Graduates of the Master of Arts in Economics will have the knowledge and experience to qualify for a wide and rapidly expanding range of analyst positions in the private or public sectors. Graduates will be particularly well suited for positions requiring both modeling skills and substantial experience in the analysis and interpretation of firm-level, industry, or macroeconomic data. A unique feature of the program is a three-course core sequence in applied econometrics. These courses emphasize the application of modeling techniques and data analysis though the introduction of cases and projects. Through these courses students acquire a working knowledge of up-to-date powerful statistical software and broad experience in working with a variety of real data sets. Graduates of the MA program in Economics, in addition to holding highly competitive terminal credentials as analysts, will find their degree to be an outstanding bridge to doctoral work, should their career path lay in that direction. Students with particular interest in financial sector positions may elect the optional specialization in financial economics.

500 and 600 level courses are offered in the evening either one evening per week from 7-9:40pm or twice a week from 5:30-6:45pm.  All business courses are held in Snead Hall.    The flexibility of our program allows student to enroll full-time or part-time per semester depending on their preference.

Students may elect a Master of Arts in Economics without specialization or may specialize in financial economics. The specialization in financial economics combines the theoretical and econometric foundation obtained in the core courses of the concentration in quantitative economics with an in-depth study of their application to financial markets.

The Master of Arts in Economics without specialization requires 30 semester hours of work, while the specialization in financial economics requires 33 semester hours. Both a thesis and a nonthesis option are available.

To view the complete curriculum for this program, please visit the Graduate Bulletin
To view course descriptions and prerequisites, please visit the VCU Courses database.
Program Summary Sheet: MA ECON [PDF]

To learn about faculty and department activities, visit the Department of Economics website