Economics (M.S.)
https://paulcollege.unh.edu/economics/program/ms/economics
Paul College’s STEM designated Master of Science in Economics is a breed apart. The program offers an academic track and an industry track. Students also have the flexibility of pursuing a mixed track that combines courses from the academic and industry tracks.
The academic track provides a full year of doctoral-level economic theory, econometric analysis, and research seminar. It is designed for students whose goal is to become a research economist and possibly a Ph.D. economist.
The industry track’s curriculum is unlike any other Master’s program in the country. It is interdisciplinary, weaving together economic theory, data analytics, statistical methods, and data modeling. The program’s mix of doctoral-level and applied classes is also distinctive. Students learn economic theory and statistical methods at the doctoral level. They also use economic theory and data to understand a range of business decision problems. Innovative applied classes include Macroeconomic Consulting and Strategy Analysis: Games and Auctions.
Few other Master’s programs in the country provide a toolkit with comparable interdisciplinary range or rigor. Students learn economic theory and econometrics, code in R and STATA, and learn SQL, PowerBI, and Tableau all in one year. Graduates are uniquely trained to help businesses understand the market context, formulate decision problems, and manage the data analysis. People with this training are in high demand by organizations in all sectors.
The program can be completed in 12 months. It starts with an intensive Mathematical Economics course that is taught in a concentrated manner over the first two weeks of the Fall semester. It is followed by two semesters of coursework. Some of the industry-track courses are scheduled on the 8-week term calendar. These term classes entail 3-credit hours and meet 3.5 hours a week. A capstone experience completes the degree requirements. Industry track students’ capstone entails a corporate consulting project in the spring, while academic track students take a comprehensive exam in microeconomic or macroeconomic theory in early summer.
The program requires a minimum of 32 credit hours of coursework and a capstone experience. All students must complete four core classes.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| The Core | ||
| ECON 825 | Mathematical Economics 1 | 4 |
| ECON 926 | Econometrics I | 4 |
| ECON 927 | Econometrics II | 4 |
| ECON 976 | Microeconomics I | 4 |
| Industry Track | ||
| DS 801 | Business Intelligence 2 | 3 |
| DS 804 | Exploration and Communication of Data 2 | 3 |
| ECON 890 | Analytical Economics in Practice (Capstone) 2 | 3 |
| ECON 871 | Macroeconomic Consulting 2 | 3 |
| ECON 875 | Strategy Analysis: Games and Auctions 2 | 3 |
| Elective 3 | ||
| Academic Track | ||
| ECON 972 | Macroeconomics I | 4 |
| ECON 973 | Macroeconomics II | 4 |
| ECON 977 | Microeconomics II | 4 |
| ECON 988 | Graduate Economics Seminar (Fall and Spring) | 4 |
| Capstone - Comprehensive Exam | ||
| Mixed Track | ||
| ECON 871 | Macroeconomic Consulting 2 | 3 or 4 |
| or ECON 972 | Macroeconomics I | |
| At least 15 credits of classes (if ECON 972 is selected) or 14 credits of classes (if ECON 871 is selected) from either the industry or academic track. Students are recommended to take at least 5 credits of classes beyond the core during the fall semester and 8 credits of classes beyond the core during the spring semester. | ||
- 1
Course is offered in the first two weeks of the Fall semester and involves in-class and online learning. It provides the mathematical foundation needed for the fall theory and econometrics classes.
- 2
Course is scheduled on an 8-week term calendar and entails 32 hours of contact time.
- 3
Electives include ECON 928 Econometrics III, Time Series Econometrics, DS 809 Time Series Analysis, DS 807 Modeling Unstructured Data, MATH 838 Data Mining and Predictive Analytics, ACFI 810 Big Data in Finance, ADMN 863 Marketing Analytics, and other approved classes. The number of credit hours will vary depending on the choice of the elective.
Accelerated Master's Overview
Accelerated Master’s programs offer qualified University of New Hampshire undergraduate students the opportunity to begin graduate coursework in select graduate programs while completing a bachelor’s degree. Accelerated master's programs are designed to provide students with an efficient and cost-effective pathway to earn both a bachelor's and master's degree or graduate certificate, enhancing career opportunities and long-term earning potential.
Accelerated Master's Highlights
- Begin studying advanced topics while an undergraduate student with the opportunity to complete a master’s degree or graduate certificate early.
- Master’s degree program students: Earn up to 12* graduate (800-level) course credits while completing a bachelor’s degree. This coursework will count as dual-credit toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
- Graduate certificate program students: Earn up to 8* graduate (800-level) course credits while completing a bachelor’s degree. This coursework will count as dual-credit toward both the bachelor’s degree and the graduate certificate.
- Students complete the bachelor’s degree, and then officially matriculate into the master’s or graduate certificate program to complete the remaining required graduate-level coursework.
*Some exceptions apply.
Accelerated Master's Admission Requirements
- A minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA is required.*
- A minimum of 90 undergraduate credits must be completed prior to enrolling in graduate (800-level) courses.
- Streamlined Graduate School Application (two letters of recommendation; most standardized tests and application fee are waived).*
*Some exceptions apply.
Accelerated Master's Requirements
- Students must attend a mandatory orientation session.
- Students must submit a special registration form each semester for dual-credit courses and note any DegreeWorks exceptions.
- Students may defer graduate matriculation for up to one year after earning their bachelor’s degree in most programs.
- See the Accelerated Master’s Catalog Policy and Accelerated Master’s Website for additional information and a list of programs. Note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher-grade expectations) compared to the general policy.
Economics (M.S.) Accelerated Option
This graduate degree program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with the following undergraduate program(s):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Analytical Economics (B.S.) | ||
| Business Administration: Accounting (B.S.) | ||
| Business Administration: Finance (B.S.) | ||
| Business Administration: Information Systems and Business Analytics (B.S.) | ||
| Economics (B.A.) | ||
| Students select from the following approved 800-level courses that can be completed in the undergraduate senior year for dual credit: | ||
| ADMN 873 | Data Management and Visualization | 3 |
| ECON 871 | Macroeconomic Consulting | 3 |
| ECON 875 | Strategy Analysis: Games and Auctions | 3 |
| MATH 838 | Data Mining and Predictive Analytics | 3 |
| Other approved 800-level electives | ||
Additional Information
After matriculating into the master's program, students take a minimum of 20 additional credits to complete the master's program requirements.
Students will be required to earn a B- or better in graduate courses to earn credits toward their degree.
Program Learning Outcomes
Core Competencies
- Utilize economic theory to formulate and solve optimization problems for consumer and firm decision making (e.g., marginal analysis).
- Apply statistical and econometric methods using programming languages to analyze and draw valid conclusions from data.
- Demonstrate an ability to formulate well-designed research projects.
Industry Track
- Apply principles of data analytics to store, manage, and visualize large datasets.
- Identify and demonstrate how economic theory, econometrics, and data analytics can be applied to decision making at an enterprise level.
Academic Track
- Apply advanced graduate-level microeconomic and macroeconomic theory to understand markets and the economy.
- Demonstrate an ability to comprehend and critique current scholarly research in macroeconomics and microeconomics.