Document Type
White Paper
Publication Date
6-11-2025
Publication Title
The Journal of Economic Education
Abstract
Most economics departments have a cadre of ancillary elements intended to enhance the experience of their undergraduate majors. These may include opportunities to attend speaker series, give conference presentations, participate in student organizations, or work as teaching or research assistants. While economists have studied individual ancillaries, there is merit in a comprehensive examination. The authors design and conduct a departmental survey of 300 U.S. institutions to characterize ancillaries’ prevalence, structure, and perceived benefits. Their findings shed light on how the prevalence and structure of ancillaries vary across different types of academic institutions. Perceived benefits involve meeting departmental learning goals and promoting knowledge and understanding of the discipline of economics, as well as attracting and welcoming a diverse group of students to the discipline.
Keywords
Ancillaries, undergraduate economics programs
Volume
56
Issue
4
First Page
306
Last Page
321
Rights
Licensed to Smith College and distributed CC-BY 4.0 under the Smith College Faculty Open Access Policy.
Version
Author's Submitted Manuscript
Recommended Citation
Hoyt, Gail M. and O'Sullivan, Roisin, "The Ancillaries of Undergraduate Economics Programs: Results of a Departmental Survey" (2025). Economics: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/eco_facpubs/121