Master of Arts: Economics

M.A. Advisor

Sirisha Naidu
(816) 235-5715

UMKC Graduate Academic Regulations and Information and Master's Degree Academic Regulations can be found here:

https://catalog.umkc.edu/general-graduate-academic-regulations-information/
https://catalog.umkc.edu/general-graduate-academic-regulations-information/masters-degrees-academic-regulations/

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from this program will:

  • Have an advanced knowledge of the fundamental areas of the field.
  • Be able to integrate their knowledge with critical thinking skills.
  • Be able to articulate their knowledge, both orally and in writing.
  • Be able to effectively research the literature of this field.

Admission Requirements

There are no application deadlines for the M.A. program in Economics. Qualified students are admitted at any time and students are admitted for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.

Applicants will be considered for admission to the M.A. program if they have a baccalaureate degree in economics from an accredited college or university with an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent). Applicants whose undergraduate grade-point average is less than 3.0 will only be considered for admission if they take the general test Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and score above a 153 in Verbal Reasoning, 144 in Quantitative Reasoning, and 4 in the Analytical Writing measures; and if they present a strong application package.

Applicants who have a baccalaureate degree with an overall undergraduate grade-point average of 3.0 or better and who did not major or minor in economics may be provisionally admitted to the program but will have to demonstrate proficiency in the following courses (or their equivalents) before taking courses in the graduate program:

  • Intermediate Macroeconomic Analysis
  • Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis
  • Introductory Statistics

It is highly recommended (though not required) that students take a course on introductory calculus and linear algebra before starting the MA program.

International students who have studied less than two years (full time) in a U.S. academic program or a comparable program in an English-speaking country are required to meet the minimum proficiency requirements for graduate students as determined by UMKC’s International Student Affairs Office (ISAO):
https://www.umkc.edu/isao/future-students/english-proficiency.html

The list of countries exempt from proof of English language proficiency is found here:
https://www.umkc.edu/isao/docs/english-proficiency-exemptions.pdf

Degree Requirements

Thirty credit hours of graduate work is required for the M.A. in economics. A minimum of twenty-one credit hours must be taken at the 5500 level or higher in Economics. The following core (required) courses (15 hours) and their prerequisites are listed:

ECON 5501Advanced Macroeconomic Analysis3
ECON 5502Advanced Microeconomic Analysis3
ECON 5521Mathematical Economics 1,23
ECON 5525Econometric Methods 33
ECON 5551Advanced Institutional Theory3
Additional hours of coursework 415
Total Credits30
1

A course in Calculus is strongly recommended as a prerequisite for ECON 5521. MATH 206 at UMKC, or an course elsewhere, is recommended.

2

ECON 425 or an equivalent undergraduate course in econometrics.

3

An additional 15 hours of coursework must be completed. Up to nine of these hours may be in selected 400-level courses in economics or graduate courses in closely related disciplines, upon consultation with the graduate adviser. Graduate credit toward the M.A. in economics is not given for courses at the 300 level. No more than 6 hours of ECON 5590, may be counted toward graduation, and no Special Topics courses in other related disciplines are permitted to count towards the requirements of the M.A. degree.

Substitutions for the above prerequisites and any electives may be approved solely at the discretion of the Economics department and the M.A. advisor.

Students may petition the M.A. Advisor to waive a required course if they have already successfully completed an equivalent course at another university prior to joining the Economics department at UMKC. This waiver may only be granted by the UMKC faculty member currently teaching the course.

The prerequisites for graduate courses are very important and must be completed prior to enrollment in courses with prerequisites. Graduate students in economics must also comply with the general graduate academic regulations as found in the School of Graduate Academic Regulations and Information section of this catalog.

Requirements for Retention

Students are expected to maintain a high degree of academic excellence. Students must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 graduate grade-point average. A student who receives a grade of C+ or lower will receive an academic warning. Students who receive a grade of C or C- in two classes, or a D+ or lower in one class, will be dismissed from the program. A maximum of three hours of 2.0 (C) in graduate courses will be permitted to count toward graduation. No more than six credit hours below a 3.0 (B) will be permitted to count toward graduation. A 3.0 (B) must be earned in all undergraduate courses approved for graduate credit, such as ECON 425 and ECON 451, and in ECON 5590, ECON 5591, and ECON 5599.

A student is required to fill out a "program of study" with the M.A. advisor before the completion of 15 hours of coursework. At that time, the graduate committee will consider the student's performance and make a recommendation with regard to retention of the student. After being approved by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences graduate officer, the program of study is filed with the UMKC Records Office and may be amended upon consultation with the M.A. advisor.

A formal Program of Study form, requiring approval of the Graduate Advisor, Department Chair, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, must be filed prior to graduation. The overall minimum grade-point average for graduation is 3.0 and an overall grade-point average of a 3.0 must be obtained over all required courses—ECON 5501, ECON 5502, ECON 5521, ECON 5525, and ECON 5551.

Requirements for Graduation

Elective Courses Option

Students are required to complete 15 hours beyond the required courses. Of these, 6 hours must be at the 5500 level. ECON 5591 and ECON 5599 cannot be counted towards graduation requirements.

Project (Thesis) Option

Students are required to complete 15 hours beyond the required courses. Of these, 6 hours must be at the 5500-level or above. Students complete a supervised applied research project that counts as part of the 15 hours beyond the required courses. The number of hours for the project depends on its scope and is determined by the student and his/her project advisor. For more information about the project, see the M.A. Advisor. Depending on the scope of the project, students are required to take 3 to 6 hours from among the following courses:

ECON 5591Research And Planning Seminar (required)3
ECON 5599Research And Thesis 11-6
1

Department consent required.