Level III FAAP-accredited undergraduate program evaluated by PAASCU
Level II FAAP-accredited graduate program evaluated by PAASCU
Overview
The Economics program was first offered in 1956 under the College of Liberal Arts before it was formally established in 1968 under the Department of Economics. Dr. Marcelino Maceda became the first chair of the department and was concurrently chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In 1974, two years after the establishment of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), qualified faculty members from the department were recruited by the government to serve in the newly opened regional offices in the southern Philippines. From then on, two alumni eventually became Director-General of NEDA, namely Dr. Jesus P. Estanislao (1989-1990) before he was appointed as Secretary of Finance (1990-1992), and the current Director-General, Dr. Ernesto M. Pernia.
During the first term of Dr. Elizabeth M. Remedio, the NEDA-based Population and Development Philippine Research Program established the Area Research Training Center in the department, while the Department of Energy also supported the Affiliated Non-Conventional Energy Center. Quantitative instruction for both graduate and undergraduate studies was strengthened under the leadership of the late mathematician and agricultural economist, Ramon Echevarria Jr. Academic tracking under the A.B. Economics program was soon introduced and these tracks included social science, business, statistics, law and politics, and information technology. In 2011, the department was transferred from the School of Arts and Sciences to the School of Business and Economics and the program was renamed to B.S. Economics with minors in the same academic tracks.
In response to the recent educational reform in the Philippines, the Economics program currently offers a concentration in major fields instead of the previous academic tracking. These concentrations are in the following fields: human capital and development, natural capital and development, public policy and development, and data analysis for development.
For more information, contact: The Chair, Department of Economics AD 406, Downtown Campus, P. del Rosario St., Cebu City Trunkline +63-32-230-0100 local 550
Programs offered
Bachelor of Science in Economics Master of Arts in Economics
Career tracks
Our graduates pursue careers in economics and related professions. They become economists, market research analysts, and financial analysts, while others become journalists, corporate planners, or enter government service.
Research highlights
The department is regularly engaged in research projects including “The Cebu Almanac 2016,” “The Cebu Almanac 2017: The Reports,” and “The Cebu Almanac 2018” published by USC Publishing House. Together with the Department of Trade and Industry, the department has always been at the forefront in conducting surveys for the Cities and Municipalities Competitive Index from 2013 up to the present. Likewise, the department was tapped to conduct an impact evaluation of agricultural insurance programs of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation on corn producers in the region by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies in 2015-2016. Aside from government-funded research projects, the department also collaborates with the private sector such as the Global Business Power in Toledo City and the Office of the Population Studies Foundation, Inc. in Cebu City for research studies and policy recommendations.
Student life
The Carolinian Economics Society is the co-curricular organization of the Department of Economics and is open to all Economics majors. Its student population, consisting of 100% Filipinos, is composed of 41% male and 59% female.
The organization publishes its own magazine, Ideas. Students in the department actively participate in co-curricular activities, including Clash of Economists, Young Economists’ conventions, Blueprint Public Policy conferences, SIN Tax Congress, stock market seminar-workshops, and UNESCO club hearings. Students may also become research assistants and engage in community extension services.
