Experiential Learning Opportunities

ECO 495: Undergraduate Supervised Teaching offers sufficiently qualified students the opportunity to serve as undergraduate teaching assistants. Undergraduate TAs are responsible for recitation sections in ECO 181: Introduction to Macroeconomics and ECO 182: Introduction to Microeconomics, as well as answering questions from students, preparing and grading quizzes, maintaining student records and participating in the preparation of final grades. TAs also assist instructors of other courses, such as ECO 205, ECO 212, ECO 405 and ECO 407, with similar activities.

How to Start:

ECO 498: Undergraduate Research allows students to gain first-hand experience in research while under the supervision of a faculty member.

Prerequisites: 
To be considered for undergraduate research, a student must maintain at least a "B" average in his or her economics courses and have completed ECO 405: Microeconomic Theory and ECO 407: Macroeconomic Theory.

How to Start:

• Step 1: Reach out to a professor whose research field is of interest to you and ask to join their project. 
• Step 2: Seek approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the project collaboration. 

ECO 496: Internship in Economics allows students to obtain economics credit for paid or unpaid work in a company or government agency in the Buffalo area or elsewhere. In the past, undergraduate students have participated in internships at Merrill Lynch, M&T Bank and Buffalo and Erie County government offices, among many others. The internship must be in a field related to economics and your duties cannot be solely administrative or only involve data entry.

How to Start:

• Step 1: Find an internship that interests you. Visit the Experiential Learning Center to research internship opportunities. 
• Step 2: Seek approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Your internship supervisor must send the Director 1) a detailed description of your duties, 2) the start and end times of the internship and 3) the expected number of hours to be completed per week.  
• Step 3: The Director will review the internship duties and determine whether they are appropriate for ECO 496. 

If the internship is approved for credit, you must maintain a weekly log of activities and compile a final report outlining your experiences and how they relate to economics. At the close of the internship, your supervisor must send the Director a report evaluating your performance. The Director will then assign your grade.

ECO 499 Independent Study allows students to pursue a specific knowledge area in economics when no course in that area is currently offered, or when a student seeks depth in an academic area beyond what is offered by current course offerings. 

How to Start

• Step 1: The student must complete both ECO 405: Microeconomic Theory and ECO 407: Macroeconomic Theory, and maintain a "B" average in their economics courses. 
• Step 2: The student must seek a faculty member to supervise their work and develop a well-formulated project and/or an outline of a course of study. 

It is difficult to understand and appreciate the world only having lived, studied or worked in one country. Studying abroad provides an opportunity to learn how life is viewed from another perspective, develop first-hand knowledge of another economy with which to compare the American experience, and gain knowledge of how the world is knitted together into a global community.

Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to begin planning early to spend a summer, a semester, or even a full year in another country. Courses from abroad may be used to fulfill economics requirements, and there is an established course approval process that students may undertake for any study abroad program.

How to Start:

• Step 1: Find a program that interests you. Visit UB Study Abroad to learn about the more than 400 overseas academic programs available through the SUNY system.
• Step 2: Meet with a Study Abroad advisor in 210 Talbert Hall or contact Professor Paul Zarembka to discuss your plans. Prof. Zarembka has visited or lived on almost all continents and in many countries, and can advise on how to have the most rewarding experience. 

The Experiential Learning Center is a resource specifically for students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Undergraduate students may receive guidance from staff experts or simply use the space to research available internship, service-learning or study abroad opportunities, as well as scholarships and other funding sources.