Program Overview

Economics, Master of Arts (M.A.)

The Master of Arts in Economics is designed to enhance the student's abilities to use economic modeling to conduct applied analytical and econometric research. Students in this program are expected to demonstrate competence over a rigorous and current core curriculum in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory and in econometrics.

Program Goal

The program aims to equip students with the skills to conduct applied economic analysis in either a government or corporate research setting. It also serves as an excellent preparation for entry into a doctoral program in economics or finance.

Student Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to use a standard macroeconomic model to analyze the impact of a policy action on major macroeconomic variables.
• Students will be able to use advanced microeconomic models to analyze the behavior of consumers and firms and the impact of public policy on economic welfare.
• Students will understand the properties of the ordinary least squares estimator under different assumptions about the data-generating process encountered in economics.
• Students will understand circumstances in which estimation of an econometric time series model is appropriate.
• Students will understand the application of models appropriate for analysis of limited dependent variables encountered in economics.

Program Accreditation

The program is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Admission Requirements

• Degree: M.A.
• Semester(s) of entry: Fall, Spring, Summer
• Deadline dates: July 1 for Fall, November 1 for Spring, March 1 for Summer
• Test requirements: None specified, but applicants may opt to submit a GMAT or GRE score for consideration.
• Additional requirements: Up-to-date resume, and international applicants may need to submit an approved English proficiency score and/or course-by-course international transcript evaluation.

Degree Requirements

The M.A. in Economics degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours, including six core courses in economics and four approved electives.

Prerequisite Undergraduate and/or Foundation Courses

• MATH 200: Calculus with Analytic Geometry I (4 hours)
• or ECON 403: Introduction to Mathematical Economics
• ECON 501: Introduction to Econometrics (3 hours)

Curriculum Requirements

Required Courses

• ECON 604: Advanced Microeconomic Theory (3 hours)
• ECON 607: Advanced Macroeconomic Theory (3 hours)
• ECON 612: Econometrics (3 hours)
• ECON 614: Mathematical Economics (3 hours)
• ECON 641: Econometric Time-series Analysis (3 hours)
• ECON 642: Panel and Nonlinear Methods in Econometrics (3 hours)

Approved Electives

• ECON 600-609
• ECON 616-699
• FIRE 600-699
• HADM 602: Health System Organization, Financing and Performance
• HADM 610: Health Analytics and Decision Support
• HADM 624: Health Economics
• HCPR 601: Introduction to Health Policy
• HCPR 701-734
• INFO 614: Data Mining
• MKTG 600-699
• MGMT 600-699
• OPER 636: Machine Learning Algorithms
• OPER 643: Decision and Risk Analysis
• OPER 647: Multiobjective Decision Analysis
• PADM 601: Introduction to Public Service and Administration
• PADM 603: Politics and Economics
• PADM 609: Financial Management in Government
• PADM 622: Public Sector Budgeting
• PADM 625: Policy Insights: Assessing Public Policies
• SCMA 600-699
• STAT/BIOS 513: Mathematical Statistics I
• STAT/BIOS 514: Mathematical Statistics II
• STAT 600-699
• Total Hours: 30

Accelerated Opportunities

The department offers opportunities for qualified undergraduate students to earn both an undergraduate and graduate degree in a minimum of five years by completing approved graduate courses during the senior year of their undergraduate program.

Graduation Requirements

Graduate students must make formal application to graduate, and no degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized. Students should refer to the VCU Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.

Degree Candidacy Requirements

A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis, or dissertation must qualify for continuing master's or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student's graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy is a formal statement by the graduate student's faculty regarding the student's academic achievements and readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.