Admission to Graduate Studies
An applicant seeking to pursue graduate study in the College may be admitted as either a degree-seeking or non-degree seeking student. Policies and procedures of Graduate Studies govern the process of Graduate admission. These may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Please consult the Departments & Programs section of the online catalog for information regarding program-specific admissions criteria and requirements. Special admissions requirements pertain to Interdisciplinary Studies degrees, which may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog.
Graduate Admission
Applicants to the M.A. and M.A./J.D. programs should have taken a minimum of 2 courses in calculus (6 to 10 semester hours) and a statistics course. Students with little background in economics may be advised to take ECON 520 Microeconomics and/or ECON 522 Macroeconomics and/or ECON 526 Introduction to Econometrics as preparation for M.A. courses. ECON 520, ECON 522, and ECON 526 do not count toward completion of M.A. degree requirements.
Applications submitted before May 1 receive first consideration for fall or summer admission. Applications submitted before November 1 receive first consideration for spring admission.
Submit your graduate application online.
English Proficiency
Non-native speakers of English must meet English proficiency requirements,
M.A. Degree Requirements
The Master of Arts degree program serves students with little previous background in economics as well as students who majored in economics as undergraduates. The program provides maximum flexibility for students to pursue their own special interests.
Candidates for the M.A. degree must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work— at least 18 hours of this coursework must be 700+ level. Economics has three required core classes—ECON 700, ECON 701, ECON 715—that count toward the 18 hours of 700+ level coursework required. Students must take at least 21 hours in economics, with the option of taking up to 9 hours in related areas, such as business administration, computer science, political science, or mathematics, subject to the approval of the M.A. advisor. At initial enrollment, each candidate must discuss a preliminary plan of study with his or her graduate advisor. This plan may be revised over time.
Thesis and Coursework-Only Options
Candidates may pursue either a thesis or a coursework-only track. Students electing the thesis track must complete 24 hours of formal course work and 6 hours of thesis under the direction of a thesis supervisor. This work is to be devoted to the completion of a satisfactory thesis. An oral examination is held on completion of the thesis. Students electing the coursework-only track must complete 30 hours of formal course work. For students interested in pursuing a doctoral program, the thesis option is recommended.
Plan of Study
Most M.A. students complete the program in 1.5 academic years. Unless they must complete prerequisites, new M.A. students enroll in ECON 700 Survey of Microeconomics and 2 electives during the first fall semester. In the first spring semester, M.A. students enroll in ECON 701 Survey of Macroeconomics, ECON 715 Elementary Econometrics, and 1-2 electives. Note: Doctoral level theory courses (ECON 801, ECON 810, ECON 817) can be substituted for—or taken in addition to—the corresponding master's level courses (700, 701, 715 respectively). Enrollments in subsequent semesters are electives until 30 credit hours are complete.
