Jon M. Huntsman School of Business

Department of Economics and Finance

 

Director of Graduate Programs in Economics and Finance: Todd Griffith

Department of Economics and Finance

3565 Old Main Hill, Logan, Utah 84322-3565

Phone: 435-797-9098, email: todd.griffith@usu.edu

Website: huntsman.usu.edu/economicsandfinance/

 

Introduction

The Master of Science (MS) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees in Economic Theory offered through the Department of Economics and Finance, Huntsman School of Business, are primarily intended to prepare students for subsequent doctoral study in Economics. Students that choose to do an MA are required to satisfy the foreign language requirement by earning an additional 15 credits in the study of a foreign language.

Our graduates in Economics are well prepared to continue their studies at the doctoral level. Graduates have recently continued their studies at a variety of institutions, including Brown University, the University of Oregon, Harvard Law School, University of California at Irvine, and George Mason University.

Admission RequirementsAdmission to the master’s program in the Department of Economics and Finance requires a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (4.0 = A) for the last 60 semester credits earned prior to applying for the program. Educational requirements include a bachelor’s degree, courses in intermediate microeconomic theory, econometrics/statistics, and mathematical economics/calculus. Students whose prior academic performance warrants admission, although some of these courses have not been taken, may be admitted provisionally. Such students will be required to make up deficiencies by enrolling in appropriate courses prior

to beginning the master’s program.

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. GRE scores should be included with the application. Scores should be at or above the 50_^th percentile for the verbal portion of the examinations and above the 60_^th percentile for the quantitative portion. A TOEFL score is also required of all students whose native language is not English. Application forms and more information about application requirements can be found online at usu.edu/graduateschool/ or by phoning 435-797-1189. The general application deadline is June 30_^th.

Program Requirements

A student must earn a minimum of 30 credits above a bachelor’s degree. For Plan A (thesis) students, these credit requirements include a minimum of 6 thesis research credits. For Plan B students, these credit requirements include a minimum of 3 thesis research credits. 

The Typical Plan of Study (POS) is as follows:

Required:	Semester Taught:
APEC 7350: Mathematical Economics I	Two weeks prior to the beginning of Fall semester
ECN 6320: Mathematical Methods for Economics and Finance II  or APEC 7360: Mathematical Economics II	Spring (ECN 6320 ) or Fall (APEC 7360 )
APEC 7130: Microeconomic Theory I  or APEC 6100: Microeconomic Theory I	Fall
ECN 7310: Econometrics I	Fall
ECN 6020: Macroeconomic Theory	Fall
APEC 7320: Econometrics II	Spring
Elective:
3 approved elective courses (5000 level and up) if Plan B	Fall/Spring
2 approved elective courses (5000 level and up) if Plan A	Fall/Spring
Thesis Credits:
6 credits of ECN 6970 : Thesis Research if Plan A	Any semester but typically Summer
3 credits of ECN 6970 : Thesis Research​ if Plan B	Any semester but typically Summer