Maryland vs Wake Forest for economics: which is better for undergrad economics?

For undergraduate economics, Maryland usually has the edge if you want a larger, more research-oriented public university with stronger access to nearby policy, government, and economic internships. Its location near Washington, DC matters a lot for econ because students can reach federal agencies, think tanks, consulting firms, and research organizations during the school year, not just in the summer. Wake Forest can still be an excellent place to study economics, but it tends to fit students who want smaller classes, closer faculty interaction, and a more intimate campus environment.

Maryland makes the most sense for a student who wants breadth and external opportunity. The economics department is well established, and the university’s scale means more upper-level course variety, more related departments to pair with econ, and more chances to plug into quantitative work, public policy, data analysis, or business-adjacent experiences. For someone thinking about grad school, Maryland’s research ecosystem and proximity to economists working in policy settings can be especially useful.

Wake Forest fits a different kind of student well: someone who learns best in discussion-heavy classes and values faculty access over sheer scale. At Wake, it may be easier to build close relationships with professors early, which can help with mentoring and recommendation letters. If your priority is a smaller academic setting where you are less likely to feel like one student among many, Wake has a real advantage.

For internships specifically, Maryland stands out more clearly. Being near DC gives econ majors practical access to institutions where economics is applied every day, including government and regulatory work. That kind of semester-time experience is hard to replicate from Winston-Salem.

So if the question is which school is stronger for economics in the broadest undergraduate sense, I would lean Maryland because of the department’s scale, the surrounding opportunities, and the way location supports internships and policy-oriented experience. I’d lean Wake Forest only if you know you will thrive much more in a smaller, more personalized academic environment and are willing to trade some of Maryland’s external advantages for that setting.