Masters of Arts in Economics
The Degree
The Masters of Arts degree in Economics provides specialized training in economic science to prepare graduates for positions in business, government, and education. The primary objective of the program is to produce graduates who possess the academic and applied skills necessary to establish a successful professional career or to prepare for further graduate work in economics or a related field.
The Program
An M.A. in Economics is earned upon completion of a minimum of 30 hours of graduate course work. Students choose from two program options: thesis and non-thesis. The thesis option requires 15 hours of economics course work and 6 hours of thesis credit. Students electing the non-thesis option must complete 21 hours of economics course-work. Both options also require a 9-hour minor field. Students choose a minor field that complements their career objectives and future plans. Some of the minor fields available include: finance, marketing, management, sociology, quantitative analysis, agricultural economics, and public administration. All students must complete the following core courses as part of their M.A. in Economics program:
| Required M.A. in Economics Courses: | |||
| Course | Number | Title | Hours |
| EC | 8133 | Econometrics I | 3 |
| EC | 8163 | Microeconomics I | 3 |
| EC | 8173 | Macroeconomics I | 3 |
| Elective M.A. in Economics Courses (6-12 hours): | |||
| Course | Number | Title | Hours |
| EC | 6223 | Labor Law and Legislation | 3 |
| EC | 6303 | Theory of Economic Development | 3 |
| EC | 6313 | Introduction to Regional Economics | 3 |
| EC | 6323 | International Economic Development | 3 |
| EC | 6333 | Applied Regional Economics | 3 |
| EC | 6423 | Introduction to Public Finance | 3 |
| EC | 6433 | Problems in State and Local Finance | 3 |
| EC | 6990 | Special Topics in Finance | 3 |
| EC | 7000 | Directed Individual Study | |
| EC | 8000 | Thesis Research/Thesis | |
| EC | 8103 | Economics for Managers | 3 |
| EC | 8113 | Labor Theory and Analysis | 3 |
| EC | 8143 | Econometrics II | 3 |
| EC | 8183 | Industrial Organization | 3 |
| EC | 8273 | Macroeconomics II | 3 |
| EC | 8323 | Underdeveloped Economics: Case Studies | 3 |
| EC | 8423 | Public Finance | 3 |
| EC | 8523 | Development of Economic Thought | 3 |
All M.A. students prepare a program of study with consultation from the graduate advisor and a program committee. Students may choose to take field courses from a wide variety of areas within economics. Courses are currently offered in regional economics, labor economics, public finance, international economics, and history of economic thought. With the permission of the graduate advisor, students may also elect to take major courses offered by the Department of Agricultural Economics.
Admission and Assistantships
Applicants must meet all university-wide graduate admission requirements and achieve a minimum score of 500 on each major section of the GRE (verbal, quantitative, and analytical). For full admission to the program, students must have previously completed intermediate microeconomics and intermediate macroeconomics or otherwise demonstrate a thorough understanding of basic economic theory and an ability to perform graduate-level work in economics. Students from all undergraduate majors are invited to apply, however, it is highly desirable for prospective students to have completed additional economics, statistics, and mathematics courses before enrolling in the M.A. program. Competitive fellowships, assistantships, and financial assistance are available to students with meritorious academic records.
Contact
For additional information about the MSU M.A. in Economics, please contact the Economics Graduate Advisor:
Dr. Benjamin Blair
E-mail: bblair@cobilan.msstate.edu
Phone: 662-325-1980
