Master of Science in Economics (MSE)

Students in this rigorous program are required to take courses in mathematical economics, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. Depending on a student's interests, the balance of a student's curriculum can be selected from a list of several elective courses. Nine academic courses are required, plus the thesis research course. That's ten courses, one year (or less), and one valuable degree. This degree prepares students to continue their studies at the doctoral level or to begin a career as an analyst.

Learning Goals and Objectives

L1: Students will develop an understanding of microeconomics at the most rigorous level.

  • L1.1 Students will demonstrate a mastery understanding of consumer theory.
  • L1.2 Students will exhibit a mastery understanding of producer theory.

L2: Students will develop a deep understanding of macroeconomics.

  • L2.1 Students will manifest the ability to develop advanced macroeconomic models.
  • L2.2 Students will demonstrate the use of macroeconomic models and data to make business and public policy decisions.

L3: Students will be able to apply appropriate analytical techniques in economic analysis.

  • L3.1 Students will demonstrate relevant mathematical and statistical skills generally applied in economic analysis.
  • L3.2 Students will show functionality with programming languages, such as STATA, R, and/or Python.

Outcomes Data

We have gathered data for competency objectives utilizing our core MSE graduate courses (i.e., Mathematical Economics I, Microeconomic Theory I, Macroeconomic Theory, and Econometrics I). These courses are ideal for evaluating progress on our key objectives, as they are required for all MSE graduate students and cover foundational topics in economics. We have defined assessment methods in different areas of the courses from which we gather measurements to compare to performance benchmarks.

Closing the Loop & Continuous Improvement

To continuously improve the MSE program, we review both student performance and assessment methods. We employ the instructor(s) to identify changes that might help close the loop.

In terms of student performance, the instructor(s) have identified the following changes:

  • Exposure to a greater variety of theoretical and applied economic research
  • Spending more time discussing programming techniques and applications
  • Introducing more assignments tied to key objectives,
  • More emphasis on connecting content

In terms of improving assessment methods, the instructor(s) have identified the following potential changes:

  • Revising assessment measures
  • Consideration of adding new measures
  • Decreasing the number of assessing courses to help with consistency
  • Altering incentives to ensure participation by instructors and students