Boston University vs Georgetown for economics: which is better for an undergraduate economics major?

The biggest practical tradeoff is academic style versus location-driven opportunity: Boston University gives you a larger, more traditional research-university economics environment, while Georgetown ties economics more closely to policy, government, and D.C.-based internships. For a student who wants economics in a more quantitative, department-centered setting, BU has a real edge. For a student who wants economics constantly connected to politics, international affairs, and public policy, Georgetown is unusually well positioned.

BU’s economics department is widely respected and benefits from being part of a major research university with strong graduate-level activity, which can matter for undergrads seeking research assistant roles and serious preparation for a PhD or quantitative master’s work. The department has a more academic econ feel, and BU’s broader strength in math, statistics, and related social sciences can support that path well. In Boston, you also get access to a very dense internship market across finance, consulting, healthcare, and economic research.

Georgetown is also excellent, but the flavor is different. Economics there is especially attractive for students interested in public policy, global markets, development, political economy, or careers that overlap with government and international institutions. Being in Washington gives Georgetown students unusually direct access to internships during the school year, especially with federal agencies, think tanks, NGOs, and policy-focused employers. That can be a major advantage if you want to apply economics outside a purely academic context.

For grad school, either school can work very well, but BU may be slightly more appealing if your goal is rigorous economic research and eventual doctoral study. Georgetown tends to shine when your economics interests are intertwined with law, diplomacy, business-government relations, or policy analysis. Employers and graduate programs will recognize both names, so the difference is less about prestige and more about what kind of economist you want to become.

If the question is strictly which undergraduate economics experience is stronger on the academic side, I’d lean Boston University. If your version of economics is inseparable from policy and D.C. networks, Georgetown may actually serve you better despite BU’s department-centered strengths.