Economics — MS
The Department of Economics offers the Master of Science in Economics and a PhD track that is described elsewhere. The MS is an academic degree preparing students for careers in business, government, and academia.
More information about the MS in economics is available at https://cla.auburn.edu/economics/.
Admission Requirements for the MS in Economics
Applicants for the MS in economics must have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university. A minimum of 18 semester hours of economics and the completion of a calculus sequence are also needed to enter the program. The General Test of the GRE is required. A minimum score of 153 (or 500 on the old GRE scale) on the Verbal GRE portion and a minimum score of 148 (or 600 on the old GRE scale) on the Quantitative GRE portion are required. The graduate committee will evaluate applicants based on their undergraduate records, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation.
Applicants should ensure that the following materials are submitted to the Graduate School web application:
- Official scores from the General Test of the GRE
- Official transcripts from every undergraduate institution attended
- Official TOEFL scores for international students
They should ensure that the following materials are submitted to the graduate program officer in the Department of Economics:
- Three letters of recommendation
- Statement of purpose
For applicants to be given full consideration for financial support, a completed application and supporting documents should be received by March 1. Admission and funding decisions will begin shortly thereafter. Later applications will be considered, but decisions will be contingent upon availability.
Graduation Requirements
Students must complete a total of 30 credit hours of course work, including required courses and electives, and comprehensive examinations. No thesis is required for the MS.
Required Core Courses
Masters students are required to complete the following nine core courses. Transferring credit hours from other peer institutions is allowed only in exceptional cases.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ECON 7110 Microeconomics I | 3 | ECON 7120 Microeconomics II | 3 |
| ECON 7130 Mathematical Economics | 3 | ECON 7210 Macroeconomics I | 3 |
| ECON 7310 Econometrics I | 3 | ECON 7320 Econometrics II | 3 |
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | ||
| ECON 7220 Macroeconomics II | 3 | ||
| ECON 7330 Microeconometrics | 3 | ||
| ECON 7340 Macroeconometrics | 3 | ||
Electives
Students must take 3 hours of electives at the 6000-level or above in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies. The core curriculum and the electives combine for a minimum of 30 total semester hours.
Comprehensive Examinations
Students must achieve satisfactory (MS level pass) on 3 comprehensive examinations in microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. Only one retake is permitted on each exam. Please note that there is no thesis required.
Financial Aid
Financial aid, usually in the form of graduate teaching assistantships is available on a competitive basis for PhD students in good academic standing. Funding normally consists of a tuition waiver and monthly stipend.