Graduate Studies in Economics
Department Information from Graduate Catalog
Important Information Regarding Graduate Assistantships
Application for Graduate Assistantship
Job Resource Center
Contact information for queries regarding MA program
Timothy Wunder
Office 319, College of Business
817.272.3257
tim.wunder@uta.edu
Applicants meeting the general admission requirements of the Graduate School including a satisfactory score on either the Graduate Record Examination or the Graduate Management Admission Test, may be admitted unconditionally to the program. Other applicants may be admitted if approved by the Graduate Advisor in economics and the Graduate Dean. Applicants admitted but not having 12 semester hours of advanced courses in economics or not meeting prerequisite requirements for core courses are admitted subject to conditions assessed by the Graduate Advisor in economics.
Application Deadlines
The Graduate School of the University of Texas at Arlington has strict deadlines for the application process. It is mandatory that students who wish to apply for the Masters of Arts in Economics program do so before the deadlines pass. The exact deadlines can be accessed here. It is important that these deadlines are respected. The Department of Economics cannot guarantee that applications received after the deadlines posted by the Graduate School will receive full consideration during the current recruiting season.
Fast Track Admission to MA
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Facilitated Admission of Outstanding UT Arlington Undergraduates
Upon the recommendation of the Graduate Advisor,
outstanding graduates of The University of Texas at Arlington may be admitted to
a master's degree program by facilitated admission. To qualify, the student must
meet the following minimum requirements:
1. The student must have graduated from a commensurate bachelor's degree
program at UT Arlington no more than one academic year prior to the semester for
which admission to a graduate program is sought. A commensurate bachelor's
degree program is one that is a normal feeder program for the master's degree
program to which the student seeks admission. Undergraduate students in their
final year of study are also eligible; in such cases, facilitated admission is
conditional upon successful completion of the bachelor's degree.
2. The student's grade-point average must equal or exceed 3.5 in each of two
calculations:
a) The grade-point average in the last 60 hours of study as calculated
in the Graduate School for admission purposes;
b) All work completed at UT Arlington to date.
Students who qualify for facilitated admission will be admitted directly to the
Graduate School without completing the application for admission, submitting an
application evaluation charge or taking the GRE or GMAT. Students who believe
they may qualify for this program should contact the appropriate Graduate
Advisor. Some programs may require a higher grade-point average to qualify. Not
all graduate programs participate in Facilitated Admission of Outstanding
Undergraduates.
Degrees Offered
M.A. Degree in Economics:
Three Options
The Department of Economics
provides three Master’s tracks: a Thesis Option for those intending to
later pursue a Ph.D. in economic, and two Non-Thesis tracks, a traditional
flexible option and an applied economics option. The Ph.D. Preparation
Option designed primarily for students who intend to pursue a Ph.D. in
economics. This program provides excellent preparation for entry into a
Ph.D. program. The second option is the flexible non-thesis program
enabling a degree candidate to greater flexibility in designing a program
to fit one’s interest. A third track, also non-thesis, is the Applied
Economic Analysis or “number crunching” option designed to prepare
graduates to manage and analyze data sets. In this track there is less
emphasis on theory and a greater focus on empirical tools.
M.A. Degree, Thesis: Ph.D. Preparation Option
The Ph.D. Preparation
Option in the M.A. degree program is an excellent choice for students
intending to obtain a Ph.D. in Economics later at another institution. A
minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework, plus a minimum of 6 semester
hours of thesis study, are required to obtain the M.A. in Economics,
Thesis Option. The core course requirements are ECON 5301 or equivalent,
5310, 5312, 5336, 5339, 5337, 5338, and 5329. These courses would be
followed by the thesis hours plus additional relevant courses the
candidate wishes to pursue. Students develop a thesis topic in
consultation with a faculty member who supervises the thesis with other
committee members.
M.A. Degree, Non-Thesis: Traditional Option
The non-thesis M.A. degree
in Economics gives a solid foundation in economic theory and the key
elements of econometric analysis but is more flexible than the thesis
option. It requires a minimum of 36 semester hours of coursework,
including 18 hours required core courses: ECON 5301 or equivalent, 5310,
5312, 5336, 5339, and 5329.
The remaining 18 hours must
include 6 semester hours in economics. The remaining 12 semester hours may
be in economics or in supporting subjects. Successful completion of ECON 5329
satisfies the Graduate School requirement of a final master’s examination.
This program may be appealing to dual degree candidates as discussed
below.
M.A. Degree, Non-Thesis: Applied Economic Analysis Option
The Applied Economic
Analysis option in the M.A. program, which is new for 2010, focuses on a
major growth area—data analysis. Hal Varian, Chief Economist at Google,
has explained why the demand for data analysis is growing rapidly.
Organizations have low-cost computer time, huge quantities of data, and
access to software tools that allow data analysis. The problem in using
these assets is a shortage of qualified empirical analysts. One must know
how to find data, be critical of it, develop it by use of software
packages, and explain what has been learned by analysis. Advances in
econometrics analysis allow us to better understand key issues, such as
pricing and cost, inventory management, population trends, and other
issues that impact business and government.
