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I would really appreciate it if could tell me about how is their program? They of course have great placements and is similar to what I want to do. However, Does anyone knows who are the leading figures in their economics department?

Hello, everyone. I would like you to share anything regarding UBC master's academic (PhD) placement. I have two offers so far. One is US top 50 PhD program (with 5 year full funding), and the other is UBC master (with TA-ship). In my plan, I will take UBC master of economics and then apply again to US top 30 program or stay at UBC PhD. My concern is whether UBC master program will improve my chance to go to better PhD programs given that my degrees are BA and Master in Commerce (Business). I have already asked those kinds of questions to UBC people, but their answers are ambiguous. Would appreciate it if you told me something about UBC master's placement for PhD programs.

My profile: Country: India Master's in Economics Degree from a Top 5 University. First ranker. (12 years ago) Research experience - 2 years in total : 1 year with a economic policy think-tank with and 1 year with a IIM, Ahmedabad professor - but both are 10 years ago More recent Work-experience: 8 years in data analytics industry GRE: Yet to take, but took once 12 years ago with a 1420 (710 in Quant and Verbal both) Recommendations: 1 from the IIM professor, 1 from my Master's thesis guide and 1 more from my Master's prog prof. All are fairly well known in India, but I'm unsure of how good a recco I'd get given the time that has lapsed since i worked with them. I am looking to immigrate to Canada with my family, and the PR (permanent residency, equivalence of a domestic student basically) application is already in pipeline. I am hoping to hear back positively by Nov/Dec 2018 latest on this. Hence, I'm looking only at Canadian schools for my studies. My questions are as follows: 1. What are my chances to get into UBC and U of Toronto? 2. Do you know if univs give a preference to international candidates or domestic (which is what a PR should help me get)? I'm keen on UBC, but not sure how strong my profile is and if I should first wait to get the PR in hand before i apply. If any of you have insights on this point, it would be quite helpful. 3. When is the latest I should take the GRE to meet the deadlines for applying for Fall 2019 admissions? 4. Does age play on negatively in a PhD application? Thank you all for reading through and guiding!

I have offers from UBC and UC Santa Barbara for the economics PhD. The funding offer is the same from each school. My interest is in environmental economics, especially the intersection with development econ. I don't know much about UCSB, so I am having a tough time weighing the options. From what I read, it is strong in environmental econ -- most of the job market candidates list it as a primary or secondary field, and there is a collaboration between the econ and environmental science department. This makes me feel that I would get a lot of faculty support and guidance in this area. On the other hand, the placements are pretty weak - mostly at state schools or consulting companies. With UBC, they have less of a structured focus on environmental econ, and only 1 or 2 profs are experts in the area. However, the overall department quality is quite high. I know some professors, and they are very helpful and willing to invest a lot in your academic progress. The placements are stronger -- either decent Canadian universities or mid-tier american schools. Downside is that cost of living is VERY high. I'm wondering if anyone with more insight about UCSB could suggest more info about pros vs cons?

