econunivranking

This is excellent information, thank you! This dispels all doubts I might have had about the UWO MA program. I am now convinced that, because of the guaranteed acceptance into the PhD program out of the MA while retaining the possibility of going elsewhere sets the UWO MA program above the rest. UWO MA > UofT MA = Queen's MA = UBC MA

I understand the confusion so I'll try to clear it up a little. Initially, I wanted to know which PhD programs in Canada have the highest probability of placing students in a top-10 tenure track. The reason I wanted to know this is to decide where I should be thinking about going to get a PhD if I decided to get a PhD in Canada. Once I have decided which PhD programs in Canada are most favourable for me based on the above criteria, it becomes, by association, easier to choose which university would be a desirable location to obtain the MA at. The logic here is that it is probably easier to get into, say, the PhD program at UofT if one also does the MA at UofT as opposed to doing the MA at Queen's or UBC because you may get references internally from the department. The same applies for all the other permutations: its probably easier to get into the PhD program at Queen's if one goes to the MA program at Queen's, etc. Additionally, if I were to do the MA at, say, Queen's, maybe it would be possible to get credit for some of the MA courses that I would complete during the MA and count them towards the PhD at Queen's (but if I would transfer to, say, UBC, that might no longer be possible; it all depends on departmental policy). So I hope that clears up the confusion a little bit. It's kind of like a decision problem where you are starting from the result you want to obtain and work your way back in the decision tree towards the starting position. As far as the fields that I am interested in are concerned, there appears to be significant overlap between them and all of the top 4 schools. Financial is deifinitely a field that I am interested in, as is development, monetary, information, labour, and international. I know that this is a relatively long list, but I wouldn't mind doing research in any of these fields, and I am sure that my interests and level of specialization will become more refined as I continue my education. Perhaps UWO is the best choice based on the above, while UBC might also be a good choice because of their strong monetary and labour groups.

Thank you setsanto, your insights are helpful as usual. Especially useful is listing the fields in which Western is currently strong at, along with the economists that are researching in those fields. That saves me a bit of legwork! Incidentally, on that note, I know that Western used to have a strong Monetary group. Do you know if there are any economists left working in that field at Western? With regards to the possibility of using Queen's, UofT's or UBC's MA program as a stepping stone into a top 10 PhD, I guess the likelihood of that happening is rather low. My biggest worry was that if I were to face a choice between all 4 of the top MA programs in Canada then by accepting Western I would forgo the opportunity of potentially advancing into a higher ranked PhD program. But it has become clear to me that very few students are actually in a position to pull that off, so the guaranteed acceptance into the PhD program that all MA students at Western get is a very useful and desirable feature of that program if you are looking to get a PhD. That would save time, money and stress associated with applyng to PhD programs in Nov/Dec/Jan while completing the MA, and would allow one to focus on one's studies only. So for me, personally, ranking the MA programs with a view of getting a PhD would be something like: Western MA > UofT MA = Queen's MA = UBC MA. I will defer from ranking the PhD programs since most (if not all) of the top 4 PhD programs in Canada require an MA to get into, and hence the normal route for those wanting to get in from the Canadian education system is to get in from the MA programs offered by these schools (or to get in using strong performance from a lower ranked MA program like McMaster or SFU). So for a finishing undergrad, I would imagine that a ranking of the MA programs is more relevant. Anyone who wants to have a take on any of these issues, or to discuss the fields in which the top 4 in Canada are currently strong in, is free to jump in.

As I understand it, Western Ontario's MA program is really kind of like a PhD program from which, if you are not good enough or don't want to continue, you can drop out with an MA. As a result of this, it seems highly risky to count on good references if one decides to leave the program with an MA in order to pursue a PhD elsewhere (i.e. it appears that Western does not want to be used as a stepping stone to go to other PhD programs). On the other hand, Queen's, UofT's and UBC's master's programs are very much a stepping stone, and the norm is finishing with an MA, so there is no bias against those that want to move up and do their PhD at a higher ranked institution. The question is: if you were accepted to all 4 MA programs and you had a guaranteed acceptance into the 2nd year of Western's PhD program straight out of its MA if you maintain good grades etc., and your ultimate goal was to get a PhD, would you risk not taking that offer in favor of an MA at Queen's, UofT or UBC, with the goal of using that as a stepping stone into a higher ranked program (or as a stepping stone into Queen's, UofT's or UBC's PhD)? Additionally, what is the marginal benefit (if any) of going to a higher ranked US or British school vs Western's PhD? Would you consider Western as good enough to get into a tenure track position at a top 10 institution, or is that unrealistic? Finally, how would you rank, in order, the PhD programs at UofT, Westerm, Queen's and UBC? Please discuss strictly academic criteria. Assume that location and funding are not a concern.

Thank you for your comments setsanto, very useful. However, what is most disconcerning for me about this school is the fact that many applicants seem to only apply to UBC, UofT and/or Queens in Canada. What could explain the fact that so many posters on here apply to the other big 3 only, but not Western? Do they think they won't get in b/c of recruitment policies or # of admits, or is there something about the school that they do not like? I can see that, in your case, you did your undergrad there, and so that's understandable (it is customary to go somewhere else to complete a grad. degree). But what possible explanation could the other posters have?

Could you guys comment on any of the following: 1) UWO was considered a top 4 school for grad econ in the past in Canada. Has this changed recently (specifically, has UWO dropped in the ranking)? What ranking, globally and in Canada, would you say the PhD program at UWO currently holds? 2) What is the general reputation of the school in Canada? 3) Is the school known and recognized as reputable in the US? 4) Have you applied to UWO and why? If you have not applied to UWO, but you did apply to other top Canadian schools like U of T, Queens or UBC at either the MA or PhD level, why was that? 5) My general impression from looking at UWO's website is that they would like ppl to continue into their PhD program directly from the MA. Is it possible to get good references from faculty if one decides to stop with an MA and not continue to a PhD, or do members of the faculty generally penalize those in the LORs for lack of commitment? Your comments are much appreciated.