Only current KU undergraduate students are eligible to apply to the accelerated M.A. program. If you are not a current undergraduate student at KU, please review the admission requirements for the regular M.A. program.

Accelerated undergraduate-graduate degrees are increasingly becoming more common. A master’s degree in economics provides not only professional skills but also deeper foundational knowledge. This combination attracts employers and strengthens the profiles of students preparing for further study in doctoral programs. As a result, many students see a master’s degree as essential to their future success.

Admission to Graduate Studies

Admission Requirements

• All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy. 

• Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.  

• English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required. 

Careful course selection and steady progression through the undergraduate career is necessary to ensure all requirements for both degrees may be completed within the 5-year time frame. All prospective students should discuss their interest in admission to the accelerated master's program with their undergraduate advisor and the department’s graduate advisor no later than the student’s junior year, the first semester of year 3.

Please note that applicants should have taken a minimum of 2 courses in calculus (6 to 10 semester hours) and a statistics course (similar to MATH 526).

Admission’s checklist

• KU student earning Economics B.A. or B.S.;
• on-track to complete all undergraduate degree requirements by the 2nd semester of senior year (year 4);
• major and cumulative GPA of at least 3.25; and
• has submitted an online application for the accelerated M.A. program in the 2nd semester of junior year (year 3)

After review of the application for admission, the Department of Economics will notify the student on their eligibility to begin course work in the program.

Final acceptance to the graduate program will occur following the completion of year 4 and be contingent upon the following:

• Successful completion of all requirements for the bachelor’s degree;
• an undergraduate cumulative GPA of at least 3.25;
• a GPA of at least 3.25 in graduate-level course work taken in year 4; and
• grades of B or above in all graduate-level course work taken in year 4. 

Contact the department:

Michelle Morrison
Graduate Program Coordinator
Department of Mathematics
433 Snow Hall
michmor@ku.edu 

The Accelerated Master of Arts in Economics B.A./M.A. & B.S./M.A. requires 30 hours and allows for the following degree completion options:

1. Course Work-Only
2. Master's Thesis Final Defense

Students may choose between a B.A./M.A. combination or a B.S./M.A. combination. This accelerated program uses a carefully planned combination of prerequisite course work, graduate-level courses taken for both undergraduate and graduate credit in academic year 4 (defined as when a student has completed 90 credit hours and therefore has senior standing), and graduate credit courses taken in academic year 5 (defined as after a student has been awarded an undergraduate degree). At initial enrollment in graduate course work, each candidate must discuss a preliminary plan of study with the M.A. program director. This plan may be revised over time. The student must be approved to begin course work toward the master’s prior to enrolling in any classes that are to count for both undergraduate and graduate credit.

For requirements for the B.A. or B.S. degrees in Economics, please see their respective Academic Catalog pages. 

M.A. Degree Requirements

Course Work

Upon completion of the bachelor’s degree, students must complete an additional 18 credit hours of graduate electives for a total of 30 graduate credit hours as indicated below. In total, 18 hours of course work (out of 30 hours) must be 700 level or higher.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Undergraduate Course Work Counting Towards M.A. (Year 4)		12
ECON 700	Survey of Microeconomics (3) 1
ECON 701	Survey of Macroeconomics (3) 1
ECON 715	Elementary Econometrics (3)
500+ level ECON elective
Graduate Course Work (Year 5)		18
Electives or Thesis Hours 2
Students choosing the thesis option should enroll in 6 hours of ECON 899 and an additional 12 hours of ECON electives at the 500+ level
Students choosing the course work only option should enroll in 18 hours of ECON electives at 500+ level
Total Hours		30

¹

ECON 520 and ECON 522, which are listed as prerequisites for ECON 700 and ECON 701, are not required for those in the accelerated master's program. 

²

Up to nine hours of elective courses may be in a related field outside of economics (e.g., business, computer science, political science, psychology, public policy, or mathematics) chosen in consultation with the graduate program coordinator and approved by the M.A. program director.

