In a democratic society, citizens' views, informed or otherwise, are important. Those individuals who do not understand economics are vulnerable to the special interest pleadings of those who do, on matters ranging from international trade policy to environmental protection and community development. Increasingly, quantitative skills aid in the analysis and understanding of basic economic phenomena. As the field of economics has changed, the Dartmouth curriculum has changed accordingly. In addition to the standard major, the economics minor and the modified major are intended to fit the needs of students who have a definite interest in economics but are primarily interested in another discipline or, in the case of a modified major, wish to study some specific problem or topic that falls partly in the field of economics and partly in a related field, e.g., engineering science, mathematics, government or another social science.
Students can also take advantage of a wide range of departmental research opportunities.
The Honors Program in Economics, for example, gives students the opportunity to conduct independent research and write an honors thesis in the senior year.