The Department of Economics is an intellectually vibrant place for students and faculty. We are a research-intensive department committed to student learning. We offer a wide range of courses that provide critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, and we complement this coursework by engaging students with faculty-led research opportunities.

Our faculty members are engaged in research that contributes to addressing local and global challenges related to environmental resources, economic development, trade, health, sports, and tourism. The Department of Economics is ranked among the leading U.S. economics departments for research productivity, and is particularly strong in environmental and experimental economics. 

The Department of Economics is committed to fostering an economics profession that is open to all, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, religion, or disability and believes that a diverse profession encourages the highest quality teaching and scholarship. Achieving this goal requires that we foster academic discourse in an intellectual environment that is respectful and collegial for all.

News

Professor John Whitehead

Whitehead named AERE fellow

John Whitehead, a professor of economics at Appalachian State University, has earned an AERE Fellows Award, the association’s highest honor in the f...

Economics professor selected as author for U.S. Global Change Research Program’s ‘First National Nature Assessment’

Economics professor selected as author for U.S. Global Change Research Program’s ‘First National Nature Assessment’

Dr. John Whitehead, a professor in the Department of Economics at Appalachian State University's Walker College of Business, has been select...

Appalachian Experimental and Environmental Economics Workshop to be held April 26-27

Appalachian Experimental and Environmental Economics Workshop to be held April 26-27

The Department of Economics, the Center for Economic Research & Policy Analysis and the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University...

App State economics students measure the impact of Fire Mountain Bike Trails

The economic impact of the Fire Mountain Bike Trails (FMBT) on the surrounding region is significant, according to research from Appalachian...

Guignet, Sugg earn NSF grant to study the effects of air pollution and climate change on maternal and child health

Assistant Professor of Economics Dr. Dennis Guignet has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study The E...