The Master of Arts program has been specially designed by our faculty to provide valuable skills and background through an intensive curriculum. The degree can be completed in as little as 10 months, with longer tracks also available.
The core courses in the program will first provide mathematical and statistical foundations and then introduce students to rigorous treatments of microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. The elective courses will build upon the students’ knowledge in these three areas and introduce them to fields such as industrial organization, game theory, and labor economics. Students interested in data science can build their skills in quantitative methods and programming through coursework in machine learning, causal inference, and time series forecasting. Courses are taught using a combination of STATA, Python, and R, but no prior programming experience is required.
Degree Requirements
Students are required to take ten 3-credit courses for a total of 30 graded credit hours. A thesis is not required (or offered); however, many of the individual elective courses do require completion of research projects or papers. Students on the 18-month or 24-month tracks may also opt to take a capstone Data Science Practicum course as one of their electives.
Degree Timelines
Many of our students will complete the degree on an accelerated, 10-month timeline: beginning in mid-July and completed the following May. The 18-month and 24-month degree tracks also begin in mid-July but are completed after an additional fall and/or spring semester. A longer degree option can be a good fit for many students, including those looking to: complete the degree at a slower pace; work part-time or pursue an internship while completing the degree, build a stronger profile for PhD applications or private-sector jobs, and/or take additional Economics courses.
The following chart provides a side-by-side comparison of the three program tracks. The program staff will work closely with individual students on their course choices and the progress to degree.
| Semester | 10-month | 18-month | 24-month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Math for Economists Probability & Statistics Optional: Real Analysis | Math for Economists Probability & Statistics Optional: Real Analysis | Math for Economists Probability & Statistics Optional: Real Analysis |
| Fall | Microeconomics Econometrics Macroeconomics 1 elective | Microeconomics Econometrics Macroeconomics or 1 elective | Microeconomics Econometrics Macroeconomics or 1 elective |
| Spring | 3-4 electives | 2-3 electives Optional: Internship | 1-3 electives Optional: Internship |
| Fall | Macroeconomics (if not yet taken) 2-3 electives Optional: Internship or Data Science Practicum | Macroeconomics (if not yet taken) 1-3 electives Optional: Internship or Data Science Practicum | |
| Spring | 1-3 electives Optional: Internship |
Rigorous Coursework
The MA program is highly ranked nationally. The technical level of the MA program has been targeted to be in between the level of intermediate undergraduate courses and first-year doctoral courses. (For example, the Microeconomics course, ECO 394K, will be more advanced than our undergraduate Intermediate Economics, ECO 420K, and less advanced than our doctoral Microeconomics I, ECO 387L.1.) The MA courses have been specially designed for this program and are completely distinct from our PhD courses. Students on longer tracks may sometimes be approved to take PhD-level coursework but note that this does not translate to admission into the PhD program itself. In addition to work in theoretical economics, many of the courses focus on practical applications, including our field electives, programming courses, and the Data Science Practicum.
Click here for course descriptions and syllabi
Comparable Programs
The MA curriculum will fully prepare students for success in economics PhD programs. The curriculum is similar in rigor to the Master’s programs offered at other top departments (Boston University, Duke University, New York University, Columbia University). Please note that the technical level of this program is more advanced than most “Applied Economics” master’s programs. For a list of other terminal master’s programs in the United States, please visit the American Economic Association website.