Curriculum

Coursework Requirement

To satisfy the requirements of the MAE, students must complete a total of 9 courses:

• Economics MA Math Camp (ECMA 30400), held prior to Autumn quarter in late August or early September
• Microeconomics (ECMA 30100)
• Macroeconomics (ECMA 33220)
• Econometrics (ECMA 31000)
• 6 graduate elective courses drawn from the master’s level coursework in the Department of Economics (designated ECMA) and courses in the Harris School of Public Policy or the Chicago Booth School of Business (undergraduate math and statistics courses can also be counted by petition).

Microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics are completed in Autumn, with electives completed in Winter and Spring quarters.

Students interested in taking Econ PhD coursework must also apply to the Research Intensive Track (RIT). Learn more about RIT.

Research Requirement

There is no formal thesis requirement or option in the Master of Arts in Economics. Instead, the program seeks to provide students with a guided research experience, tailored to their specific post-graduate plans. Students must meet their research requirement in one of two ways:

Complete one ECMA course that requires a paper that applies social science research methodologies to a problem or issue in economics. Students will be supplied with a list of courses containing this requirement at the beginning of each academic year.

Engage in an independent research project supervised by an instructional professor (ECMA 39700: Independent Reading and Research).