Master of Science in Applied Economics

http://www.utdallas.edu/dept/socsci/

Faculty


Professors: Brian J. L. Berry, Lloyd J. Dumas, Catherine Eckel, Donald A. Hicks, James Murdoch, Barry J. Seldon, Wim P.M. Vijverberg
Associate Professors: Sheila Amin Guti�rrez de Pi�eres, Nathan Berg, Kurt J. Beron, Susan Williams McElroy
Assistant Professors: Roxanne Ezzet-Lofstrom, Magnus Lofstrom, Isaac McFarlin

Objectives

The master�s program in Applied Economics emphasizes the application of economic tools to real socio-economic problems and developments in Economics as evident in the growing Economics literature. Students are introduced to the micro- and macroeconomic theories that guide empirical applications in applied fields in Economics, quantitative methods for addressing economic problems and cross-disciplinary perspectives on such problems.

Graduates of the Applied Economics program will have an educational background that is conducive to employment in banking or financial institutions, insurance, corporate strategic planning, real estate, journalism, management, marketing, labor arbitration, regulation, environmental and urban and regional planning. Graduates may also choose to undertake further studies in Ph.D. programs in Economics, Political Economy, and Political Science, as well as additional studies in business or law.

Facilities

Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University�s Computing Center. The School has two computing laboratories which have over 30 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including E-Views, R. Rats, SPSS and STATA. A computerized geographic information system, the Lexis Nexis Database and WestLaw are also available for student use. The University�s Computing Center provides personal computers and UNIX Workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the library�s and school�s memberships in numerous organizations.

Admission Requirements

The University�s general admission requirements are discussed here.

The master�s program in Applied Economics seeks applications from students with a baccalaureate degree from an accredited university of college. A 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), and a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 1200 on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE). Students may also wish to consider submitting their score from the writing component of the GRE test as additional evidence of their writing skills. Standardized test scores are only one of the factors taken into account in determining admission. Students should also submit all transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a one-page essay outlining the applicant�s background, education and professional objectives.

Prerequisites

For the Master of Science in Applied Economics, students with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and courses in calculus and matrix or linear algebra will have the necessary foundation in economics, statistics and mathematics. Students who lack this foundation should complete the following undergraduate courses at UTD or their equivalents at another institution: ECO 3310 Intermediate Microeconomics, ECO 3311 Intermediate Macroeconomics, ECO 4351 Mathematical Economics, ECO 4355 Econometrics, and SOCS 3303 Introduction to Social Statistics, MATH 1325 Applied Calculus I, MATH 1326 Applied Calculus II, and MATH 2333 Matrices, Vectors, and their Applications in order to begin the program.

Transfer Policies

Students who have previous graduate work pertinent to the requirements of a master�s program may be given up to 15 hours of transfer credit, and the hours of coursework required for the degree will be reduced accordingly. Students desiring to transfer graduate courses thought to be equivalent to core courses may be required to demonstrate competency through examination. The award of such transfer credit must be consistent with the University�s �Transfer of Credit� policy.

Degree Requirements

The University�s general degree requirements are discussed here.

Students seeking a Master of Science in Applied Economics degree must complete 36 semester credit hours of work in the program. The program has three components: 12 hours (four courses) in Required Core Courses, 9 hours of Applied Economics Electives and 15 hours of Free Electives. Students must achieve at least a 3.0 grade point average in the required courses and an overall grade point average of 3.0 to graduate.

Required Core Courses in Economics (12 hours):


ECO 5321 Microeconomic Theory for Applications
ECO 5322 Macroeconomic Theory for Applications
ECO 5309 Mathematical Economics
ECO 5311 Applied Econometrics

 

Advising note: If the student intends to enter the Ph.D. program in Economics upon completion of theMSAE, then he or she should consider taking ECO 5301 instead of ECO 5321 and ECO 5302 instead of ECO 5322.

Applied Economics Elective Courses (9 credit hours):


ECO 6321 Financial Economics I
ECO 6331 Labor Economics I or ECO 6332 Labor Economics II
ECO 6340 Industrial Organization

ECO 6355 International Trade
ECO 6361 Public Sector Economics

Other Elective Courses (15 credit hours):


The student may select other Economics courses numbered 5000 and above, or any of the following:
POEC 6301 Political-Economic Theories
POEC 6312 Social-Economic Theories

POEC 6366 International Economics
POEC 7321 Seminar in Business and Government

POEC 7340 Domestic Social Policy

GISC 6381 Geographic Information System Fundamentals
Other courses subject to approval of Coordinator of M.S.A.E. programs

Advising note: If the student intends to enter the Ph.D. program in Economics upon completion of the M.S.A.E. then he or she should consider taking ECO 6307 Microeconomics Theory II and ECO 6308 Macroeconomic Theory II as electives.