Bucknell vs. Maryland for an economics major: which is better for internships and job placement?

For economics with a strong focus on internships and recruiting into finance or consulting, Maryland usually gives you the broader pipeline, while Bucknell often gives you the tighter, more hands-on network. Maryland benefits from its location near Washington, DC, a very large employer base, and a big alumni footprint across government, policy, consulting, and business. Bucknell, on the other hand, is known for strong undergraduate attention, an active alumni network, and solid placement into finance-oriented roles, especially for students who take initiative early.

Maryland tends to make sense for the student who wants sheer volume of opportunity. Being close to DC matters for semester internships, not just summer ones, and economics students can tap into federal agencies, think tanks, consulting firms, financial services, and corporate roles in the broader DC area. The size of the university also means more clubs, more employer events, and more pathways into business-adjacent recruiting, though you do have to be proactive because opportunities are not handed to you automatically.

Bucknell fits the student who wants a smaller campus where it may be easier to build close relationships with professors, advisors, and alumni. For recruiting, that can be valuable because referrals and mentorship matter a lot in finance and consulting, but the school’s rural location makes in-semester internships less convenient than Maryland.

If your top priority is access to a large and varied internship market during the school year, Maryland has a real edge. If your top priority is a more personal undergraduate experience with strong alumni support and you are comfortable doing more targeted networking for internships, Bucknell can be very effective.