This non-thesis option M.A.
in Economics requires 36 semester hours of coursework. The focus is on
quantitative analysis with a requirement of 18 hours and will normally be
taken in the following sequence so analytical tools can be fully
developed: ECON 5336, 5339, 5337, 5338, 5329, and 5341. The last course
satisfies the Graduate School requirement of a final master’s examination.
It is a professional research project that allows the candidate to
demonstrate the “number crunching” abilities developed in the program. The
resulting work will provide evidence to employers of practical ability to
manage and analyze data for a range of private and public organizations.
Six semester hours of electives in economics are also required plus 12
semester hours in supporting relevant courses as approved by the Graduate
Advisor. This program may be appealing to dual degree candidates as
discussed below and candidates with a strong quantitative and
computer-based skill orientation.
|
KEY COURSE SCHEDULE |
The following table
indicates key course offerings, but is subject to change as needed. Note
that ECON 5336 and 5339 (Econometrics I and II) and 5337 and 5338
(Forecasting and Time Series Analysis) are run back-to-back within the
same semester. Offerings of other Economics courses are noted in the
regular schedule. A full-time student can complete a degree within 12
months.
|
Fall Semester |
Spring Semester |
Summer Sessions |
|
ECON 5301
|
ECON 5310
|
ECON 5329 |
|
ECON 5336 |
ECON 5312 |
ECON 5341 |
| ECON 5337 |
ECON 5338 |
|
DUAL DEGREE PROGRAMS |
If a degree candidate is
interested in obtaining another graduate degree such as an MBA or an M.S.
in another specialty area while working towards an M.A. in Economics, UT
Arlington offers a dual degree option that enables students to earn two
advanced degrees—including the MBA—providing graduates an edge in the
professional world. Under the
dual degree option, individuals may pursue two master’s degrees
simultaneously or consecutively. A student must be admitted to each
program and submit Programs of Work for each degree showing courses that
meet requirements for the degrees, including joint courses that meet
requirements for both degrees. For example, a student in the MBA program
can potentially obtain a non-thesis M.A. in Economics by taking 18
required hours in Economics; the other 18 hours for the degree could come
from credit earned in the MBA program. Learn more about dual degree
options through the College of Business Graduate Business Services
website: www2.uta.edu/gradbiz/
A limited number of assistantships are available for qualified full-time students. In addition, the department occasionally offers scholarships to outstanding students, awarded on a competitive basis. Under certain conditions, this financial assistance qualifies the student for a reduction in tuition to in-state levels. To offer financial assistance to as many students as possible, the recipient of a scholarship offered by the Department of Economics is not eligible for an assistantship provided by the Department of Economics and vice-versa.
The decision to offer financial aid is predicated upon unconditional admission to the Masters in Arts in Economics program. No financial aid decision will be made before the admission process has been completed, no exceptions.
The Department of Economics does not generally offer assistantships to students not enrolled in the Masters in Arts in Economics program.
Scholarships
The award of a scholarship will not be affected in any way by race, religion, creed, or gender, but will be awarded on the basis of the student’s potential and interest in a degree program in economics.
To qualify for a scholarship, (1) a student must have a 3.4 GPA or better as computed by the Graduate School, (2) a student must be an M.A. graduate student in economics, and (3) a student must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours per semester.
The amount of each scholarship is between $1,000-2,500 and the number of awards varies year to year.
Students may apply year-round with a completed application form, a letter describing goals, achievements and career interests in economics, and two letters of recommendation to Dr. Roger Meiners, Graduate Advisor, Department of Economics, P.O. Box 19479, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019.
Departmental scholarships are offered once a year. Applications are considered during the summer semester and any awards are determined before the start of the fall semester. Department scholarships are reserved for exceptional students and the department may award no scholarships in a given academic year.
GRADUATE
students – Award amounts vary from $500 to $2500
·
Must be enrolled in a Masters of
Economics program at UTA
·
Must have completed a minimum of nine
credit hours of 5000 level courses in economics at UTA
·
GPA of 3.5 or above in 5000 level
courses in economics
·
Letter of recommendation from UTA
Economics faculty
·
Submit application form no later than
two weeks prior to the start of the semester
·
Scholarships are awarded once per
semester and may be received more than once during a student’s
course of work. Students
must re-apply each semester.
·
A student may not receive both the
fast-track scholarship and the graduate student scholarship in the
same semester. The
higher of the two amounts will be awarded.
FAST-TRACK students -- $1500 one-time award
·
Submit application form and gain
admission to the economics fast-track program
·
Scholarship awarded for the first
semester after completing the undergraduate degree
A list of past departmental scholarship recipients is available here.
Departmental Scholarship Application Form:
MS Word Format
Adobe Format
Assistantships
Application for Graduate Assistantship
To qualify as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Economics, (1) the current status of a student must be unconditional and (2) the student must be enrolled as a full-time student. In addition, an international student must satisfy the English proficiency requirement. For selecting assistants, first priority will be given to students in the M.A. program in economics.
APPLICATIONS
Applications and other necessary forms are provided in the Graduate Admissions Guide. Prospective students must apply to the Graduate School by early June for Fall admission, early October for Spring admission, and early March for Summer admission. International students need to apply earlier.
For your convenience, you may download both the U.S. and the
International/Permanent Resident student application for admission from UTA
Graduate School’s Home page:
The information on this page is superseded in all matters by the official UTA Graduate Catalog.
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