Program Overview

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Master of Arts in Economics (MA)

The M.A. program in Economics at UBC owes its strength to the quality of its research faculty, opportunities for intensive training in theoretical and applied work, and a diverse offering of specializations. Our faculty members specialize in a wide range of topics, including development economics, economic history, applied and theoretical econometrics, economics of inequality and gender, environmental economics, industrial organization, international finance, international trade, labour economics, macroeconomics, applied and theoretical micro, political economy, and public economics.

Overview

The Vancouver School of Economics at UBC is one of the world's best: in a recent ranking based on research publications, our department ranked in the top 20 worldwide, and number one in Canada. We offer training in a wide range of theoretical, empirical, and policy-related fields.

Quick Facts

• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Academic Unit: Vancouver School of Economics
• Specialization: Economics
• Mode of delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Coursework + Options
• Tuition (First Year):
  • Domestic: $5,626.02
  • International: $31,147.80

Admission Information & Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

• TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based
  • Overall score requirement: 93
  • Reading: 22
  • Writing: 22
  • Speaking: 22
  • Listening: 22
• IELTS: International English Language Testing System
  • Overall score requirement: 6.5
  • Reading: 6.0
  • Writing: 6.0
  • Speaking: 6.0
  • Listening: 6.0

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

• The GRE is required by some applicants. Please check the program website.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

2) Meet Deadlines

See the graduate degree program listing for additional deadline details.

• Program Name: Master of Arts in Economics (MA)
• Intake: September 2026
  • Canadian Applicant Deadline: 15 December 2025
  • International Applicant Deadline: 15 December 2025
• Program Name: Master of Arts in Economics (MA)
• Intake: September 2027
  • Canadian Applicant Deadline: 15 December 2026
  • International Applicant Deadline: 15 December 2026

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of reference

Applicants have to submit 2 references to apply to this graduate program. Please review our general information on reference letters, including the types of references (e.g. academic, professional) that you may be asked for and how the references will be collected.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program

This program has an optional thesis component. Decisions on supervision are not made during the program application, but at a later time, e.g. after completion of coursework, for students opting to write a thesis. It is not necessary for applicants to contact faculty members prior to their application.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Fees:
  • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat:
    • Application Fee: $118.50
    • Tuition per year: $5,626.02
  • International:
    • Application Fee: $168.25
    • Tuition per year: $31,147.83
• Other Fees and Costs:
  • Student Fees (yearly): $1,144.10 (approx.)
  • Costs of living: Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.
• Deposit to accept offer (if admitted):
  • Deposit requirement: $1000.00

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

• Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)
• Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)
• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)
• Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)
• Financial aid (need-based funding)
• Foreign government scholarships
• Working while studying
• Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Career Options

The 12-month M.A. program in Economics is designed to prepare students for employment in the public or private sector, or to pursue further studies in a Ph.D. program. Recent graduates have taken positions at the Bank of Canada, the Department of Finance, Statistics Canada, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and numerous other organizations. Those looking to pursue a Ph.D. in economics have gone on to studies at Berkeley, Michigan, Minnesota, Princeton, Stanford, UCLA, Yale, Chicago, as well as our own Ph.D. program!

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

• ENROLMENT DATA:
  • Applications:
    • 2023: 387
    • 2022: 413
    • 2021: 579
    • 2020: 439
    • 2019: 422
  • Offers:
    • 2023: 127
    • 2022: 122
    • 2021: 57
    • 2020: 137
    • 2019: 141
  • New Enrolment:
    • 2023: 40
    • 2022: 33
    • 2021: 37
    • 2020: 42
    • 2019: 44
  • Total Enrolment:
    • 2023: 43
    • 2022: 35
    • 2021: 45
    • 2020: 45
    • 2019: 47
• Completion Rates & Times:
  • This program has a graduation rate of 98% based on 185 students admitted between 2015 - 2018.
  • Based on 151 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 0.68 years and the maximum time is 1.72 years with an average of 1.04 years of study.