Hello, I've been given offers to three Canadian programs and one UK program (I was also accepted to a different program at Cambridge at Christ's College but will be turning it down). I am trying to figure out which program will give me the best chance to get into a top PhD program, but would also perhaps stand well as a terminal degree if I do not end up pursuing a PhD (personal health problems might make that difficult or delayed). I would appreciate insight from any fellow applicants, alum, or even people within the field. My offers: 1) Oxford MSc Economics for Development - No funding, quite pricey - Structure: courses in economic theory (micro/macro split) and econometrics, tutorials in related areas like poverty, development, inequality, etc. with a final 10,000 page extended essay 2) UBC MA Economics - 12K TAship offered and 1K fellowship/RA - Structure: first semester of intense core theory (micro, macro, metrics, mathematics), second semester electives (e.g. labour, environment, etc.). Third semester of research seminar (project for a class rather than independent research, no individual supervision). Probably the most intense program of the 4 3) UofT MA Economics - Regular (non-doctoral) stream, 8K TAship and 10K award - Structure: 8 months of courses, 3 core (micro, macro, metrics) and 5 electives. No research option 4) Queen's MA Economics - 8K TAship and 11K award offered, been advised that my SSHRC application ($22,500) will likely be approved (in that case I would have to turn down the 11K award) - Structure: first semester micro, metrics, and two others, second semester macro and three others. Option to take a spring course instead of 4 in first term. Summer research essay, supervision by professor - Problem: Does not offer courses in my fields of interest (development, labour, environment, health) My details: - Canadian undergrad from a top Canadian school - GRE: 170/163/6.0 - Interest in development economics and looking at the labour, environment, health, gender, technology side of economic analysis (not interested in finance, banking, etc.) - Unsure about pursuing a PhD in Economics but definitely want to keep it in the cards. Possiblity that this might be a terminal degree, however, and I have to account for that. - Might need to take a reduced course load (2 or 3 classes/term rather than 4) due to medical issues Oxford's program had until now been my top choice for its blending of economics and development, connections with development institutions, and Oxford's good name (which would be more important if this will be my terminal degree, which might be the case). My main concerns with the program is that 1) it might not be considered rigorous enough for an Econ PhD in Canada if it only covers micro/macro/metrics and the rest is more political economy rather than economic analysis, and 2) the price, of course. I would have to entirely self-fund through savings, loans, lines of credit, etc. In Canada, UBC and UofT seem to be the most reputable in economics (Queens in third), though all three seem to focus very little on applied econ and focus almost entirely on core theory. This would be great for PhD programs (though i have been advised that the non-doctoral stream at Toronto is not considered rigorous enough), but for a terminal degree I wonder if a more applied one from a bigger name school (Oxford) would be more valuable, especially if i intend to work or study internationally. I've been told varying advice on which program is considered better/the best. UofT Doctoral stream gets high praise but its regular stream doesn't (though the only difference would be two courses out of eight). UBC's program is generally well regarded, but the course structure is so rigid that if i were to take extra time it would take me 24 months to complete (compared with Queens' 12 months, Oxford's 9 months, UofT's 16 months). I've also been told it is very theoretical and wouldn't be the most useful for an applied degree. Queen's would be great in terms of its flexibility, its funding, the research grant, the individual supervision, etc. but it is the least reputable school out of all of these (Oxford obviously a top 3 international school and Toronto and UBC top 30. Queen's is in the top 300) which wouldn't matter as much in Canada but might make a difference internationally, I worry. I would have selected it normally but i found out that they won't even offer electives in the areas i am interested in and so potential connections to development work (JPAL, development placements, etc.) would be quite low. I also don't know how many of their faculty are research faculty, which could make a big difference for PhD placements in terms of LoRs If you were in my shoes, which option would you pick? I'm inclined towards the Oxford MSc but I'm worrying that because it is a more applied degree rather than a core theory degree it may jeopardize my PhD options. But having the Oxford name would only help, I imagine, in pursuing work if that is what I choose to do. For American and UK schools it may not matter as much since they do direct admits from bachelor's degrees, but for Canadian PhD programs (UofT, UBC) which only accept candidates with a masters in economics, i don't know if the MSc would have enough economic analysis/rigour as the others would. But it would be the most interesting program for me, most relevant to my interests, and is very well connected to industry from what I hear (but if you have heard otherwise please correct me, i don't want to operate on incorrect assumptions!) Thank you

Hi everyone, I have received four PhD offers so far and would like to hear your opinions about it. I got accepted to LSE MRes/PhD Track 1, Oxford MPhil, UBC and Boston University. In terms of reputation and ranking, i feel like LSE and Boston are the best options I have. I am considering UBC because I have family there and feel a sort of connection to Vancouver (I'm European). Are the other universities so much better than UBC that i shouldn't even be thinking about this? Here's some pros and cons that I've considered so far: -LSE is the best in Europe, has good placement, it's in London - BU is located close to top ranked universities (maybe able to follow classes or seminars there?), but it's in the 20-30 rank in the US if I'm correct - Oxford has a long long standing reputation but i consider it a bit old fashioned, plus the MPhil is actually separated from PhD, and the idea of starting another 2 year Master's kind of annoys me - UBC is one of the best ranked in Canada, not bad positioned internationally but dominated by BU and LSE probably. Lots of macro professors, which is the field that I'm interested in. Concerning funding, I'm fully covered by an external scholarship for the first 2 years and all of the unis have offered me funding for the following years - except oxford that still has to let me know. I know that the choice is probably between LSE and BU, but still cannot figure out if it's preferable to be in a top European university or in a lower ranked US. Plus moving to the US would be a big change in my life (family and boyfriend are in Europe), so it would have to be worth it. In terms of perspective, I think I would like to start an academic career but I may as well change my mind in the future. Any advice is more than welcome!

