UTEP’s Hunt College of Business Launches Political Economy Minor
New program bridges philosophy, history, economics and political science
EL PASO, Texas (Oct. 22, 2024) – Starting this fall, students at The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso can enroll in a new Political Economy minor, housed in the Woody L. Hunt College of Business. The program prepares students for careers in economic analysis and policy in fields such as international relations and advocacy.
With a focus on economic theory, the program explores the construction of policies, their history and their implications on social economics. The curriculum integrates philosophy, history, political science and economics, and is designed to attract students from outside the Hunt College of Business.
“We wanted to find ways to engage students from across campus in our college,” said Nicolas Cachanosky, Ph.D., director of the Center for Free Enterprise in the Hunt College of Business. “This new minor allows us to equip them with essential tools that could benefit their careers in the long term. Creating and working with public policies can have an impact at all levels of public service.”
The new minor is the product of a collaboration between Cachanosky and Mauricio Gomez, director of undergraduate programs at the Hunt College of Business. Cachanosky worked also with faculty from the Department of Economics and Finance and the College of Liberal Arts Department of Political Science and Public Administration to ensure a well-rounded and comprehensive curriculum for the program.
“Economics is a two-pronged practice – there is the social science within liberal arts, and the analytics within business. Political economy can address both practices,” Cachanosky said. “Many universities are reviving their political economics programs. We did not want to fall behind but stay well ahead.”
The Center for Free Enterprise, inaugurated in January 2023, bridges social and analytical aspects of business. It hosts a political economy reading group, offers workshops and mentors graduate students. If the minor proves successful, the center plans to launch a student organization to further enhance the program's impact.
To learn more about the new minor in Political Economy, visit the program’s homepage.
About The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso
The Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on October 22, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published October 22, 2024
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
