The M.A. program is designed to accommodate both full-time and part-time students. It requires a minimum of three semesters of full-time study. The time limit for completion of the degree is five years for both full- and part-time students.
Course of Study: Formal requirements for the Master of Arts degree in economics are the satisfactory completion of graduate studies totaling at least 32 points and the writing of a special project report. In order to graduate, students must complete at least 24 points within the Department of Economics at New York University (i.e., courses with an ECON-GA prefix). Transfer credits do not count toward this requirement. Most courses carry 3 points; the special project carries 2 points. Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 with 18 points of B or better. Students may take 8 points outside the Department of Economics.
The M.A. degree requires five core courses, five elective courses, and a special project in economic research. The five core courses are Mathematics for Economists, ECON-GA 1001, Microeconomic Theory, ECON-GA 1003, Macroeconomic Theory I, ECON-GA 1005, Applied Statistics and Econometrics I, ECON-GA 1101, and Applied Statistics and Econometrics II, ECON-GA 1102. Special Project in Economic Research, ECON-GA 3200, is taken in the final or penultimate semester. The aim of the course is to integrate material and tools that have been taught throughout the M.A. program in addressing applied economic and policy problems. Students are encouraged to approach research questions from outside a narrow specialization and to consider linkages between different fields. Elective courses are selected from the department’s regular course offerings. Students may also select relevant courses at the NYU Leonard N. Stern School of Business. In addition to regular courses in economics, students take courses in finance, accounting, international business, and operations research at Stern. Highly qualified M.A. students preparing for a Ph.D. program may also take courses in the graduate division of the Department of Mathematics at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, which offers balanced training in mathematics and its applications in the broadest sense.