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Hi! I do research at a university so I get tuition benefits for classes here, but I'm not allowed to count them towards a degree. I am planning to apply for an econ PhD in the next 2-3 years. Because I made a career shift after undergrad, I am missing the following classes: Real Analysis, Econometrics, Stochastic Processes in Statistics, and upper level Econ classes. I prefer to take these classes using my tuition benefits because it is much, much cheaper for me. However, I also want to have a strong application. Can anyone please advise me if it would look better on my application to go for a full masters in econ, even though it would be expensive? Thank you!

Hi all, I am interested in the field of Development economics and macroeconomics and want to pursue a Ph.D. post, my masters. I have received admission offers from the following universities for fall 2018. 1. Boston University (MA Economics, 1 year) - $57,000 (tuition) 2. University of Minnesota (MS Applied economics, 2 years) - $50,000 (tuition) 3. UT Austin (MA Economics, 1 year) - $21,750 (tuition after scholarship) 4. Vanderbilt University (MA Economics, 16-24 months) - nearly $30,000 (tuition after scholarship) Kindly advice me on which university should I opt for masters. I want to know about the following - 1. How are the job placements post masters, i.e., what is the average salary? 2. How easy/difficult it is to go from the master's programs of the above universities to their Ph.D. program? 3. How are the Ph.D. placements of the above universities - where do students go? Thanks!

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Public research university with no ranking in Economics Undergrad GPA: 3.82, Major: 3.75 Type of Grad: - Grad GPA: - GRE: 165V/170Q/4.5AW Math Courses: Calculus I (CR), II (B), Research Methods (B) Online Courses: Multivariate Calculus, Linear Algebra, Econometrics: Methods and Applications (Erasmus Rotterdam), Data Analysis for Social Scientists (MITx), Statistics and R (HarvardX), Introduction to Linear and Matrix Algebra (HarvardX). Econ Courses: Principles of Micro, Macro (CR, A), Intermediate Micro, Macro (A,B), Urban Econ (A), Game Theory (A), Law and Economics (A), Introductory Econometrics (A), Managerial Economics (A), Labor Economics (A). Other Courses: Introductory Financial Letters of Recommendation: Professor and Editor of my university's undergraduate research journal, Economics Professor known in regulation economics and game theory (knows me well + informal thesis adviser), Econometrics Professor. Research Experience: Published two journal articles in university's undergraduate research journal, accepted poster presentation in an undergraduate economics conference (2017) sponsored by the FED. Teaching Experience: Volunteer tutoring in calculus and economics tutor for Principles Micro and Macro class. Research Interests: Development Economics, International Economics and Microeconomics SOP: Detailed my interests in research, motivation, preparedness and interest in European masters. Applying to (2018 Winter intake, and preference is in order): LMU Munich, Sciences Po, Toulouse GSE, University of Bonn, Goethe Universitat Frankfurt, University of Cologne, University of Hamburg, University of Vienna, and University of St. Gallen. --- I am applying for a European Msc in Quantitative Economics/Economics with the hopes of training quantitative reasoning and experience diverse perspectives in conducting research prior to applying for a PhD program. I am here to ask for advice or suggestions and input on my profile as I will be applying to masters programs in Europe as a Non-EU applicant. know that I don't have an impressive GPA nor do I have the sit-in math classes in my major to compete with. My econ program isn't too quantitative, and financially, I can't afford to take the math classes necessary to major or minor in math. I also transferred into my university from a community college and time costed me a lot to build an undergraduate record for great recommendation letters or a chance at PhD or masters programs in Economics. Lastly and most importantly, thank you for your time and interest in attending this thread.

So I recently got accepted to the BGSE economics masters without funding. I was wondering if it is really worth it, can I get into a top 20 US phd program from there? It must be hard to get a good recommendation because it's only a one year program and that the main issue I guess. I did my undergrad from an unknown university in US so I know I couldn't get into a top 20 phd straight away. I applied without GRE scores so I don't have the option of going to CEMFI or any of the other European school at this point. Alternatively I could get a masters from UT Dallas... not sure if I'm significantly improving my chances by getting a masters from BGSE.

