About the MA

Think Data, Think UMSL Economics MA Program (learn more!)

The MA in Economics is specifically designed for those seeking to work as professional economists. Students acquire knowledge and a versatile set of skills that are highly valued in the workplace. A unique feature of the program is the opportunity to take a large number of courses in applied economics and data analysis and to gain knowledge through individual and group projects. The program can accommodate prospective full-time students as well as those who wish to study part-time.

Our MA program has an excellent track record (see newsletters) of placing graduates in private sector and government jobs and in top PhD programs. See  student testimonials

NEW!  STEM Designation - The BS Econ and MA Econ programs at UMSL have been designated as STEM Programs (CIP Code: 450603: Econometrics and Quantitative Economics), effective Fall 2019. This reclassification means that international students who receive these degrees can obtain three years of optional practical training (OPT). Please refer to the International Student Services Office in SSB 362 for OPT workshops and to check your eligibility. More details are available at the Department of Homeland Sercurity site.

Program Highlights

  • 30 credit hours (including 9 required credit hours)
  • Extensive elective coursework in data analysis
  • Certificate in Econometrics and Data Analysis (can be earned concurrently)
  • Full- and part-time students
  • Core courses are offered in the evenings (5:30 pm and after); electives are offered at 3:30 pm and after
  • Teaching and research assistant opportunities available

Admissions

Candidates must meet the general admission requirements of the UMSL Graduate School. Applicants need not have an undergraduate degree in economics. However, students are expected to have taken, either at the baccalaureate or MBA level: Intermediate Microeconomics (Econ 3001 or BA 5001), Intermediate Macroeconomics (Econ 3002 or BA 5002), Mathematical Economics (Econ 4150), and Introductory Econometrics (Econ 4100). Students without these courses must take them; they do not count towards the hours required for the MA.

 

F.A. Hayek Masters in Economics Student Assistantship Award

The F.A. Hayek Masters in Economics Student Assistantship Award consists of a graduate student stipend of up to $6,000. 

In some cases, the Award may optionally include:

  • An appointment to be a Research Assistant to the Hayek Chair (Professor Gillman)
  • An appointment to be a Teaching Assistant and/or Assistant in the Economics Resource Center (as assigned by the Hayek Professor Gillman in conjunction with the Economics Department Chair)
  • Some tuition support

The Award will be renewed for a second year if the student performs satisfactorily (GPA above 3.0 and any other assigned duties are successfully completed) in year one.

Interested prospective students should write directly to both the Economics Graduate Program Director Don Kridel and the Hayek Professor Gillman, at the following email addresses: krideld@umsl.edu and gillmanm@umsl.edu.

Upon correspondence with Professors Kridel and Gillman as described above, the interested students would also need to also to be admitted to the Economics MA program (as described on the UMSL Economics website).

 

Curriculum

The MA in Economics requires 30 credit hours (including 9 required credit hours); at least 21 hours must be completed in residence.

Required Courses
Microeconomic Analysis, Economics 5001
Macroeconomic Analysis, Economics 5002
Econometric Theory and Methods, Economics 5100

Coursework in Data Analysis
Applied Econometrics
Time Series Econometrics for Economics and Finance
Business & Economic Forecasting
Spatial Analysis (GIS)
Business Cycles

Other Quantitative Coursework
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Managerial Economics

Other Economics Electives
Industrial Organization, Labor, Urban, International, Financial   
Markets, Monetary Economics, Special Topics courses

Selected Electives (see  MA FAQs for details)
Selected business and math electives may also be used to complete up to nine of the 21 elective hours.


Learning Outcomes

Placements


Employers (current):
Aspire Consulting, AT&T, Bayer, Boeing, Centene Corporation, Daughterty Business Solutions, Ernst & Young, Express-Scripts, FBI, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Isle of Capri, Johnson & Johnson, Kantar Health, Maritz, MasterCard, RubinBrown, State of Missouri, St. Charles Community College, Unyson Logistics, US Bank, and Wells Fargo

Economics Ph.D. Programs:
Currently Enrolled: Illinois, UC-San Diego, Notre Dame
Completed PhD: Arizona (Finance), Cornell, Florida, George Mason, Georgia State, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers (Urban Planning), SLU, Syracuse, UC Berkeley (Ag Econ), University of Illinois-Chicago, UT-Dallas, Washington University, Wisconsin See most updated list.
PhD Acceptances (excluding those above): Arizona State, Boston College, Boston University, Georgetown, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Rice, Virginia, Wisconsin, Texas, UC-Irvine, UT-Austin


About the Dual MBA/MA

For as few as 15 hours of additional course work in economics, a Master of Arts in Economics may be obtained after your Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Students apply for the MA during the last semester of MBA studies; the usual online application is utilized. Full-time students may be able to complete the MA degree in as little as a year, while part-time students can be accommodated over a longer time period. The total number of additional courses required will depend on which electives the student has taken in their MBA program; students are advised to contact the Director of Graduate Studies in Economics regarding the choice of possible MBA electives. (The elective courses need to be approved by the College of Business.)

The following course of study is recommended for dual degree-seekers. It is assumed that students have already completed at least one course in calculus. 

Required courses:
Economics 5001, Microeconomic Analysis
Economics 5002, Macroeconomic Analysis
Economics 5100, Econometric Theory and Methods

Up to twelve hours of graduate-level electives (excluding BA 5000, BA 5001, and IS 6800 and LOM 5300) may be incorporated from your MBA degree program. The remaining nine elective graduate hours must be in economics (only three hours of which may be at the 4000 level).

Applicants need not have an undergraduate degree in economics. However, students are expected to have taken, either at the baccalaureate or MBA level: Intermediate Microeconomics (Econ 3001 or BA 5001), Intermediate Macroeconomics (Econ 3002 or BA 5002), Mathematical Economics (Econ 4150), and Introductory Econometrics (Econ 4100). Students without these courses must take them; they do not count towards the hours required for the MA.

More information about our graduate programs

For answers to many standard questions, please see the MA FAQs.
A recommended study program for prospective PhD students is here (Ph.D. application FAQs).
For more information, please contact our Director of Graduate Studies: Donald J. Kridel