Program Overview

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Master of Arts in Economics

The Master of Arts in Economics program at the University of Kansas is designed to develop analytical skills and provide experience using statistical analysis software. This degree is an ideal foundation for jobs in data science, analytics, government, and policy.

Overview

Economists gather and analyze data, evaluate and report on statistical trends, and make recommendations based on collected insights. The program serves students with little previous background in economics as well as students who majored in economics as undergraduates and provides maximum flexibility for students to pursue their own special interests.

Admission Requirements

• All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
• A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
• Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required.
• Applicants to the M.A. and M.A./J.D. programs should have taken a minimum of 2 courses in calculus (6 to 10 semester hours) and a statistics course.
• Students with little background in economics may be advised to take ECON 520 Microeconomics and/or ECON 522 Macroeconomics and/or ECON 526 Introduction to Econometrics as preparation for M.A. courses.

Application Deadlines

• Applications submitted before May 1 receive first consideration for fall or summer admission.
• Applications submitted before November 1 receive first consideration for spring admission.

M.A. Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Economics requires a total of 30 hours and allows for the following degree completion options:

1. Course Work-Only
2. Master's Thesis Final Defense

Course Work Requirements

• At initial enrollment, each candidate must discuss a preliminary plan of study with the M.A. program director.
• In total, 18 hours of course work coursework (out of 30 hours) must be 700 level or higher.
• Course List:
  • ECON 700: Survey of Microeconomics 1 (3 hours)
  • ECON 701: Survey of Macroeconomics 1 (3 hours)
  • ECON 715: Elementary Econometrics 1 (3 hours)
  • 12 hours of ECON electives at the 500+ level (12 hours)
  • Electives or Thesis Hours (9 hours)
• Students choosing the thesis option should enroll in 6 hours of ECON 899 and an additional 3 hours of ECON electives at the 700+ level.
• Students choosing the coursework only option should enroll in 9 hours of ECON electives at the 700+ level.

Electives

Below is a list of available electives:

• ECON 305: History of Economic Analysis (3 hours)
• ECON 350: Environmental Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 351: Philosophy of Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 360: Economic Systems (3 hours)
• ECON 363: Current Economic Issues of East Europe (3 hours)
• ECON 382: Economic Development (3 hours)
• ECON 384: Economic Development of Latin America (3 hours)
• ECON 386: Economic Issues in China (3 hours)
• ECON 409: Sports Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 410: Energy Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 413: Behavioral Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 464: Topics in Applied Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 490: Game Theory (3 hours)
• ECON 497: Research in Economics (1-3 hours)
• ECON 600: Money and Banking (3 hours)
• ECON 604: International Trade (3 hours)
• ECON 605: International Finance (3 hours)
• ECON 620: Elements of Mathematical Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 622: Public Finance (3 hours)
• ECON 630: Industrial Organization and Antitrust Policy (3 hours)
• ECON 640: Labor Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 664: Topics in Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 669: The Economics of Financial Markets (3 hours)
• ECON 680: Economic Growth (3 hours)
• ECON 696: Research Methods in Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 705: Development of Economic Thought (3 hours)
• ECON 716: Econometric Forecasting (3 hours)
• ECON 718: Elementary Financial Econometrics (3 hours)
• ECON 719: Digital Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 730: Topics in Industrial Organization (3 hours)
• ECON 740: Theory of Economic Growth and Development (3 hours)
• ECON 769: Financial Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 770: Economics of the Labor Market (3 hours)
• ECON 780: Topics in Economics (1-3 hours)
• ECON 790: Game Theory and Applications (3 hours)
• ECON 791: Game Theory and Applications II (3 hours)
• ECON 800: Optimization Techniques I (3 hours)
• ECON 801: Microeconomics I (3 hours)
• ECON 802: Microeconomics II (3 hours)
• ECON 809: Optimization Techniques II (3 hours)
• ECON 810: Macroeconomics I (3 hours)
• ECON 811: Macroeconomics II (3 hours)
• ECON 816: Probability and Statistics (3 hours)
• ECON 817: Econometrics I (3 hours)
• ECON 818: Econometrics II (3 hours)
• ECON 830: Game Theory and Industrial Organization (3 hours)
• ECON 854: Advanced Environmental Economic Theory (3 hours)
• ECON 869: Advanced Financial Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 870: Applied Microeconomics (3 hours)
• ECON 880: Advanced Topics in Economic Theory (1-3 hours)
• ECON 901: Advanced Economic Theory I (3 hours)
• ECON 911: Applied Macroeconomics (3 hours)
• ECON 912: Advanced Macroeconomics (3 hours)
• ECON 913: Monetary Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 914: Computational Methods for Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 915: Advanced Econometrics I (3 hours)
• ECON 916: Advanced Econometrics II (3 hours)
• ECON 917: Advanced Econometrics III (3 hours)
• ECON 918: Financial Econometrics (3 hours)
• ECON 919: Advanced Health Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 950: Special Problems in Economics (1-3 hours)

Master's Thesis & Final Defense

Those choosing to complete the M.A. degree with a written thesis must do an oral presentation and defense of the thesis to a faculty committee. The thesis should share the results of the economic research undertaken and the contribution the thesis makes to the extant literature on the subject. The oral presentation and defense will not be scheduled until the thesis is complete.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Apply tools of economic analysis to critique original research in their specific field or subfield.
• Apply broad knowledge of theory and research methods to questions and current problems in the field of economics.
• Communicate effectively to professional audiences and the public through technical reports and presentations.