Hi! I'm hoping to get some recommendation about preparing for Econ PhD as a Non-Econ Undergraduate. I'm currently double majoring in Math and Business in Top School in South Korea (Top in Korea but not sure about its international reputation). In business, I mostly took finance courses and in economics, I took Principles of economics, Micro, Macro, Stat for Economics, International Finance. I've got 2 or 3 remaining semesters till the graduation. So my questions are: 1) For remaining semesters what economic courses do you recommend me to take? 2) Considering the circumstances of Universities in Korea, its hard to get strong recommendations as an undergraduate. So I'm actually thinking about first applying for masters in econ in USA schools. Would it help? Or are there better alternatives?

Hello All ! I am from Bangladesh with BS in Economics (CGPA 3.61/4) and MS in Economics with Thesis (CGPA 3.87/4) from NSU (top private university in my country). My GRE score is Q 167, V 162 AWA 4.0 and TOEFL score is 114. I have about 1.5 years of experience in working as an Associate at a consulting firm. We work for World Bank, IFC, GiZ, GE, JICA among others. Some of the work has been quantitative, policy analysis and monitoring and evaluation. Also, I have published several articles in newspapers. Additionally I am a CFA level 2 candidate. The key weakness I have are Fails in Applied math 1, Applied Stat 1 and Basic Econometrics in undergraduate. This is because I did not know (honestly and sadly did not care back then) about course dropping process. I had A`s in Applied Math 2 before failing in Applied Math 1. I also took Cal I-Cal V (All As), third year stats and real Analysis (Bs), graduate quantitative courses with good grades. I am expecting very good references - from very senior faculty (Dean or higher post) and my current employer (An ex-professor, very accomplished in government and policy) and department chair. They all know me very well and will write excellent recommendations. I will eventually go for a PhD but want to do masters from a more 'global' university to update my profile and thereby increase chances for a good PhD. I would love if someone can comment on my chances for Masters (preferably with funding) at some European universities - namely Tilburg / CEMFI (are they taking intakes now?) / University of Amsterdam / Maastricht / Stockholm School of Economics / Uppsala / Aarhus / LM University at Munich. Moreover, suggestions are welcome. I know my profile has many flaws. So please do not restrain in criticism.

For the longest time, I have been under the impression that my profile is not good enough for a T20 US Ph.D admit. The reason I have doubted my chances for a T20 admit is because unlike many successful applicants who post on URCH, I have not taken upper level proof based math classes such as Real Analysis, Topology, Measure Theory, etc. As a result, I have considered applying to good European Masters degree with the hope that having such a degree under my belt will make up for my lack of these classes and thus, improve my chances for a T20 admit. However, an acquaintance who currently attends a T15 recently told me that I am worrying unnecessarily about my lack of proof classes and that I should apply to Ph.D programs. He also thought that since lack of RA was the only real shortcoming in my profile, paying 24,000+ pounds to get a masters in Europe might be a waste of money and time. Instead, he suggested I take RA in a nearby college as a non-degree student if I really thought I needed to get a boost in my profile. Can you all please take a look at my profile below and let me know if I have a decent shot of getting into a T20 Ph.D program in the US? Am I overreacting about my lack of proof based classes? Will it be a waste for me to attend a good masters program such as LSE's Msc Economics, Oxford's Mphil Economics or Cambridge's Mphil Economics given that my end goal is to attend a top Ph.D program in the US? Type of Undergrad: Top 30 US Liberal Arts college Major: Mathematical Economics GPA: Cumulative 3.81, Econ 3.94, Math 3.8 Relevant honors: Graduated magna cum laude, received distinction in mathematical economics, and was awarded award for most outstanding senior thesis GRE: Yet to take but should be able to get 165+ on the quant with practice Math Classes: Calculus I II III (A-, A, B+), Linear Algebra (A-), Number Theory (B), Ordinary Differential Equations (A), Partial Differential Equations (A), Probability Theory (A), Probability and Statistical Modeling (A), Stochastic Processes (A), Numerical Analysis (A). Econ Classes: Intermediate Micro (B+), Intermediate Macro (A), Econometrics (A), Advanced Econometrics (A), Mathematical Economics (A), Labor Economics (A), International Finance (A), International Trade (A), Environmental Economics (A) Research Experience: Wrote a thesis that won the award for most outstanding senior thesis. Advisor was impressed and we are trying to publish the work. I have also worked as a research assistant for three other professors, with one professor publishing the paper I helped him with. The work with these professors mainly involved writing Stata code, importing and cleaning datasets using excel and SAS, and creating pretty graphs and tables for the final paper. Recommendations: Should get excellent recommendations from all of the professors I researched with, especially my thesis advisor. My thesis advisor, who also taught me two advanced mathematical economics classes, will be able to talk to my aptitude for econometrics and mathematical economics since I aced all of his classes. He also saw me self-teach myself time series econometrics for the thesis. The other recommendation will come from the professor who had published the paper I had RA'd for. He also taught me two econometrics classes, both of which I aced. Teaching Experience: Worked as teaching assistant and grader for multiple economics classes. Also worked as a tutor at the college's mathematics tutoring center for three years. Concerns: Main concern is lack of RA and other proof based classes. Secondary concerns include B/B+ grades in Calc III, Intermediate Micro, and Number Theory. I am hoping that my straight A's in advanced math and mathematical economics classes will mitigate these low grades.

