Is Tulane or University of Wisconsin-Madison better for economics?

The biggest practical tradeoff is scale and reputation versus smaller-class feel and a distinctive location. Wisconsin-Madison has the more established economics department, a stronger national research profile in econ, and the advantages that come with being a large flagship university. Tulane offers a more intimate undergraduate experience and access to New Orleans, but its economics program is not usually viewed at the same level as Wisconsin’s in the field.

For economics specifically, Wisconsin-Madison is the stronger academic choice. Its department has long been well regarded, and that matters for course depth, faculty breadth, research opportunities, and how the major is perceived by grad programs or employers who know economics well. At a place like Wisconsin, you are more likely to find a wider range of upper-level electives and a bigger academic ecosystem around data, public policy, math, and related social sciences.

That said, Tulane can still work well if you want more individual attention and a campus culture that suits you better. New Orleans can offer interesting internship angles in policy, nonprofits, business, and urban issues, and Tulane tends to feel more personal at the undergraduate level. Some students thrive in that environment and build strong faculty relationships more easily there than they would at a very large public university.

If your question is strictly which school carries more weight for undergraduate economics and gives you the stronger academic platform for internships, research, or eventual grad school, I would lean clearly toward Wisconsin-Madison. Tulane becomes the more compelling option only if you strongly prefer its size, setting, and campus experience enough that those factors outweigh the difference in economics reputation.