Program Overview

Introduction to the Mineral and Energy Economics Program

The Mineral and Energy Economics Program is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in economic and business skills, essential for government and industry leaders in the mineral and energy sectors. The program leads to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mineral and Energy Economics, with a focus on the use of models to aid in decision making.

Program Requirements

M.S. Degree

Students in the M.S. program can choose between the thesis and non-thesis options. The non-thesis option requires a minimum of 36 credits, consisting of:

• Core courses: 15.0 credits
• Approved electives: 21.0 credits The thesis option also requires a minimum of 36 credits, consisting of:
• Core courses: 18.0 credits
• Research credits: 12.0 credits
• Approved electives: 6.0 credits

Ph.D. Degree

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 72 graduate credit hours, including coursework and a thesis. The coursework consists of:

• Core courses: 18.0 credits
• Extended core courses and research methods: 12.0 credits
• Approved electives: 18.0 credits
• Research credits: 24.0 credits

Qualifying Examination Process

Ph.D. students must pass two sets of qualifying written examinations: Qualifier I and Qualifier II. Qualifier I is taken after completion of the first-year core coursework, and Qualifier II is taken after completion of the extended core coursework. Students who receive a marginal fail on either examination will have the opportunity to retake the examination within a year.

Minor from Another Department

Non-thesis M.S. students may apply six elective credits towards a nine-hour minor in another department. This minor is ideal for students who want to enhance or gain knowledge in another field while gaining economic and business skills.

Transfer Credits

Non-thesis M.S. students may transfer up to six credits, while thesis M.S. students may transfer up to nine credits. Ph.D. students may transfer up to 24 hours of graduate-level coursework from other institutions.

Unsatisfactory Progress

Unsatisfactory progress will be assigned to students who do not pass the first-year core courses on time or do not complete requirements as specified in their admission letter.

Combined BS/MS Program

Students enrolled in the Combined Undergraduate/Graduate Program may double-count six hours from their undergraduate coursework towards the non-thesis graduate program.

Dual Degree

The M.S. degree may be combined with a second degree from the IFP School (Paris, France) in Petroleum Economics and Management. This dual-degree program is geared to meet the needs of industry and government, providing students with a solid economics foundation combined with quantitative business skills.

Prerequisites

Students must have completed the following undergraduate prerequisite courses prior to beginning the program with a grade of B or better:

• Principles of Microeconomics
• One semester of college-level Calculus
• Probability and Statistics

Required Course Curriculum

All M.S. and Ph.D. students in Mineral and Energy Economics are required to take a set of core courses that provide basic tools for the more advanced and specialized courses in the program. The core courses include:

• Mathematical Economics
• Natural Resource Economics
• Microeconomics of Mineral and Energy Markets
• Econometrics I
• Econometrics II

M.S. Curriculum

The M.S. curriculum consists of core courses and approved electives. Students in the non-thesis option must complete 18 credits of approved electives, while students in the thesis option must complete 12 credits of approved electives.

Ph.D. Curriculum

The Ph.D. curriculum consists of common core courses, extended core courses, and research methods. The common core courses include:

• Mathematical Economics
• Natural Resource Economics
• Microeconomics of Mineral and Energy Markets
• Econometrics I
• Econometrics II The extended core courses and research methods include:
• Advanced Microeconomics
• 600-level course
• 600-level course
• Research Methodology