Skip to content

Master's Program Requirements

Master's Program Requirements Planning Sheet

Policy on Standards of Academic Performance and Academic Conduct

  • Minimum credit hours: 30
  • Maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA
  • Complete all courses with a C- or better
    • Core courses must be completed with a B- or better
  • Sucessful defense of project or thesis
  • Master of Arts degree must also meet the University's language requirement

Complete the following three core courses

  • ECON 6610 Microeconomics for Master's Students
  • ECON 6620 Macroeconomics for Master's Students
  • ECON 6630 Applied Econometrics

All core courses must be completed with a B- or better.

The general program provides broad, general training in economics and offers great flexibility in the program of study. Work with a faculty adviser to design 30 hours of course work.

Must complete 5-6 electives depending on project or thesis. Select electives from the list below. Substitutions allowed upon approval from Supervisory Committee Chair. 

ECON 6050 John Maynard Keynes ECON 6260 Energy Policy Options for Utah ECON 6461 Topics in Latin American Econ History & Dev
ECON 6060 History of Economic Doctrines ECON 6300 Public Finance ECON 6470 Industrialization & Econ Dev American Case
ECON 6080 Marxian Economics

ECON 6330  Game Theory

ECON 6500 Monetary Theory
ECON 6120 Labor Law and Collective Bargaining ECON 6360 Industrial Organization ECON 6510 International Monetary Relations
ECON 6140 Discrimination in the Labor Markets  ECON 6380 Law and Economics ECON 6520 Multinational Firms: Int’l Trade & Investment
ECON  6170 Feminist Economics  ECON 6400 Middle East Economic History ECON 6530 Principles of Economic Development 
ECON 6180 Poverty and Inequality ECON 6410 Survey of European Economic History   ECON 6540 Capitalism and Socialism 
ECON 6190 Health Economics  ECON 6420 China and the Global Economy  ECON 6550 International Trade Policy 
ECON 6240 Urban Economics  ECON 6430 Asian Economic History and Development  ECON 6560 Gender & Econ Dev in the Third World
ECON 6250 Environmental & Natural Resource Econ  ECON 6460 Latin American Economic History & Dev  

Project Option

Students who select the project option must fulfill the following requirements.

1. Successful completion, with at least a 3.0 average and a minimum of 27 credit hours of approved graduate course work in Economics (or other acceptable area).
2. Successful compilation of a research project, for which 3 credit hours are granted.
3. Successful oral defense of the research project.

A project is a research paper written on a particular topic that has been decided by the student in conjunction with the chair of his/her Masters Committee. When a student initially decides on a topic or field of interest, the student will approach an Economics faculty member, who has expertise in the field pertaining to this topic, for assistance by serving as the Chair of the student's Master's Committee. The requirements for formatting and binding the document should be discussed with committee chair – the university does not dictate formatting procedures on projects.

Students must register for ECON 6955 for 3 credit hours in the semester in which they will defend their project. To register for the course, submit the Project/Thesis Research Class Number Request form, and the advising team will send you the course number. 

Thesis Option

Students who choose the thesis option must fulfill the following requirements.

1. Successful completion with at least a 3.0 average and a minimum of 24 credit hours of approved graduate coursework in Economics (and other acceptable areas)
2. Successful completion of the Master's thesis in the University approved format (see details below) for which 6 credit hours are granted.
3. Successful oral defense of the thesis.

The basis of a thesis is an in-depth research paper written on a particular topic selected by the student in consultation with the chair of the student's Master Committee. When a student initially decides on a topic or field of interest, the student will approach an Economics faculty member, who has expertise in the field pertaining to this topic, for assistance for serving as Chair of the student's Master's committee. Students must follow University formatting rules for the thesis and the completed document must be approved through the Graduate Thesis Office.

Students must register for ECON 6970 for 6 credit hours in the semester in which they will defend their thesis. To register for the course, submit the Project/Thesis Research Class Number Request form, and the advising team will send the student a course number.

The thesis will be published electronically and available on USpace and ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Students can produce their own hard bound copies.

Length of Program

Degree Progress Checklist for Master’s students

For a full time student (3 courses per semester) the program requires at least three semesters of work. Maximum credit allowed per semester is 16 hours.

The maximum, completion time allowed is four years. Course scheduling problems, which do arise occasionally within the department, could extend the time for completion of all work. Requests for extended completion time will be evaluated by the Master's Committee.

Supervisory Committee

By the beginning of the third semester, Master’s students must choose three faculty members who will serve as the supervisory committee. The student is expected to work with committee members, who will also attend the final oral exam and approve the thesis or research project. The majority of committee members must be tenured or tenure-track faculty and the chair must be from the Economics Department

Graduation Application Deadlines

Students must complete an application by the following deadlines:

  • Fall graduation: June 1
  • Spring graduation: November 1
  • Summer graduation February 1

See the Master's Program calendar for more dates and deadlines.

Last Updated: 11/15/22