Job Opportunities

The following programs are some of the career development resources offered to Economics and Economics and Accounting majors:

General Programs

Career Advising

Staff in the Career Connection office are available daily to advise students on a variety of career-related topics, from resume writing to career choice. A significant portion of staff time is devoted to advising students about options for fulfilling CPA licensing requirements. More information can be found in the CPA Requirements tab.

Peer Advising

The Economics Department sponsors a Peer Advising Program throughout the academic year. Outstanding upper-division students are employed and trained to offer assistance with career advising, CPA advising, internship and job advice, and other general office duties. To see the current list of Peer Advisors, please visit the Career Advising tab.

Strategic Investment Certificate

UCSB Extension offers the Strategic Investment Program (SIP). Developed by the Economics Department, SIP is ideal for students seeking to gain a deep understanding of financial markets, particularly those who are preparing for a career in Finance or Investing. The program consists of lectures, guest speakers, and hands-on projects.

Interested students can find more information on the Professional and Continuing Education website.

Alumni Engagement Programs

Meet the Firms

Meet the Firms (MTF) is a networking event that connects students with recruiters in the Accounting profession. MTF brings together approximately 600 students with over 35 Accounting firms, including representatives from the Big Four as well as mid-size and regional firms. Firms in attendance are generally seeking to fill internship and full-time positions for third- and fourth-year students, although all students are welcome to attend. For more information, please visit the Undergraduate Accounting Society website.

Career Connection Speaker Series

Career Connection hosts a numerous lecture series every throughout the academic year, which are led by various UCSB alumni and industry professionals. These lectures gives students the opportunity to learn about different careers in Economics and see varying paths to success. Follow the Career Connection Blog for all events information.

If you are an alumni or industry professional interested in sharing your knowledge, please contact our Career Connection Coordinators.

Transfer Student Programs

Annual Transfer Student Reception: The Economics Department hosts a fall reception for incoming transfer students who intend to major in Economics or Economics & Accounting. Related student organizations and important campus resources are invited to the table, and Economics faculty and staff are encouraged to mingle with students. Over 200 transfer students attend this event each year.
CPA Advising Session and Transfer Student Panel: Transfer students are also encouraged to attend the CPA advising session and Transfer Student Panel, which take place prior to the annual Transfer Student Reception. The session and panel are intended to inform transfer students about recruiting practices/deadlines before their classes begin, as recruiting for Accounting professions will occur within the first two weeks of Fall Quarter.
Transfer Tutors: The department has partnered with the Transfer Student Center to offer additional tutoring for transfer students. Transfer Tutors are transfers who have already declared the Economics or Economics & Accounting major, and aim to help new transfer students adapt to UCSB and meet the grade requirements to get into the major. For more information, please contact the Transfer Student Center.

Research and Data Analytics Programs

Data Hack: Data Science Boot Camp and Competition

The Department of Economics hosts an annual Data Hack program. The program is intended to help students become proficient in data analytics prior to entering the workforce. Students work with data in the programming language R and undergo a programming “boot camp” taught by a graduate student. Their skills are then tested in a hackathon-style competition.

Specific details are posted on the Career Connection blog.

Job Placement Outcomes

Our students have diverse interests and start their careers in a variety of fields. The following is a snapshot of what companies and industries our most recent graduates have chosen:

Class of 2018 Placements

Altus Group Consulting
Autovitals Software
Deloitte
Ernst & Young
Farmers Insurance
Federal Reserve Bank
Hamilton Place Strategies
Harvey & Co.
HCVT
Ikrusher
Invoca
KPMG
Modern Woodman Fraternal Financial
Moss Adams
Oracle
PatientPop
PwC
Standish Management
UBS
Wells Fargo

Class of 2017 Placements

American Mortgage Group
Barclays
BetterHelp
Cru
Deloitte
Disney
Ernst & Young
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
IMG College
JVM Lending
KPMG
Moss Adams
Noospheric
Oracle
PIMCO
PwC
Protiviti Consulting
US Army
Yardi Systems
Yelp

Class of 2016 Placements

Appfolio
Apple
Barclays
BDO
Charles Schwab
Deckers
Deloitte
Ernst & Young
Jeffries
JP Morgan
KPMG
Moss Adams
Northwestern Mutual
Northrop Grumman
PwC
UBS
Union Bank
US Capital Partners
Wells Fargo
Yardi Systems

Information for Employers

Advertising Jobs & Internships

If you would like to post a job or internship listing to the Career Connection blog, please send an email of your posting to econ-careerconnection@ucsb.edu. Your listing will be advertised to a targeted group of roughly 600 Economics and Economics & Accounting majors. We are also happy to promote any professional events that might appeal to our students.

If you would like to reach all UCSB students, you can post your listing on UCSB’s Handshake system. Your listing will be advertised to roughly 13,000 university students from all majors. More information on Handshake can be found on the Career Services website.

Other Opportunities for Employers

Employers can partner with Career Connection by volunteering their time. Many students find it valuable to speak with someone in their aspiring field as they transition from college to the workforce. If you would like to offer your time for an informational interview, a mock interview, seminar series, or other form of professional advising, please contact our Career Connection Coordinators.