Best Colleges for Economics Majors in Texas • 3 Exceptional Schools

The best colleges for economics majors in Texas include some of the top-ranked programs in the country. That’s good news for you, and we’ll break down all the differences and program distinctives as we rank the programs.

Before we get to our top three choices, there are several other programs worth mentioning that will also do a fine job preparing you for an economics career. Baylor University, Texas Christian University, and Texas Tech University all have established programs in economics. Other Texas colleges are ranked in the top 100 nationally even though they didn’t make our top three—the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Houston, Southern Methodist University, and Rice University (which cracks the nation’s top 50 programs).

As you can see, there’s fierce competition among the best colleges for economics majors in Texas, so let’s break down our top three choices and what they offer.

Best Colleges for Economics Majors in Texas

3. Trinity University

Based in San Antonio, Trinity University ranks 1st among all liberal arts universities in the West, and their economics program holds up to that high standard, and “gives students the knowledge to understand how the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services affects the world in which we live”.

As economics is a broad academic discipline, Trinity offers multiple tracks for economics majors, including:

• Theoretical economics
• Economics and law
• Economics and business
• International economics
• Economics and public policy
• General economics

These tracks are designed to encompass “all major economic subfields, including labor economics and international trade, as well as specialized areas such as environmental economics and the economic analysis of law”.

With highly-regarded professors and a great student-to-faculty ratio, students at Trinity can expect more opportunities for engaging and researching alongside faculty members. The department also offers an honors college, study abroad opportunities in Madrid, Iceland, and the European Union, as well as economics-specific service opportunities.

Offering a high-quality and personal education in economics, it’s hard to argue that our top choices would provide a better student experience in economics than Trinity University, although their big-school names will carry more weight outside of Texas.

2. The University of Texas at Austin

UT Austin has a reputation for strong academic programs, and economics is one of their particular strengths. U.S. News ranks the UT Austin program 27th nationally.

Home to over 1,200 students and 40 faculty, their economics program is a big and well-oiled machine. According to the website, “Undergraduate students take classes in micro and macro economics, statistics, econometrics, and theory, as well as electives in a range of topics, from banking and finance, to global development, to public policy”.

The undergraduate program takes a broad approach to economics and focuses on training students to think objectively. UT Austin emphasizes mathematics and writing, preparing students for “professional careers in industry, finance, government, law, and teaching.”

UT Austin also offers a valuable peer mentor program in economics, finance and accounting minors, an honor’s program, and 5-year degree programs in both economics and business:

• MA in Economics
• Master in Professional Accounting (MPA)
• MS Finance
• MS Business Analytics
• MS Marketing
• MS IT and Management 

If you’re interested in one of these 5-year programs, UT Austin is probably the best choice for you, as their 5-year opportunities are more broad than those of our top-ranked university, especially when it comes to business-related Master’s degrees.

UT Austin also has a research fellowship program with “unique opportunity for UT undergraduate Economics majors to get involved with academic-quality research”.

In summary, UT Austin offers an exceptional and nationally-ranked program with lots of flexibility to customize your education toward your preferred career path, and it vies for the top spot among the best colleges for economics majors in Texas.

1. Texas A&M University

If you’re interested in studying economics at Texas A&M, you’re making a great choice. This is a well-regarded and established program at what Washington Times calls the 4th best public university in America.

We could go into all the reasons why Texas A&M earns that ranking as one of the nation’s top universities, but we’ll let you explore that elsewhere and stick to their economics program. According to the program site, “Students in economics learn to use the principles of mathematics, statistics, and human behavior to understand everyday problems from how much pizza to buy for your tailgate to changes in national and international commerce.”

If Texas A&M’s low in-state tuition wasn’t a good enough deal, the department also offers three tracks to save time and tuition money with three 5-year Master’s degree programs:

• Fastrack (3+2) Program – Bachelor’s Degree in Economics + Master’s Degree in Economics
• Fastrack (3+2) Program – Bachelor’s Degree (BA or BS) in Economics + Master’s Degree in International Affairs (MIA)
• Fastrack (3+2) Program – Bachelor’s Degree (BA or BS) in Economics + Master’s Degree in Public Service Administration (MPSA)

These 3+2 year programs are a great opportunity, especially since Texas A&M’s M.S. in economics is ranked among the top 20 programs in America. That Master’s program allows you to choose a track in Financial Economics or Financial Econometrics.

As far as the program content itself, Texas A&M economics students “take foundational courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics and mathematics, then refine those skills in statistics and intermediate economic theory classes. In upper-level courses these reasoning abilities are applied to specific situations, with a particular focus on understanding social problems from an economics perspective.”

With perhaps the most school pride anywhere in the nation, Texas A&M offers a college experience like no other, and a great and flexible economics program that commands respect in Texas and throughout America. We rank them at the top among the best colleges for economics majors in Texas, and you won’t go wrong entrusting your economics education to Texas A&M.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these rankings, and we wish you the best as you decide on an educational path! You can also check out our list of the best free scholarship search engines to help save some tuition money along the way.

Our 15-step guide to writing scholarship essays will give you an advantage over the competition, especially if you find local scholarships in your area with less competition.