Other Recommended Electives

• Mathematical Economics (ECON 465)
• Introduction to Finance (FIN 500)
• Investment (FIN 511)
• Financial derivatives (FIN 512)
• Financial management (FIN 520)
• Comm skills for Fin Profession (FIN 580)
• Commodity futures & options (ACE 428)
• Risk & Info: Theory & application (ACE 501)
• Collective actioon & interest groups (PS 507)
• Linear Algebra (MATH 415)
• Elementary reall analysis (MATH 444)
• Linear Algebra & financial application (MATH 410)
• Differential equations(MATH 441)
• Mathods of applied statistics (STAT 420)
• Applied regression & design (STAT 425)
• Topics in applied statistics (STAT 430)

PROGRAM RULES SUMMARY

1. Minimum of 40 graduate credit hours (equivalent to ten 4-credit-hour courses). There is no thesis option.
   • Core courses: Econ 500 (Microeconomics), Econ 506 (Statistics/Econometrics), Econ 508 (Applied Econometrics), Econ 509 (Macroeconomics). All students must take Econ 500 and Econ 506 in their first semester in the Program, and Econ 508 in their second semester. Econ 509 may be taken either in the first or the second semester.
   • Elective courses: All students must take at least 6 additional elective courses (besides core courses). Two of the elective courses can be from other departments. However, if they are to be counted towards the degree requirements of the Program, they must be approved by the Program’s Director.
   • Field of specialization: All students must have at least one field of specialization. A field of specialization consists of two or more elective courses in a particular area with at least one of the courses being at the 500-level.
     • The field in international economics requires two 500-level courses: ECON 520 & ECON 522. The field in advanced econometrics is only open to students who take the PhD section of ECON 506 & are not on PhD track.
   • Only two of the six required elective courses can be at the 400 level.
     • ECON 523 is equivalent to ECON 420 and is counted as a 400 level course.
   • If both Ph.D. and Master's sections of the same course is taken, only one will be counted towards the degree requirements of the Program.
   • The same course cannot be taken at both 400 and 500 level to satisfy the program requirements.
   • All independent study courses must be approved by the Director if they are to be counted towards the degree requirements of the Program.
2. Minimum grade point average: All students have to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (B) at the end of each semester. If a student’s cumulative GPA goes below 3, he/she will be put on probation and will have one semester to raise his GPA to 3 (or above). No student can graduate with a final cumulative GPA of less than 3.
3. Minimum length of stay in the Program is one calendar year (fall and spring semesters plus summer session). The maximum length of stay is two years.
   • Minimum semester load (including required ESL courses): 12 credit hours. [Students are allowed to carry a less than 12-credit hours only in one semester. Two letters, one from the student’s sponsor (if he/she has a government or private-sector sponsor) and the other from the International Students & Scholars Services (ISSS) authorizing a reduced load, are required for this purpose.]
   • Maximum semester load:Fall & Spring 16 credit hours, Summer 8 credit hours. Any course load beyond these must be approved by the Director of the Program.
4. All students must be enrolled in at least one Econ course every semester. No student is allowed to take all his/her semester courses from the outside of the Economics Department.

PhD TRACK RULES

• Pre-requisites: Strong background in economics, quantitative methods, and English as determined by the Director of the Program
• First year:
  • Courses: E500 (section 2), E506 (section 1), E509 during the fall semester; and E508 plus two or three MSPE electives during the spring semester.
  • Performance: A GPA of 3.5 or above in E500 (section 2), E506 (section 1), and an overall GPA of 3.8 or above.
• Second year:
  • Courses: E500 (section 1), E503, and one MSPE elective during the fall semester; and E502, E505, and E507 during the second semester.
  • Performance: A GPA of 3.5 or above during the first semester; successful performance in PhD qualifying exam at the end of the second semester.
• Other:
  • Failure at any stage results in the student to revert back to the master’s track (no exceptions).
  • If a student reverts back to the master track, he/she must satisfy the Program’s requirements for a degree in order to receive an M.S. degree.
  • E500 (section 2) and E500 (section 1) are counted as one course for satisfying the minimum of 10 graduate courses in the MSPE Program.