apple12 Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Hi! I'm a rising senior at a decent (top 50) liberal arts college. I'm not really sure what I want to do after I graduate, but I've considered graduate school in economics. In particular, I'm interested in Duke's MA program. I have a 3.90 GPA and decent GRE scores, so I'm confident that I'll be accepted and have been told that it's likely I'd receive a substantial tuition waiver and won't take out loans. I'm interested in getting a Ph.D in economics but 1) don't have a ton of upper level math courses (such as real analysis) 2) don't know if I can stomach being in school until my late 20s, and 3) can't really see myself working at a university (I'm thinking maybe more Fed, IMF, or maybe even private sector). So my question is, do you think the Duke MA program is a good idea for me? My primary goals would be to decide if I want to get a Ph.D. in the future and take more upper level math courses to prepare me if I do decide to go for a Ph.D. Particularly, do you think this program is a good use of two years of my life and does anyone have any knowledge of the degree's usefulness in the private sector? Duke's website makes it seem like they have good Ph.D. placements but gives less info on their job placements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin1297 Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 If you want to work at the Fed/IMF have you considered other options, such as Masters in Public Policy, a MPP/M Econ combo, or a PhD in Public Policy? I don't really have any idea about Duke's program in particular, but I know that a Master's in Econ by itself isn't really that useful in the job market. However, if you like Econ, and want to try it out, I would say to go for it. Maybe with your grades and GRE scores, you can get into a better program than Duke. Maybe reach for UCLA/ UC Berkeley or some of the Ivies? Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chateauheart Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 (edited) If you want to work at the Fed/IMF have you considered other options, such as Masters in Public Policy, a MPP/M Econ combo, or a PhD in Public Policy? I don't really have any idea about Duke's program in particular, but I know that a Master's in Econ by itself isn't really that useful in the job market. However, if you like Econ, and want to try it out, I would say to go for it. Maybe with your grades and GRE scores, you can get into a better program than Duke. Maybe reach for UCLA/ UC Berkeley or some of the Ivies? Good luck 1. Fed/IMF do not hire MPP students as economists. 2. Getting two master's degrees is ludicrous. 3. There are only a few PhDs in Public Policy programs, and they are similar to applied microeconomics programs. They will not train you for a job working for the Fed. 4. A master's in econ is quite useful in many non-academic occupations, certainly more valuable on its own than a MPP. 5. There are no master's in economics programs in UCLA, UCB, or any of the Ivies. In case the above poster gets into a habit of giving poorly informed advice, a problem common among new posters on this forum, other readers of this forum should note that this particular user is a sophomore in college and should not be giving advice about anything pertaining to admissions and academics. In response to OP, the dominant strategy is probably to apply to the program, while looking for other options, and make your final decision next year. Edited June 18, 2015 by chateauheart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goreds Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 5. There are no master's in economics programs in UCLA, UCB, or any of the Ivies. . Except for Columbia new program Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pch Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 Hi! I'm a rising senior at a decent (top 50) liberal arts college. I'm not really sure what I want to do after I graduate, but I've considered graduate school in economics. In particular, I'm interested in Duke's MA program. I have a 3.90 GPA and decent GRE scores, so I'm confident that I'll be accepted and have been told that it's likely I'd receive a substantial tuition waiver and won't take out loans. I'm interested in getting a Ph.D in economics but 1) don't have a ton of upper level math courses (such as real analysis) 2) don't know if I can stomach being in school until my late 20s, and 3) can't really see myself working at a university (I'm thinking maybe more Fed, IMF, or maybe even private sector). So my question is, do you think the Duke MA program is a good idea for me? My primary goals would be to decide if I want to get a Ph.D. in the future and take more upper level math courses to prepare me if I do decide to go for a Ph.D. Particularly, do you think this program is a good use of two years of my life and does anyone have any knowledge of the degree's usefulness in the private sector? Duke's website makes it seem like they have good Ph.D. placements but gives less info on their job placements. OP, in short - yes, Duke will be a great option for you. The program is quite intensive and flexible, and for this reason popular with PhD applicants and for this reason there are relatively many future PhDs in the program. But it is still the case that at least half the cohort, if not 3/4, goes to industry - because they want to. There seem to be a lot of opportunities for private sector jobs and graduates from the program usually secure very decent jobs. As I've mentioned, the program is very flexible and you can take math courses easily. You are also allowed to take up to two undergrad courses, which is great if you have a poor math background because you don't have to immediately jump into more advanced courses. There are plenty of applied courses which I imagine prepare you very well for jobs. Also, keep in mind that you can take courses at Sanford School of Public Policy and (some) courses at Fuqua Business School. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johndoePhD Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 If you want to work at the Fed/IMF have you considered other options, such as Masters in Public Policy, a MPP/M Econ combo, or a PhD in Public Policy? I don't really have any idea about Duke's program in particular, but I know that a Master's in Econ by itself isn't really that useful in the job market. However, if you like Econ, and want to try it out, I would say to go for it. Maybe with your grades and GRE scores, you can get into a better program than Duke. Maybe reach for UCLA/ UC Berkeley or some of the Ivies? Good luck I am still marveling at how poor this advice is. I'm currently in the Duke MA, it is an excellent program. I can say with confirmation that the PhD placements this year and last's were absolutely insane (15+ top 20 admits). The program does provide generous funding and consistently rewards you with extra funding if you do well. I would say that about 1/3 of each cohort ends up applying and consequently attending PhD programs in econ, business, accounting etc. and the other 2/3 go onto work for think thanks, banks, or consulting firms, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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