Economics MA, Business Economics Emphasis

Admission Requirements

An undergraduate major in economics is not required for acceptance into the program. Application for admission may be submitted at any time, although class work formally begins in late August, mid-January, and mid-June. Candidates must meet the general admission requirements of the Graduate School, submit GRE scores (Advanced Economics optional), and submit two letters of recommendation from persons qualified to judge the candidate's potential for success in the program.

The admissions decision is based on the applicant's academic transcript, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and a personal narrative on the application form.

Degree Requirements

Like the General Option of the Economics MA, the Business Economics option requires 30 credit hours.  Subject to approval from the Director of Graduate Studies, as many as nine credit hours may be waived based on previously completed graduate education.  Independent of any waived courses, the 30 credit-hour program must be completed within a six-year period.  A minimum of 21 credit hours must be completed while enrolled in the MA program at UMSL.

Required Courses
ECON 5001Microeconomic Analysis3
ECON 5002Macroeconomic Analysis3
ECON 5100Econometric Theory and Methods3
Electives21
Financial Economics Electives (Choose 3 courses)
Advanced Topics In Time Series Econometrics
Advanced Monetary Theory and Policy
ECON 5210
ECON 5300
ECON 5301
Finance Electives (Choose 2 or 3 courses)
Financial Management
Security Analysis
Financial Forensics: The Science of Derivatives
International Financial Management
Other Electives (choose 1 or 2 courses)
Any Economics 5000-level course not used above and approved by the Department Director of Graduate Studies
Any Economics 4000-level elective approved by Department Director of Graduate Studies
Total Hours30

Departmental Honors

A student may earn departmental honors with a GPA of 3.75 in all required courses for the M.A. degree and the recommendation of the department.

Complementary Areas of Study

Students with a public policy focus can complete the M.A. in Economics and thePublic Policy Administration (PPA) Graduate Certificate in Policy and Program Evaluation (PPE). It is possible to earn the Certificate without any additional coursework beyond what is required for the M.A. alone.