Economics, Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Requirements

Students may complete the degree in one of two ways: with a thesis (ECO B9900 plus additional MA Thesis practicum, 3 credits each) and 30 additional credits, or without a thesis with 36 credits. For course prerequisites relating to all program courses, please consult the Course Descriptions section.

Required (Core) Courses

Total Credit Hours: 12

Specialization Requirements:

Students are generally required to specialize in one of the four areas listed below. A specialization consists of 4 courses from among the courses listed under the relevant specialization area, except in the case of Chinese Economy, for which a specialization consists of 8 courses (or 6 if the student writes a thesis in Chinese Economy). Additional courses may be selected from among any of the program courses in order to complete the 36 credits requirement. Under special circumstances, subject to approval by the Graduate Advisor, a student may take the required courses and a set of additional courses with no particular area of specialization.

Finance

Business and Management

Public Economics

Chinese Economy

Additional Requirements/Notes:

1. Calculus and Statistics must be taken before or during the first year of the program.
2. The core courses must be completed during the first year. For ECO B0000 and ECO B1000, no grade lower than B- will be accepted toward graduation from the program. A student getting a grade lower than B- must retake the class or be dropped from the program
3. Program course work must be completed with a grade average of B (3.0) or better. If a student's GPA slips below 3.0, he or she may be dropped from the program if this is not corrected within one (additional) semester.
4. With the consent of the Graduate Advisor, a student may also elect up to 3 courses from other MA programs such as Computer Sciences, Statistics, Mathematics, Political Science, PSM, Sustainability (MA level courses only).
5. Graduate courses from other institutions outside City College must be approved by the Graduate Advisor. No more than 3 Permit courses, taken outside of City College, will be accepted toward graduation from the program.

MA Thesis:

The emphasis of a thesis prepared for the MA in Economics is on an empirical application of theory, typically with a policy component. To this end it must include a substantial empirical, usually, an econometric section. The thesis must include:

1. Statement of the problem under study.
2. Formulation of operational hypotheses.
3. Clear description of the database used, including its sources.
4. Statement of Methodology. This must include a clear statement of the manner in which inferences will be drawn from the estimated statistical model (e.g. OLS, multivariate regression model, etc.).
5. Empirical Estimation:
   1. The computation of test statistics from the sample data.
   2. The inferential significance.
6. Discussion of empirical results.
7. Conclusions:
   1. Clear statement of conclusions that must relate the empirical findings to the stated hypothesis.
   2. If relevant, a clear statement of the policy (or other) relevance of the empirical findings.