Hi all, I am currently a fellow at the National Institutes of Health, Department of Bioethics. I have a background in philosophy, and intend to apply to top philosophy PhD programs this fall. However, the philosophy job market is currently abysmal. Unless I get into approx. a top 10 school, I won't have a good chance of getting a TT job... ever. And, since top philosophy PhD programs have about a 1-2% acceptance rate, I have no certainty that I'll get into a top program. As such, I'm starting to look at trying to move into an economics PhD program, where job prospects are better. My philosophy research has focused on moral philosophy, decision theory, and how we should distribute scarce resources, so it seems like a natural fit for me. Unfortunately, while I have a natural aptitude for math, I don't have any math or economics coursework under my belt. So, I probably won't get into any good US economics programs if I apply now. From my research it looks like I'll need to get a noob-friendly MA, MSc or diploma before I apply to PhD programs in economics. I've looked at a few in the UK that look somewhat promising (Cambridge, LSE), but I'd like to find some places in the US to apply to. Optimally, one with funding. TL;DR I'm a philosophy major who wants to get into a funded MA or diploma program that will help me transition into a good economics PhD program. Do these exist? Where should I look? Thanks a ton for your advice. My profile is below: PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: BA Philosophy (plus 40-odd credits in hard sciences), Cedarville University Undergrad GPA: 3.834 (Philosophy GPA: 3.955) GRE: QR: 167, VR: 169, AW: 6.0 Math Courses: None, AP'd out of calc and statistics Econ Courses (grad-level): None Econ Courses (undergrad-level): None Other Courses: Lots of philosophy, biology, chemistry, physics Letters of Recommendation: Strong from fairly well-known philosophers Research Experience: Two-year fellowship at the NIH. Presented at ~12 philosophy conferences, expect to have ~4 first-author publications in good philosophy journals (and in one OUP book) in the next 1-2 years. Teaching Experience: TA one semester, one invited lecture Research Interests: Decision theory, judgment aggregation, moral philosophy, unknown econ interests

Hello Everyone, I am international applicant. I have been accepted into two MA in Econ programs. One being the University of New Hampshire MA in Economics Program. I have received a full tuition waiver and a small amount of scholarship. The other one is the MS in Economics program at Tufts University. Here I have received a 10% tution waiver. The program cost is around $46K. Tufts has the option of a one-yr or a two-yr Masters program. I am planning to do the one-year course which does not involve writing a thesis. I do not intend to pursue a PhD in economics after completing the Masters. I am looking at it as a stepping stone to get an industry job. Given these circumstances which one of the two would be a better choice. Being an international applicant I do not know much about the reputation of these universities in the job market. I could not get enough data on MA rankings etc to compare the two. This forum has been a huge help for me during the application process. It would extremely helpful if you could share your opinions. I really appreciate your help. Thanks :)

Hey! I've recently got my acceptance from LSE for Msc Economics and from BU for MA in Global Development Economics. I am really confused between these two. I know LSE is far superior to BU in terms of rankings but I found the course structure at LSE a bit rigid. On the other hand the course structure for GDE is pretty amazing. More options. What would be a better choice? Is BU really that brilliant for Dev Econ? Also the tuition fee at BU exceeds that at LSE:/ If you guys could give me so insight it will be of great help.

