Behavioral Economics Minor

Romain College of Business 

24 hours

The Behavioral Economics minor will train students to recognize, research, and recommend policies and innovations in the fields of business, finance, health, law, public policy, urban planning, and sports management based on the unique skillset and fast-growing perspective of human behavior offered by behavioral economics. Behavioral Economics, while similar in name to Economics, is a fundamentally different approach to human behavior that integrates key insights from the fields of psychology, cognitive science, judgment, and economics as well as emotional, cultural, and social factors.  Behavioral Economics uses experimentation through a game-theoretic framework as opposed to Economics which relies on formal mathematical modeling of rational, unemotional utility maximizers. This new approach requires a new skill set and a new perspective of human behavior. Specifically, this includes 1) the understanding of human behavior through the behavioral economics framework, 2) the skills to design successful experiments using this framework, 3) the quantitative skills to collect and analyze data from experiments 4) the ability to actualize these insights into polices and innovations in multiple contexts that increase desired metrics. The minor can complement multiple majors offered at USI and can enhance career opportunities in multiple fields including but not limited to those listed above.