The economics major is designed to prepare you for graduate study in economics, business, public policy, or law, and to develop a general competence in the discipline of economics. Unlike many small liberal arts institutions, Coe offers over 20 different economics courses, including three quantitative courses, that better prepare students for graduate programs in economics. The major requires two principles courses, two intermediate theory courses, four applied courses, at least one course each in quantitative economics and historical economics, as well as one additional elective chosen based on your interests and career aspirations. Economics majors are encouraged to take at least one year of calculus. A minor in economics can be completed with the two principles courses, two applied courses, one quantitative course, and one historical perspective course.

In the 1998 Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium's Baccalaureate Origins of Doctoral Recipients Report, Coe College was ranked 24th among all liberal arts colleges in the United States for producing students who earned a Ph.D. in Economics for the 1986-1995 period.

Outside of the classroom, it is not unusual to find our majors engaged in joint research with faculty members. Many of these projects have been presented at economics conferences and published in refereed economics journals. The faculty believe that the best way to learn economics is to do economics.