The Department of Economics at Macquarie University is one of the largest economics schools in Australia. Its staff are highly qualified and have a wealth of international experience gained at some of the world's most prestigious universities, businesses and government organisations including Cambridge University, Oxford University, London School of Economics, The University of California, Harvard University, The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, East-West Centre, the World Health Organisation, the Reserve Bank of Australia, The Commonwealth Bank and the State Bank.
The Macquarie Economics degree is highly respected. Graduates rated their overall satisfaction with the Economics course at Macquarie as better (placing it in the top 25%) compared to ratings by graduates in the same field in other institutions (based on a recent Course Experience Questionnaire survey of graduates, undertaken by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia).
Data taken from the 2004 Good Universities Guide indicates that Macquarie economics graduates earn starting salaries above the average for all economics graduates from NSW universities, and above average for all economics graduates Australia wide (page 69).
The Economics Department at Macquarie offers a wide range of courses in economics, and the degree structure is extremely flexible, allowing students to include in their economics degree courses from other departments in the University. As examples, economics students can develop interests in finance, accounting, marketing, business law, computing, politics, philosophy, history, mathematics, psychology, education and so on. Students may simply take a couple of courses in these other areas, or they may develop them into a second major and (in some cases) into a double degree. On the other hand, many students elect to pursue a more 'traditional' degree in economics with relatively few courses taken in other departments. The advantage of the Macquarie system is that it allows students to construct a program which not only satisfies the academic requirements of the degree, but also reflects the interests and aspirations of the student.
All core courses in economics are offered during both day and evening. Library and computing facilities are available in the evenings and on weekends, thus providing maximum flexibility for students who wish to gain experience by working full-time during their studies, and for full-time students who need to work part-time. A summer school is run in some units which can allow some students to accelerate their progress.