This is my first post on this website, so please forgive me for any errors. I have almost completed a 5-year dual degree program which gives me both an economics (masters) and an engineering (bachelors) degree from a top technical college in India. I'm looking to do another masters in Economics from a reputed college in the US or UK like LSE or Duke to reinforce my training. I intend to do a Ph. D. after the masters and possibly get into policy making after that. Unfortunately, I had fallen behind in my academics in my first year, due to which my GPA is low. It has improved drastically over the semesters, however. I need an evaluation of my profile and guidance as to what I should do to secure such a masters as I have no benchmark, considering that my profile is very different from the traditional ones. PROFILE: Type of Undergrad / Grad: Dual Degree - Master of Science (Hons) Economics and Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Electronics and Instrumentation Projected GPA (by the end of programme) : 7.9 / 10 GRE: Not taken yet Math Courses: Maths 1 - Calculus Maths 2 - Linear Algebra Maths 3 - Ordinary Differential Equations Optimisation Operations Research Got a C grade in most Econ Courses: MicroeconomicsMacroeconomics Public Finance International Trade Econometrics Economic Growth and Plan A- in most Other: Have a strong programming and technical background Letters of Recommendation: 1 from a professor at a public policy dept where I had interned 1 from the head of the economics department at college Research Experience: coauthoring a paper with the professor at a public policy department of a top college in India Research Interests: Development economics, political economy, the space where these fields intersect with technology Concerns: Extremely poor performance in first year (including low math grades) Applying to: LSE, UCL, Duke I'm also considering taking up an RA position under a prof at a top Economics college in India before I do my masters to strengthen my application. I have no clue regarding how strong / weak my application is and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, Would be very grateful for help/evaluation on where I stand with the following development-based masters programs and if there are any others I might be suitable applying for? Any general guidance/advice on the whole process is also much appreciated! Looking at applying for: Yale IDE Oxford MSc Economics for Development Cambridge MPhil Economics LSE (unsure - too many degrees to pick from!) Type of Undergrad: Top Bachelors degree in a joint Economics programme (top 3 UK university) Undergad GPA: High 2.1 (Upper Second Class Honors) in first year exams - working towards a first for my final degree but its gonna be tough GRE (Taking this week, this is where I have been scoring in the recent ones): 167Q / 158V Math Courses (grades are roughly converted to US GPA system): Most intense available -Mathematical Methods (comprises Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Probability) etc Econ Courses: Core Macro, Micro, Econometrics, Development Econ (most use grad-level textbooks: Mas-Colell, Gravelle & Rees etc) Letters of Recommendation: Econometrics Prof with a top US PhD and well renowned in his field, Project manager for one of the NGOs I did research with, Accounting prof (less known) Work Experience: Recent experience working as a field associate for a top micro-finance institution in its central African subsidiary, previously interned at J-PAL's major Asian subsidiary, consulted for a local charity helping them solve funding issues following council cuts, most recent summer spent working in top investment bank's mergers & acquisitions division SOP: not yet written - should be standard, stressing my enthusiasm for entrepreneurship/grassroots growth initiatives/microfinance etc Concerns: 2.1 might not cut it, GRE verbal perhaps could be raised? Once again thanks for any help!

This is my first post, but I've been lurking here for a while. I'm trying to decide whether I should apply straight to PhD programs or get a Masters first. I'm currently out of school and considering taking a few classes to improve my resume. Here's my profile. Undergraduate GPA: 4.0 at a small liberal arts public university; Economics major (4.0), Political Science minor (4.0). GRE: 163V (93rd Percentile; 650 on old scale) 165Q (93rd Percentile; between 790 and 800 on old scale) 4.5 AW (72nd Percentile). Economics Courses (all A's): Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, Industrial Organization, Econometrics, Economic Development, International Monetary Theory, American Economic History, Principles of Micro, Principles of Macro, Freshman/Sophomore Economics Seminar (included research paper), Senior Seminar (included journal style research paper). Statistics Courses (all A's): Statistics (with calculus), Linear Regression and Time Series. Mathematics Courses: Calculus I (AP test in high school), Calculus II (AP test in high school), Matrix Algebra (introductory Linear Algebra) A, Calculus III (taken credit/no credit; would have been a B). Other courses (all A's): (Political Science Minor) Intro to Political Science, American National Government, Comparative Politics (included journal style research paper), International Relations, Political Science Methodology (included journal style research paper), Politics of War (included journal style research paper), Public Policy, (included extensive research paper). Letters of Recommendation: unknown Economics professor, unknown Statistics professor, unknown Political Science professor. Applying to: Mostly mid-level Midwestern schools. Most ambitious will probably be WashU, University of Illinois, and maybe Northwestern. I feel more likely to get into lower ranked programs, though. And as the thread title suggests, I'm also considering getting a terminal masters first. I'm considering taking a few math courses: Differential Equations, an introductory proof-based course, and Real Analysis (which I won't be able to take until the spring before I would start grad school). What other math courses should I consider? I'm also thinking of doing a combined Economics and Applied Mathematics Masters at the University of Missouri. I have the feeling my math and stats courses are not good enough. Thank you in advance for evaluating my profile.

