flexible and designed to serve the teaching and scholarly interests of faculty members as well as the interests of students. Department members are also encouraged to develop new courses.  An overview of the major is available here, and a current list of courses with descriptions is available here.

The Winter Study Program offers an opportunity for faculty either to venture outside their specialities or to emphasize them. A number of Department members teach in several inter-departmental programs in the College (Political Economy, Environmental Studies, Afro-American Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, Asian Studies, and several geographic Area Studies progams).

About Williams College

Williams is a highly selective coeducational liberal arts college located in northwestern Massachusetts in a town of 8,000 people. Founded in 1793, Williams now has 2,100 full-time undergraduates; 51 percent are men, 49 percent women. Williams College's endowment exceeds $1 billion, ranking it among the top decile of all colleges and universities, as measured by both total endowment and total endowment per student. The cultural resources of Williamstown and the Berkshires provide students, faculty, and staff with many opportunities for recreation, community service, and musical and theatrical performances.