Master of Arts in Applied Economics

Advisor: Mark Wheeler
Room 5453, Friedmann Hall

The M.A. in Applied Economics is designed for those who expect to pursue a career in business or government and prefer a course of study leading to a terminal degree that emphasizes the applications of economics to the problems of these areas. The degree is awarded on the basis of the satisfactory completion of thirty hours in a planned program prepared in consultation with the graduate advisor. Some graduates continue their formal training in economics, pursuing a Ph.D. at WMU or at another university.

Admission Requirements

Satisfactory completion of intermediate level courses in microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. Students not meeting this requirement will be admitted with conditions and are required to complete ECON 4030 (Intermediate Microeconomics) and 4060 with a “B” or higher in each.
Satisfactory completion of at least one course in calculus. Students not meeting this requirement will be admitted with conditions and are required to complete MATH 1220 (Calculus I) with a “C” or higher.

Program Requirements

The satisfactory completion of either thirty hours of course work or twenty-four hours of course work plus a master’s thesis. Twenty-one credit hours must be taken within Economics. Nine hours of course work may be taken outside the Department of Economics with the approval of the Director of Graduate Programs.
A planned program of study (permanent program of study) prepared in consultation with the Director of Graduate Programs.
A minimum overall “B” average in the graduate courses taken in the permanent program of study,
Required courses:

ECON 5040 - Mathematics for Economists Credits: 3 hours
ECON 6030 - Advanced Price Theory Credits: 3 hours
ECON 6070 - Uncertainty and Health Credits: 3 hours
ECON 6190 - Introduction to Econometrics Credits: 3 hours
ECON 6220 - Economic Statistics Credits: 3 hours
ECON 6290 - Research Methods Credits: 3 hours
ECON 6620 - National Income Analysis Credits: 3 hours

Non-thesis students

M.A. students who select the non-thesis option may elect to take concentrations in Economic Development or Econometric/Statistics. Non-thesis students who do not elect a concentration take three (3) elective courses approved by the Department’s Director of Graduate Programs.

Development Economics Concentration

Students who select the Economic Development concentration must take two or more courses related to economic development. These courses must be approved by the Department’s Director of Graduate Programs. Acceptable courses include ECON 5880: Economic Development, ECON 6880: Economic Development I, PSCI 5320: Administration in Developing Countries, PSCI 6300: Seminar: Public Administration, PSCI 6330: The Political Environment of Public Administration, and PSCI 6440: Seminar: Comparative Strategies of Development.

Econometrics/Statistics Concentration

Students who select the Econometrics/Statistics concentration take two or more courses in Econometrics/Statistics. These courses must be approved by the Department’s Director of Graduate Programs. Acceptable courses include ECON 6700: Advanced Econometrics I, ECON 6710: Advanced Econometrics II, STAT 5630: Survey Sample Methods, STAT 5650: Design of Experiments of Quality Improvement, STAT 5660: Nonparametric Statistical Methods, and STAT 6800: SAS Programming. At least one of the courses used for the concentration must be taken in the Department of Statistics.