Economics Courses

As a student beginning graduate work in economics, you should ordinarily have some undergraduate training that includes courses in the social sciences or business administration. However, a wide variety of areas of concentration relate to or provide appropriate background knowledge for advanced study in economics. If your undergraduate major is not economics or a related field, you will take a placement test to determine whether you need to take ECON 503 Microeconomics and/or ECON 504 Macroeconomics.

Undergraduate courses in principles of economics, statistics, intermediate micro and macro theory, and some quantitative orientation are ordinarily prerequisites for graduate work in this area, although you may be permitted to make up these deficiencies while pursuing a graduate program. Your undergraduate program must be approved by the department admissions committee before you begin graduate work. You are advised to take the Graduate Record Examination and submit scores with your application. If you are and international student, take the Test of English as a Foreign Language and submit scores with your application.

It is preferable that you enter the graduate program during the summer or fall quarter. It is possible, however, to begin studies in the winter or spring quarter. For financial assistance, it is advisable to apply before March 1 for the following fall quarter.

We offer two tracks within our graduate program: (1) The Applied Economics Track; and (2) The Financial Economics Track. For the first track you are required to:

1. complete a core requirement comprising 603A & B Advanced Microeconomic Theory, 604A & B Advanced Macroeconomic Theory, 635 Econometrics, 638 Applied Econometrics, 500 Mathematical Economics Foundations, 501 Statistical Foundations, and 698 Colloquium.
2. concentrate in one area from the following list of fields: business economics; econometrics; economic history; economic planning, growth, and development; industrial organization; international economics; labor economics; monetary economics; natural resources; public finance and policy; and urban and regional economics.
3. complete a research paper in a topic within the area of concentration. (ECON 696).

You may use additional electives to complete the required 61 graduate hours.

For the second track you are required to:

1. complete a core requirement comprising ACCT 610, 611; ECON 500, 600, 601, 639, 640, 644; FIN 620, 621, 622, 623, 650. Accounting courses are offered by the School of Accountancy and finance courses by the Department of Finance of the College of Business.
2. complete an internship/research paper. (ECON 670).