Hello, I'm looking to apply for a Masters in Economics (hoping to enter in Fall 2013) and am a little concerned after reading all of these forums where others have posted their profiles. Let me preface it by saying that I'd never intended on studying economics at a graduate level, I was actually preparing to study political science or public policy. My interests have changed, however, and I'm very set on pursuing a career in economics. Unfortunately this means my background isn't as strong as someone who actually knew they were working towards an advanced degree in econ :torn: Undergrad: CSU with a modest reputation (one of the top 5 CSUs, so not totally unknown). BA in political science, with a minor in Economics. Overall GPA: 3.71, major GPA is closer to 4.0. GRE: Q 155, V 165, AW TBD (just took it today, planning to re-take it to try to raise the quant score to hopefully 160ish) Economics courses taken (all undergrad): Intro to Macro/Micro (B's in both), Advanced Micro Analysis (A-), Advanced Macro Analysis (B-), Developmental Economics (A-) Math: Finite Math (A), Intermediate Algebra (B), Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus Algebra (A), Intro to Stats (A) Math courses to come: Calculus I, II, III; Linear Algebra In hopes of making my application more competitive, I'm currently completing an Associate's degree in math at a community college. As part of this, I'll also be taking courses in C programming and Java (seems to be increasingly important in the field). LORs: 1 from my undergrad political science thesis advisor, 1 from the econ department chair (a PhD), and unsure of where the 3rd should come from - I didn't have close ties to any other economics professors. I could definitely get a good one from one of my political science profs though. Work/Research experience: No related work experience, but did write a 40+ page undergraduate research-based thesis about the legality and ethics of current US foreign policy Based upon my profile, I assume that I should limit my search to 3rd tier schools? Even then, do I have a chance at being admitted? Would it boost my eligibility if I got excellent (all A's) grades in my upcoming math classes, along with an improved GRE score? Does anyone know of any good schools that would fit this bill? My ultimate goal is to do very well in the master's and springboard into a PhD at a more prestigious school. Thanks in advance for your input!!

Hello Everyone! I need suggestions on my program selection. I am looking for a M.A. in Economics in CANADA (works better with my visa situation because I am an international student), and I'm planning to go for a doctoral afterwards. I would have gone directly to doctoral in it wasn't for my B grades in econ classes and I do need more math courses to make me competitive. My background is; GPA: 3.79 Econ GPA: 3.5 Finance GPA: 4.0 (finance mgt., intermediate investment mgt., advance topics in finance) intro Micro and Macro: A Intermediate Price theory, Macro theory, economics of antitrust: B Money banking economics: A- Econometric: B+ Marketing econ, development econ: A Statistics, Econ data (almost like a basic econometric): A -Research experience: Intern at U.S. Department of Labor, working progress research paper (will be submitted to undergrad level publications by Nov 2012) -Teaching assistant in research method class -Tutored 1.5 years to Business and Economics undergraduate students. - I am taking Pre Calculus right now which I expect I will get an at least A-. I will have my calculus and liner algebra done by the time I start my M.A. but not before I apply. - I NEED at least some financial help from the school. (I know aid is limited for international students especially for masters) Any suggestions for M.A. programs?

Hello all, So this is my first post but I've been browsing your site for the last few months.I'm currently finishing up a third year in Peace Corps West Africa working with a micro-finance bank and am looking to apply to masters programs in economics (Fall '13) with an eye on pursuing a PhD afterwards.*I have a BS in Econ from a little-known liberal arts school in S. Cali and also took multiple semester of calc and linear algebra. My overall GPA is 3.4 and in Econ it was 3.7. My GRE scores are Q760/V660.* I've been looking into NYU, Duke, Illinois State, Marquette and a few others but was wondering if anyone out there had any experience with the economics dept at Clemson University in South Carolina.*Searching these forums didn't come up with much on Clemson at all except a few mentions of their doctorate program.*At first blush this wouldn't be my top choice but it represents one of the few public universities (ranked in the top-25 by US News and World Report) that offers a masters program. Furthermore, it has a faculty with a great pedigree and offers a masters track that require taking PhD-level econometrics courses.* Does anyone out there care to comment on Clemson's program? Or have any other school suggestions other than those I listed above? Thanks!