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 standard proficiency 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 advisor to design 30 hours of course work.
Must complete 6 electives (or 5 electives for a thesis-degree). Select electives from the list below. Substitutions allowed upon approval from Supervisory Committee Chair or Master's Program Director (if the Committee Chair is not yet selected).
| ECON 6050 Keynes Economics | ECON 6330 Game Theory | ECON 6461 Topics in Latin American Econ History & Dev |
| ECON 6060 History of Economic Doctrines | ECON 6340 Economics, Consulting, and the Law | ECON 6470 Industrialization & Econ Dev American Case |
| ECON 6080 Marxian Economics |
ECON 6350 Behavioral Economics |
ECON 6500 Monetary Theory |
| ECON 6120 Public Policy Toward Labor | ECON 6360 The Economics of Market Power and Antitrust Law | ECON 6510 International Monetary Relations |
| ECON 6170 Feminist Economics | ECON 6380 Law and Economics | ECON 6520 Multinational Firms: Int’l Trade & Investment |
| ECON 6180 Poverty and Inequality | ECON 6400 Middle East Economic History | ECON 6530 Principles of Economic Development |
| ECON 6190 Health Economics | ECON 6410 Survey of European Economic History | ECON 6540 Capitalism and Socialism |
| ECON 6240 Urban Economics | ECON 6420 China and the Global Economy | ECON 6550 International Trade Policy |
| ECON 6250 Environmental & Natural Resource Econ | ECON 6430 Asian Economic History and Development | ECON 6560 Gender & Econ Dev |
| ECON 6300 Public Finance | ECON 6460 Latin American Economic History & Dev | Any ECON 7000-level course |
Project Option (preferred by the department)
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 6970 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, generally over two semesters, including during 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 Graduate Student Coordinator will send the student a course number.
The thesis must be orally defended approximately halfway through the final semester and then submitted to the Thesis Office, following the Submission Procedure and Target Dates.
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/9 credits per semester) the program requires four semesters of work, with the final semester being dedicated solely to work on the Master's project (or thesis). 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.
Limited courses are offered during Summer semester, and students should not expect to have a full-time courseload in the Summer.
Supervisory Committee
By the beginning of the semester prior to their graduation semester, Master’s students must choose one tenure-line faculty member to be supervisory committee chairperson. By the beginning of the semester of their graduation, Master's students must choose two additional faculty members to serve as their supervisory committee, alongside their committee chairperson. 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 tenure-line faculty and the chair must be from the Economics Department.
Graduation Application Deadlines
Students must complete an application within two weeks after the start of their graduation semester.
See the Master's Program calendar for more dates and deadlines.