At Hampden-Sydney College, economics is an exploration of the world using the tools of economic analysis, an exercise in critical thinking, and a chance to enhance your ability to operate successfully in the world.

The many distinct specialties that potentially emerge from a base of economic knowledge require us to offer three distinct majors within the department: Economics and Business, (General) Economics, and Mathematical Economics.

As an economics department within a liberal arts college, we serve the student body at large as well as our majors. To do this we focus our efforts in four areas...

Accessibility

Our introduction to economics class is taught as if it were the only course that students will ever take in economics, as opposed to the first class in a series. We want every student, not just economics majors, to have the opportunity to learn the economic way of thinking. 

Breadth

What we do matters. If applied properly, the tools of economics can lead to greater insight into many issues of great importance. We offer a wide variety of courses that allow students to apply economic analysis to different areas including commerce and finance, public policy, health, globalization and the environment.

Advanced Scholarship

We offer several courses in advanced theory including financial analysis, Austrian theory, econometrics, history of thought and mathematical economics. In addition, senior seminars offer opportunities to do meaningful research in business management and public policy.

Degree Offerings

I am where I am today because Hampden-Sydney instilled in me a sense of curiosity - about the world around me, about why people think, speak, and act the way they do, and about the way our economy works.

Matthew J. Guill '06, Vice President, Millstein & Co., New York, NY

Co-curricular Opportunities

The faculty of the economics department is actively engaged in the scholarship of their fields and we want our students to have that opportunity as well. To this end we offer independent studies for credit, research grants through various privately funded sources as well as extra-curricular activities related to the study and application of economic principles.

TigerFund

TigerFund is an equities portfolio managed entirely by students at Hampden-Sydney College. It is an opportunity for selected students concentrating in Economics to gain valuable experience managing a live equities portfolio. 

Tiger Fund

The Flemming Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Flemming Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation encourages student and faculty creativity and equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue entrepreneurial ideas.  It promotes entrepreneurial innovation in our students and provides them the experience, skills and connections necessary to go from ideation to implementation. The program brings successful entrepreneurs to campus, sponsors workshops in the practical aspects of running a business and connects students with entrepreneurial mentors.

Entrepreneurship

The Center for the Study of Political Economy

The Center for the Study of Political Economy program encourages students to investigate the relationship between political structures and social outcomes. Our goal is to provide opportunities for students who have an interest in the rationale and effects of public policy to develop the research, reasoning and communication skills necessary to prepare them for graduate programs and "idea" careers. 

Political Economy

Boinest Honors Research Fellowship

Funded by William C. Boinest, the Economics Department invites applications from all junior Econ majors. The recipient will conduct directed research in the economics or business field the summer prior to and during his senior year. The recipient also will complete a senior honors project, and graduates with Honors in Economics. The Assistantship is $3,000. Eligible students submit an essay describing their interest in conducting research in economics or business, with possible topics of research interest by the beginning of April to Dr. Ken Townsend at ktownsend@hsc.edu.

Citrone Economics & Business Summer Research Program & Internship Program

Robert K. Citrone Economics and Business Summer Research Program
Funded by Robert K. Citrone '87 and an anonymous donor, the Citrone Grant funds collaborative student/faculty summer research in areas on economics. Student and faculty receive a summer stipend for their research that is later presented, often at professional conferences. Applications are typically due in March and submitted to Dr. Townsend in the Economics Department. Eligible students (juniors with a 3.0 cumulative GPA) must

  1. write a brief description of a research project to be shown to a potential collaborative faculty supervisor within the Econ Dept., and
  2. the faculty member then draft a cover letter endorsing the project description and detailing the faculty member's anticipated contributions to the research project. 

Robert K. Citrone Economics and Business Summer Internship Program
Thanks to the generosity of alumnus Robert K. Citrone ’87 and an anonymous donor, the Hampden-Sydney College Department of Economics and Business is pleased to be able to offer select students the opportunity to undertake unpaid, for-credit business internships by offering a grant to cover living expenses.  Each summer the Citrone Business Internship Program provides stipends to students who would like to be able to accept unpaid, for-credit internships, but lack sufficient funds to cover the expenses of living in places like New York City, Lisbon, Los Angeles, etc.   

In recent years, the student stipend for summer internships has been $2,500. 

Students interested in applying for a Citrone Summer Internship Grant should (a) have junior-class standing, (b) have attained a 2.7 cumulative gpa at the College, (c) have written a brief description of internship, and (d) should have a letter from the company offering the internship describing the duties the student will undertake.  These documents should be forwarded to Dr. Kenneth Townsend, administrator of the Citrone Program, who will notify successful applicants of their awards and responsibilities.  All students involved in internships must maintain a daily log of activities and must complete a ten-page research paper based upon the internship at the conclusion of the summer. 

Internships are competitive; no more than three internships will be funded. 

Deadline for proposals:  March

Hobbie Business Ethics Program

The Warren W. Hobbie Business Ethics Program is a two-year program which includes several required courses and monthly discussions on business ethics. An application is required for entry. Hobbie Scholars, chosen for their academic promise, demonstrated leadership, and interest in the interplay of business and ethics, complete an independent study in business ethics as well as advanced coursework in philosophy, religion, and economics. Contact Economics Professor, Dr. Saranna Thornton for information.

Pre-Business Society

The Pre-Business Society was formed in 2003 and is dedicated to those students interested in gaining business experience for use after graduation. The goals of the Society are to better prepare Hampden-Sydney students for entrance into the business world, to make contacts with local and regional businessmen, to serve the Hampden-Sydney and surrounding communities through the advocacy of free enterprise, and to better alumni communication through society contact and cooperation. The Society is open to all not just economics majors.

 

Graduate Business Agreements

The Economics Department provides superb undergraduate preparation for a career in business, banking, and finance, but it goes a step further by allowing you to leverage the College's connections - formal and informal - with renowned graduate programs. 

Graduate Business Agreements

Flemming Center for Entrepreneurship

The Flemming Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation encourages student and faculty creativity and equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue entrepreneurial ideas.

Entrepreneurship

  • H-SC Announces Partnership with CNU

    March 15, 2023

    Hampden-Sydney College has announced a partnership with Christopher Newport University to encourage students to enroll in CNU’s Master of Financial Analysis (MFinA)—the only MFinA offered in Virginia.

    CNU Partnership

Matt Eversmann '88

Matt Eversmann ’88 left the Hill in the summer of 1987 after his junior year due to academic difficulty not knowing what the future held but knowing he needed to learn a lesson in personal responsibility. On October 3, 1993, as a staff sergeant in the 3rd Ranger Regiment, he found himself in the thick of the historic Battle of Mogadishu, responsible not only for himself but also for the men he served with.

First Sergeant Matt Eversmann ’88 (U.S. Army-Ret.)

Economics and Business Department

Dr. Anthony M. Carilli, Chair
Professor of Economics and Business
Morton Hall, 221
Hampden-Sydney College | Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943
(434) 223-6314
acarilli@hsc.edu

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