Mar 29, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Economics and Decision Sciences Division


Thomas Tiahrt, Interim Chair
Beacom Hall 248
(605) 658-6543
economics@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/economics
bschoolstudentsvs@usd.edu
www.usd.edu/business

 

FACULTY

Professors:

Michael Allgrunn, Economics
David L. Carr, Economics
Daniel Tracy, Decision Sciences

Associate Professor

Kathryn Birkeland, Economics
Thomas Tiahrt, Decision Sciences

Assistant Professors:

Bartlomiej Hanus, Decision Sciences
Yi Liu, Decision Sciences
Sebastian Wai, Economics

Instructors/Lecturers:

Travis Letellier, Economics
Thomas Martin, Decision Sciences
Reed Muehler, Economics
Mandie Weinandt, Economics/Statistics

MAJORS:

Economics, B.B.A.
Operational Analytics, B.B.A.               

MINORS:

Business Analytics
Economics (Non-Business Majors or Business Majors with approved substitutions)
Operations Management (Business Majors only)

As an economics major, you will study the allocation of scare resources.  Economics majors study individual decision making, firm production decisions, market structures, government policies, international trade, cross-country income differences, natural resource allocation, and business cycles.  Our faculty teach majors in both the Beacom School of Business and the Bachelor of Science in Economics and Bachelor of Arts in Economics majors within the College of Arts and Sciences.  We mentor students in research projects internships, and study abroad experiences.  Economics majors go on to graduate or law school in addition to jobs in finance, banking, economic development, and public policy making.  

 

As an operational analytics major you will learn and practice through an experiential and applied competency oriented curriculum. Courses are designed to incorporate data-based decision making based on problem-solving concepts with exposure to and work with real firms and real data. This program will prepare our graduates to solve operational problems by utilizing applied mathematics and statistics to extract knowledge from operational data, and to model and analyze operational problems as well as capitalize on business opportunities. The curriculum will give students experience meeting today’s business needs. Employers demand that graduates be equipped with business acumen, quantitative skills, commercial knowledge and a professional perspective. The experiential orientation of the program emphasizes contemporary lean management, which is at the forefront of operations in the marketplace. Combining operations and analytics not only gives the advantage of tools and skills in both fields, but also amplifies their value when combined. Skills and competencies learned in our program lead to opportunities with a variety of student organizations in the Beacom School of Business including, Delta Sigma Pi, Pi Sigma Epsilon and the Beacom Consulting Group.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Each year, the Beacom School of Business has the capacity to award over $400,000 in awards and scholarships. These funds are made available through the generous support of alumni and friends of the Beacom School of Business.

