Combined B.A./M.A. in Economics

• A master’s degree in economics will help you think about society, decision-making and public policy in a whole new light.
• Economists with advanced degrees are highly employable. You will gain technical skills that are valued in a wide range of industries, including data science, finance and public policy.
• You will become a member of a friendly, tight-knit community. Economics master’s students have extensive interaction with professors and opportunities to meet outside speakers and learn about the latest research in economics at regular seminars.
• This is a rigorous, tried-and-tested program. Recent graduates have become entrepreneurs, joined major financial firms including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, international organizations including the United Nations and the World Bank, and top PhD programs including Princeton, Berkeley and University of Chicago.

Students are encouraged to apply by doing the following:

• Consult with the Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Karna Basu.
• Submit a Major, Minor, Certificate Declaration Form, which is available from the registrar’s office.

For more information on prerequisites, see the B.A./M.A. in Economics in the Hunter Catalog. Two clarifications on the prerequisites:

• Some prerequisites may be completed in conjunction with master’s coursework (guidelines below).
• While we encourage students to enter with a strong math background, Math 155 and Math 160 are no longer officially required. The redesigned economics master’s program now has much of the necessary math built into the course structure.

This program allows substantial flexibility regarding when to start taking the courses, how many economics courses to take each semester and how many years to complete the degree. This can get confusing, so here are our broad recommendations.

B.A. Courses:

• Take ECO 200 (Principles of Microeconomics), ECO 201 (Principles of Macroeconomics), ECO 221 (Economic Statistics) and Math 150 early.
• Then take ECO 300 (Intermediate Microeconomics), ECO 301 (Intermediate Macroeconomics) and ECO 321 (Econometrics).
• Intersperse these with undergraduate economics elective requirements and any additional math courses.

M.A. Courses:

Once most of the prerequisites are met, start taking master’s courses in the fall semester of your junior or senior year. (In some cases, you may jump-start your master’s program in a spring semester by taking an elective). Here is an outline of master’s coursework:

• Summer: Math Camp (free course)
• Fall: ECO 700 (Math for Economics), ECO 701 (Microeconomic Theory), ECO 721 (Econometrics I)
• Winter: ECO 727 (Research Methods I)
• Spring: ECO 703 (Macroeconomic Theory), ECO 722 (Econometrics II)
• Research requirement: ECO 798 (MA Thesis — any semester) or ECO 797 (Research Methods II — summer)
• In addition to the above, students must take three graduate electives.

Depending on when you start taking MA courses, how quickly you wish to proceed, and remaining undergraduate coursework, you may take the above courses in a “Full Time” or “Part Time” manner.

For more information, contact the Director of Graduate Admissions, Professor Karna Basu.

Financial aid is available. Students should consult the Financial Aid Office and the department concerning work opportunities and aid.