>> MS-Econ future students
Master’s in economics academics
The STEM-designated Master of Science in Economics (MS-Econ) degree incorporates applied learning experiences, flexible elective options, and career coaching to prepare graduates for immediate success in dynamic roles across industries, including government, technology, consulting, and more.
Curriculum
Designed to be completed in as little as 9 months, the master’s in economics is a full-time in-person program that requires 30 total credit hours. The MS-Econ degree includes core economics courses and electives where you will learn to apply theory and use data analysis tools.
Math bootcamp
The MS-Econ degree welcomes students from various stages of life and career, with a variety of academic and professional backgrounds. The optional math bootcamp ahead of the program ensures all students have the opportunity to be fully prepared to succeed.
Core courses
For the first half of the program, you’ll take core courses in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and data science and econometrics, taught by leading economists with an extensive research record on these topics.
This course is the first of two that provide students with a solid background in microeconomic theory. It focuses on consumer theory, production and cost, perfect competition, games with complete information, and oligopoly. You will obtain the requisite knowledge for understanding applications and as a foundation for empirical analysis.
Continue to build upon your foundation in microeconomic theory. This course focuses on general equilibrium, games with incomplete information, and topics in information economics, with special emphasis in detailed applications to actual markets and organizations.
Gain the language and tools necessary to understand and analyze macroeconomic phenomena in the domestic and global economy. This course places emphasis on the careful interpretation of economic data. You will emerge with the tools to produce analyses of how current events can be expected to affect macroeconomic outcomes.
Introducing students to concepts and tools needed to understand the global economy, this course emphasizes the interaction between countries in the trade of goods and services and the exchange of financial assets. We will study how exchange rates are determined, how assets flow across countries, why trade deficits occur, and more.
Understand basic econometric theory, methods, and applications. This course emphasizes research designs that support causal inference. Topics include fundamentals of OLS estimation and statistical inference, bias, consistency, Monte Carlo simulation, and instrumental variables. Students learn how to estimate these econometric models in STATA.
Develop practical knowledge of modern econometric research designs that support causal inference. Topics include regression discontinuity designs, difference-in-differences, fixed effects, panel data with instrumental variables, clustering, and bootstrap methods for calculating standard error. Students learn how to estimate these econometric models in STATA.
Electives
A variety of interdisciplinary electives allow you to make the MS-Econ degree your own.
- Market Design
- Macroeconomic Policy
- Topics in Data Science and Econometrics
- Game Theory and Economic Analysis
- Industrial Organization
- Environmental Economics
- Public Economics
- Labor Economics
- Categorical Data Analysis
- International Finance
- Investment Strategies
- Environmental and Resource Economics
- Global Business Environment
Applied project
Your experience culminates with a collaborative project, where you’ll apply your newly developed knowledge to solve a real-world problem. Partner with a corporation with a local presence or the L. William Seidman Research Institute, which acts as an economic research and consulting resource for a variety of public and private clients.
Professional preparation
With growing public and private demand for quantitative economics and data science and econometrics expertise, there is plenty of space and opportunity to start and sustain a high-impact career.
STEM designation
Our record of excellence and impact attracts motivated, diverse scholars from all over the world: over 100 countries are represented in the W. P. Carey student body alone. As a STEM-designated program, eligible MS-Econ graduates on student visas have access to an Optional Practical Training (OPT) extension for up to 36 months. This longer work authorization term may help international students gain additional skills and experience in the U.S.
Career coaching
Experienced career coaches in the W. P. Carey Career Services Center will help you build critical skills and your personal brand, working with you every step of the way — and even after you graduate.
- Enroll in a career course as part of your MS-Econ degree
- Consultations and guidance from dedicated career professionals
- Library of on-demand content and resources to help advance your career
- Continued access to career coaching and support for alumni
Faculty
In the last 40 years, the W. P. Carey Department of Economics has become well known for its contributions to several fields of economics, including applied microeconomics, macroeconomics, economic theory, environmental economics, public finance, labor economics, and economics of education.