Michigan State vs. Wake Forest: Which is stronger for an undergraduate economics education?

For a student seeking the strongest undergraduate economics experience in terms of faculty access, class environment, and a liberal-arts-based analytical education, Wake Forest has the edge over Michigan State. Wake’s smaller undergraduate scale makes it easier to build sustained relationships with economics professors, pursue research, and receive individualized academic guidance. Michigan State is a respected option with substantially broader course offerings and resources, but its size can make the experience less personal.

Wake Forest’s economics program is embedded in a small, residential university where economics majors take substantial quantitative and theory-based coursework while also benefiting from close connections to the business school and the broader liberal arts curriculum. That setting can be particularly valuable for students considering finance, consulting, policy, law, or graduate study, since professors are more likely to know students well enough to advise on internships, research, and recommendations.

Michigan State’s key advantage is breadth. Its Department of Economics is part of a large research university, and students can draw on extensive offerings across statistics, mathematics, political science, business, and related fields. MSU is also especially well positioned for students interested in agricultural, environmental, labor, development, or applied economics because of the university’s wider research ecosystem and its strength in agriculture-related fields.