  • A.A. Cotton Memorial Scholarship
  • Anna M. Goetz Business Scholarship
  • Ardell & Rula Hatch Scholarship
  • Arthur A. Volk Accounting Scholarship
  • Arthur Anderson Scholarship
  • Beacom Family Scholarship
  • Beta Gamma Sigma
  • Black Hills Corporation Scholarship
  • Caleb Lyle Undergraduate Research and Experiential Learning Scholarship
  • Carol & Herman Lerdal Business School Scholarship
  • Charles R. & Joyce M. Dicus Scholarship
  • Charles R. Dahlman Accounting Scholarship
  • Christopher L. Nelson Scholarship
  • Clifford E. Graese School of Business Scholarship
  • Craig Hensley Scholarship
  • Dale Clement Scholarship
  • Dallas E. Smith Scholarship
  • Deloitte & Touche Scholarship
  • Donald W. Beaty Memorial Scholarship
  • Doris & Morris Winter Scholarship
  • Douglas L. Steckler Scholarship
  • Earl S. & Harriet Sparks Scholarship
  • Entrepreneurship III Scholarship
  • Francis V. Fetzner Scholarship
  • Frank E. Westlund Scholarship
  • Freeman Chair Scholarship
  • Gary Ellis Family Scholarship
  • Gary McMahon Accounting Scholarship
  • Gene Iverson Family Scholarship
  • George A. Smith, Jr. Memorial Scholarship
  • Gerald Laber Accounting Scholarship
  • Harriet S. Cosgrove Scholarship
  • Harry E. Olson Memorial
  • Harry Olson - SD CPA Society Business Scholarship
  • Howard, Adeline & Tad Svendsen Scholarship
  • J.D. & Bobbi Mason Business Scholarship
  • James & Debra Nixon Scholarship
  • James D. Vaughn Scholarship
  • James R. Hawke Scholarship
  • Jay H. Wein Scholarship
  • Jim Rath Business Scholarship
  • John “Jack”, Jr & Michael Carmody Scholarship
  • John B. Jasper Scholarship
  • John E. & Mary J. Hulse Scholarship
  • John H. & Burl A. Litzelman Business Scholarship
  • John R. Waltner Business Scholarship
  • John S. & Dorothy H. Lockwood Memorial Scholarship
  • John T. Vucurevich Business Scholarship
  • Joseph & Samene Lesser Scholarship
  • Joseph Simmons Scholarship
  • June & Lyle Wagner Scholarship
  • Katherine Plut Roth Business Scholarship
  • Kathryn & Warren Prostrollo, Jr. Scholarship
  • Kim K. & Linda G. Keller Scholarship
  • KPMG Scholarship
  • Laddie Cimpl Business Scholarship
  • Linda Schuller Tremere Accounting Scholarship
  • Lorraine R. Hart Scholarship
  • Lynn Odland Accounting Scholarship
  • Marcus & Vera Anderson Memorial Scholarship
  • Marlon P. Young Scholarship
  • Mary P. Ricciardello Scholarship
  • Mary W. Hanson-Business School Scholarship
  • Mascott Scholarship
  • Matthew P. & Maria Brzica School of Business Scholarship
  • Melvin Dick Accounting Scholarship
  • MidAmerican Energy Foundation Scholarship
  • Nelville A. Seeley Business Scholarship
  • Norman B. Stratton Accounting Scholarship
  • O.R. Brancel Scholarship
  • Patrick & Ruth Boehmer Scholarship
  • Patrick J. Jung Accounting Scholarship
  • Powell Family Scholarship
  • R.F. & Garnet Patterson Scholarship
  • Randy Karns Scholarship
  • Ray & Robin Blomstrom Accounting Scholarship
  • Revone Kluckman Memorial Scholarship
  • Richard Foreman Scholarship
  • Richard L. & Mary J. Arnold Scholarship
  • Richard M. & Michael P. Held Scholarship
  • Robert L. Johnson Scholarship
  • Robert Torkelson Accounting Scholarship
  • Roger Hainje Memorial Scholarship
  • Ronald & Mary Slaughter Campbell Scholarship
  • Sam Kniffen Accounting Scholarship
  • Sharon Broderson Memorial Scholarship
  • Shirley Laskin Family Scholarship
  • Shull Family Accounting Scholarship
  • South Dakota Bankers Foundation Scholarship
  • Steven J. Manolis Scholarship
  • The Alan M. Graff Memorial Scholarship
  • Thomas L. Jenson Memorial Scholarship
  • Thomas P. Vance Scholarship
  • Thomson-McConnell Award
  • Tom Didier Memorial Scholarship
  • V.E. Montgomery, Jr. Scholarship
  • Valley Queen Cheese School of Business Scholarship
  • Virgil F. Dove Scholarship
  • Walter A. & Lucy Yoshioka Buhler Scholarship -Business School
  • Walter A. Buhler Scholarship
  • Wendell R. Schwarz Scholarship
  • William H. Lockhart Memorial Scholarship
  • Willis J. Schenk Business Scholarship
  • Xcel Energy Business School Scholarship

Student Learning Outcomes for Economics (B.B.A.)

GOAL #:1 Our graduates will demonstrate knowledge of the basic business disciplines and their integration in a global economy.  

Objectives:  

  1. Graduates will demonstrate adequate knowledge in all of the basic business disciplines - accounting, economics, finance, international/globalization, information systems, legal, management, marketing, and quantitative (including statistics and operations management).  
  2. Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of business.   
  3. Economics graduates will demonstrate an advanced understanding of core concepts in econmics.   

GOAL #:2 Our graduates will employ critical thinking skills to analyze business decisions.  

Objectives:   

  1. Graduates will evaluate alternatives and recommend a course of action to reach a desired outcome.  
  2. Graduates will conduct an effective quantitative analysis of a business problem.  

 GOAL #3:  Our graduates will communicate effectively and professionally.  

Objectives:  

  1. Graduates will demonstrate adequate oral presentation skills.  
  2. Graduates will write effectively.  

 GOAL #4:  Our graduates will recognize the importance of ethics in business.  

Objectives:  

  1. Graduates will apply ethical principles in identifying and resolving business dilemmas.  
  2. Graduates will apply economics specific standards of the profession to an ethical dilemma. 

Student Learning Outcomes for Operational Analytics (B.B.A.)

GOAL #:1 Our graduates will demonstrate knowledge of the basic business disciplines and their integration in a global economy.  

Objectives:  

  1. Graduates will demonstrate adequate knowledge in all of the basic business disciplines - accounting, economics, finance, international/globalization, information systems, legal, management, marketing, and quantitative (including statistics and operations management).  
  2. Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of business.   
  3. Graduates will demonstrate an advanced understanding of core concepts in operational analytics.   

GOAL #:2 Our graduates will employ critical thinking skills to analyze business decisions.  

Objectives:   

  1. Graduates will evaluate alternatives and recommend a course of action to reach a desired outcome.  
  2. Graduates will conduct an effective quantitative analysis of a business problem.  

GOAL #3:  Our graduates will communicate effectively and professionally.  

Objectives:  

  1. Graduates will demonstrate adequate oral presentation skills.  
  2. Graduates will write effectively.  

GOAL #4:  Our graduates will recognize the importance of ethics in business.  

Objectives:  

  1. Graduates will apply ethical principles in identifying and resolving business dilemmas.  
  2. Graduates will apply business analytics specific standards of the profession to an ethical dilemma. 

 

Programs