Research Supervisors

• This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program.
• Faculty members:
  • Anderson, Siwan (Micro-level institutions, role of gender, studies of rural governments)
  • Baylis, Patrick (Climate Changes and Impacts; Economic Planning of Energy; climate change economics; energy economics; environmental economics; Climate Changes and Impacts, Economic Planning of Energy, Climate change economics, Energy economics, Environmental economics)
  • Beaudry, Paul (National and International macroeconomic issues, Business cycles, inflation, financial markets, the macro-economic effects of technological change and globalization, and the determinants of aggregate employment and wages)
  • Bostanci, Gorkem (Firm Dynamics; Input Allocation and Productivity; Labor Demand; intellectual property; Firm Dynamics, Input Allocation and Productivity, Labor Demand, Intellectual Property)
  • Copeland, Brian (International trade, environmental economics, interaction between globalization, the environment, and the sustainability of renewable resources)
  • Devereux, Michael (Economics, Macro and Monetary Economics Economic Policy, Monetary and Fiscal Policy, Deficits, Exchange Rates, Capital Flows, Financial Crises, International, monetary)
  • Drelichman, Mauricio (Economic history, Spain, Argentina)
  • Farinha Luz, Vitor (Microeconomic Theory,)
  • Ferraz, Claudio (governance and accountability in developing countries; how politics affect public service delivery; the effects of electoral rules on political selection; the role of the state in high crime and violence environments; Governance and accountability in developing countries, How politics affect public service delivery, The effects of electoral rules on political selection, The role of the state in high crime and violence environments)
  • Fortin, Nicole (Wage inequality and its links to labour market institutions and public policies, including higher education policies economic progress of women, gender equality policies, and gender issues in education)
  • Francois, Patrick (African Autocracies, Economics of Developing Countries, Indian Village Governance, Macro, development, problems in development economies, political economy and non profits)
  • Gallipoli, Giovanni (Economic Policies; Economic Phenomena on a National or International Level; Economic Phenomena on an Individual or Organizational Level; applied microeconomics; computational economics; Labor markets; macroeconomics; Consumption theory and measurement; Trade; Insurance; Economic Policies, Economic Phenomena on a National or International Level, Economic Phenomena on an Individual or Organizational Level, Applied microeconomics, Computational economics, Labor markets, Macroeconomics, Consumption theory and measurement, Trade, Insurance)
  • Gao, Ying (Microeconomic theory; Signaling Games; Information Design; Microeconomic Theory, Signaling Games, Information Design)
  • Green, David (Antibiotic Resistance, Infectious Disease, Epidemiology, Determinants of the wage and employment structure bridging between macro labour and micro labour identification issues)
  • Hnatkovska, Viktoriya (International finance, macroeconomics, development economics in India)
  • Hoffmann, Florian (Labor Economics, Macro Economics, Income Inequality, Education, Mobility)
  • Hwang, Il Myoung (empirical industrial organization and market design; evaluating different school choice mechanisms)
  • Jaccard, Torsten (international trade; International Trade)
  • Juhasz, Reka (international trade; Economic History; Development and Growth; industrial policy and industrialization; International Trade, Economic History, Development and Growth, industrial policy and industrialization)
  • Kasahara, Hiroyuki (Econometrics and international trade)
  • Lahiri, Amartya (Exchange rates and monetary policy, growth and development, international economics, macroeconomics, and development economics)
  • Lemieux, Thomas (labour market issues, Applied, labour, earnings inequality in Canada and other countries I am also interested in econometric methods used to analyze the earnings distribution and regression discontinuity designs)
  • Li, Wei (Contract theory, applied game theory, and information economics I am deeply interested in the interaction of information and incentives in various economics and political environments)
  • Li, Hao (Microeconomic theory, theory of contracts and organizations, and games and decisions)
  • Lowe, Matthew (preference formation; social integration; political selection; Political selection, Preference formation, Social integration)

Sample Thesis Submissions

• Difference in differences methodology for estimating treatment effects of outcomes recorded only after treatment using remotely sensed variables
• Tariffs and trade myths : unpacking the mechanisms behind china’s EV export boom

Related Programs

• Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD)

Further Information

• Specialization: Economics
• Economics covers many fields including: macroeconomics, labour economics, international trade and finance, environmental economics, industrial organization, information and incentives, economic theory, health economics, development economics, and economic history.
• Program Website:
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Academic Unit: Vancouver School of Economics
• Program Identifier: VGMMAA-GR
• Classification: Social sciences » Economics and business administration » Economics