Department of Economics
Michael Magura, Chairperson
David Black, Director of Graduate Studies
Requirements for the Master's Program
The Economics Department offers the Master of Arts in Economics degree, the Master of Arts in Economics degree with an Applied Econometrics Specialization and the Master of Arts in Economics and Education degree. In all cases, students must complete a minimum of 30 hours of graduate work which includes the following:
1.At least 21 hours of graduate credit in economics (excluding ECON 6930) must be included within the total of 30 hours presented for any graduate degree. The minimum of 21 hours in economics must include at least one course from each of two different fields in addition to the following basic theory requirements (or their equivalents):
(a) ECON 5150 Advanced Macroeconomic Theory
(b) ECON 5200 Advanced Microeconomic Theory
(c) ECON 5300 Introduction to Mathematical Economics
(d) ECON 5810 Econometrics Models and Methods I
The graduate adviser may waive the ECON 5300 requirement for students who have an adequate background in mathematics.
2.Credits in excess of 7 hours in economics courses numbered 6000 through 6990 will not ordinarily be applicable to the 30 hours.
3.Candidates for either degree are required to pass a comprehensive written examination in macroeconomics and microeconomics. In addition, the department may require an oral examination.
4.In addition to the 30 hours of course work, candidates must satisfy a writing requirement of either a thesis or a seminar paper.
A candidate who elects the thesis option must submit a thesis for review by a committee of at least two faculty members and satisfy Graduate School thesis requirements. Such a candidate may receive a maximum of 7 credit hours following the successful defense of that thesis;
A candidate who elects the non-thesis option must submit a seminar paper, or its equivalent, for review by at least two faculty members. No credit hours will be earned for the seminar paper.
Specialization in Econometrics
The Master's Program with an Applied Econometrics specialization is designed to afford interested, well-qualified candidates for the Master's in Economics an opportunity to study econometrics on a more intensive and applied basis. The Applied Econometrics specialization would enable candidates to develop applied econometric skills through hands-on research combined with textbook-lecture learning.
The specialization in Applied Econometrics is an option in the M.A. program in economics.
Students who elect the specialization option will
normally need two full years of study to complete the program. In the first year,
an M.A. candidate in the specialization would complete the
regular M.A. core requirements, an additional econometric course (ECON 5820) and field/related
course work. Further, they are required to pass a
written comprehensive examination in Econometrics as well as the usual written comprehensive
examinations required of all students. In the second
year of the program, the candidate would enroll in a sequence of two applied econometrics
seminars (ECON 6810 and ECON
6820) and engage in thesis work.
Internships
The department also offers for non-assistants a public service internship, requiring 7 credit hours of ECON 6940. In addition to ECON 6940, the intern is allowed to include up to 3 credit hours of either ECON 6900 or ECON 6990 towards the 30 credit hours required for a Master of Arts degree.