Electives

Below is a list of available electives. Courses listed below that were taken prior to official admission to the graduate program (year 5) cannot be retaken for credit. 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
ECON 600	Money and Banking	3
ECON 604	International Trade	3
ECON 605	International Finance	3
ECON 620	Elements of Mathematical Economics	3
ECON 622	Public Finance	3
ECON 630	Industrial Organization and Antitrust Policy	3
ECON 640	Labor Economics	3
ECON 664	Topics in Economics: _____	3
ECON 669	The Economics of Financial Markets	3
ECON 680	Economic Growth	3
ECON 696	Research Methods in Economics	3
ECON 716	Econometric Forecasting	3
ECON 718	Elementary Financial Econometrics	3
ECON 719	Digital Economics	3
ECON 730	Topics in Industrial Organization	3
ECON 740	Theory of Economic Growth and Development	3
ECON 769	Financial Economics	3
ECON 770	Economics of the Labor Market	3
ECON 780	Topics in Economics: _____	1-3
ECON 790	Game Theory and Applications	3
ECON 791	Game Theory and Applications II	3
ECON 800	Optimization Techniques I	3
ECON 801	Microeconomics I	3
ECON 802	Microeconomics II	3
ECON 809	Optimization Techniques II	3
ECON 810	Macroeconomics I	3
ECON 811	Macroeconomics II	3
ECON 816	Probability and Statistics	3
ECON 817	Econometrics I	3
ECON 818	Econometrics II	3
ECON 830	Game Theory and Industrial Organization	3
ECON 854	Advanced Environmental Economic Theory	3
ECON 869	Advanced Financial Economics	3
ECON 870	Applied Microeconomics	3
ECON 880	Advanced Topics in Economic Theory: _____	1-3
ECON 901	Advanced Economic Theory I	3
ECON 911	Applied Macroeconomics	3
ECON 912	Advanced Macroeconomics	3
ECON 914	Computational Methods for Economics	3
ECON 915	Advanced Econometrics I	3
ECON 917	Advanced Econometrics III	3
ECON 918	Financial Econometrics	3
ECON 919	Advanced Health Economics	3
ECON 950	Special Problems in Economics	1-3

Master's Thesis & Final Defense

Those choosing to complete the M.A. degree with a written thesis must do an oral presentation and defense of the thesis to a faculty committee in accordance with the Graduate Studies Policy on Master's Final Exams. In the thesis, the student should share the results of the economic research they have undertaken and, most importantly, the contribution the thesis makes to the extant literature on the subject. The oral presentation and defense will not be scheduled until the thesis is complete. The student must submit the thesis to the supervisor and the faculty committee at least two weeks before the final defense. For students interested in pursuing a doctoral program, the thesis degree is recommended.

Progression Requirements

Given the accelerated nature of this program, each student’s progress will be closely monitored at various points during the program:

1. Once authorized to begin course work in the accelerated master's, the student must meet with the graduate program coordinator to plan the final year of undergraduate study.
2. In the final semester of undergraduate study (year 4), the student must meet with the graduate program coordinator to review the student’s performance in ECON courses. The student must earn a grade of “B” or better in each of these courses to be eligible for regular admission to the master’s degree.
3. Following completion and award of the undergraduate degree (end of final semester of undergraduate study), the admitted student will meet with the M.A. program director to review the course plan for the 5th year of study and update as needed. The student’s performance in the graduate-level courses taken as an undergraduate will be evaluated. To continue in the program, students must earn a combined minimum GPA of 3.25 for these courses, as well as a cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25.
4. For those students who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.25, an alternative plan of study to address the student’s deficiencies may be developed, at the department’s sole discretion.     
5. If the baccalaureate degree is not completed at the end of year 4, the student will not be permitted to enroll in additional courses for graduate credit toward the master’s degree until the baccalaureate degree has been conferred.

Students should complete all requirements for the accelerated master's within one year of receiving the bachelor’s degree. If unforeseen circumstances prevent the timely completion of the master’s degree, the student must consult with their graduate advisor to develop an alternative plan for completion.

Accelerated Master's and Co-enrollment

Students, with the explicit approval of the director of undergraduate studies and the master's program director in the Department of Economics, may combine this program with the existing program on co-enrollment, which permits undergraduate students to enroll in graduate courses toward a future graduate degree while simultaneously enrolling in undergraduate courses toward an undergraduate degree.

This would not increase the number of undergraduate credit hours taken in academic year 4 that count toward both the undergraduate and graduate degrees (i.e., 12 credit hours: ECON 700, ECON 701, ECON 715, and 1 elective course at the 500-level or above). It would, though, enable a student to take additional graduate credit hours in the 2nd semester of academic year 4, enabling the student to potentially finish the M.A. degree with only 1 additional semester of graduate enrollment.

Beyond the co-enrolled semester the student will not be permitted to enroll in additional courses in a subsequent semester for graduate credit toward the Master’s degree until the baccalaureate degree has been conferred. Any graduate credits successfully completed during co-enrollment would remain on the student’s record and could be potentially applied toward a future graduate degree after the student has completed a baccalaureate degree.

A sample 4-year plan for an Accelerated BA/MA degree in Economics can be found here: Accelerated BA/MA degree in Economics, or by using the left-side navigation.

A sample 4-year plan for an Accelerated BS/MA degree in Economics can be found here: Accelerated BS/MA degree in Economics, or by using the left-side navigation.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to: 

• Apply knowledge of microeconomic theories, including consumer behavior, the theory of the firm, market theory, and equilibrium theory to explore real-world phenomena.
• Apply knowledge of macroeconomic theories, including aggregation theory, business cycle theory, and economic growth theory to explore real-world phenomena.
• Apply econometric theories and empirical skills to analyze economic problems and possible solutions.
• Apply broad economic insight to critically explore and understand real-world problems and policy solutions.
• Apply tools of economic analysis to critique original research in their specific field or subfield.
• Apply broad knowledge of theory and research methods to questions and current problems in the field of economics.
• Communicate effectively to professional audiences and the public through technical reports and presentations.