Hi Guys, I need some help here. My Profile is as below: 10th: 74% 12th: 70% BCA: 70% MCA: 78% Work Experience: 3 years 9 months (including 1 year in Canada) I have already spent 1 year in Canada working in Waterloo, Ontario as a QA Analyst. I have not taken GRE/TOEFL/IELTS yet. So, my questions are something like these: 1. I am looking for getting an admission as soon as possible. So what should be the time frame for me to give exams and file applications? 2. LORs available to me are from my managers and clients in Canada. Although I can get LORs from my previous faculty, but its been 4 years I have been working, so will that be so useful to the admission process or even have some relevance? 3. What are my chances of getting into UBC/UOT/UOW, if I get some average GRE scores. 4. It would be really helpful if somebody can give a good view of placement scenarios in UBC/UOT/UOW. P.S. I do not have any prior research experience, that is why I am not looking into a Phd. program despite of the fact that I am still holding a masters degree. Thanks, Deejay, India

I have applied for MEd （educational administration）program in UBC. I asked the graduate admission assistant from faculty of education when can I get to know my result. He said I would hear from them late April regarding my application. Does anyone here receive the offer from this program? Late April is really a late time, does it mean I have already been put in the waiting list? I am an international student. I appreciate your help.

Hi all, I have been admitted to the Econometrics and Mathematical Economics program at LSE, the masters program at UBC and the masters (regular stream) at U of T. Since I've been reading through the forum posts on these schools, I've decided to crowdsource some input from you all to see what your thoughts are on these options. From what I have read and heard, the EME program at LSE would be the hardest of the three in terms of course work and may also be the most reputable from the perspective of PhD adcoms. I am well aware of the differences in costs of the programs. Ignoring the cost differences, what are your thoughts on the relative strengths of the programs if my goal is to get into a top PhD program? Specifically, I am interested in the difficulty of the coursework, how easy it is to get quality letters of recommendation from professors, program reputation, preparation for a PhD, and the likelihood of getting into a top PhD program. Thanks.

I have admission from penn sate with full funding and a admission from Master University of British colombia,I want to know if I choose master ubc how much i have the chance of being admitted to top ten universities,do you think it is worthwile to decline penn sate for UBC?

Biggest Question: SHOULD I RETAKE THE GRE ?????? I dont have much time, bc im applying for fall 2011. I feel like 750 is absolute minimum for the masters programs im looking at. Any opinions or recs???? PROFILE: Type of Undergrad: Flagship state school Undergrad GPA: 4.0/4.3 (Econ 4.2/4.3 Math 4.0/4.3) Type of Grad:NA Grad GPA:NA GRE: 750Q/530V still waiting on AWA probably a 5 Math Courses: Calc I (A) Calc II (A) Statistics (A+) Mathematical Econ. (A) Linear Algebra (B) Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro (B) Mathematical Econ. (A) Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Lots. All A's and A+'s Other Courses: Physics (A-) Quant Anthro (A+) lots of Philosophy (all As and A+s) Letters of Recommendation: 1 very strong (thesis advisor), Phd from UT-Austin 2 other relatively strong (grad math/micro profs neither have Phds from famous schools) Research Experience: RA for 1 year cleaning data using Stata. 6 months working at Econ. Research Institute at my University. Teaching Experience: NA Research Interests: Behavioral, Development.... but havent pinned myself down. SOP: Decent. talked about travelling to latin america which made me want to study development and my research experiences. Concerns: low GRE, lack of math, two B's Other: Applying to: All masters: UBC, TSE (M2), Tufts, Queens, Oxford, Davis ARE Maybe's: LSE (local econ. development) Tinbergen Inst., Vanderbilt GPED, Boston U, USF, Toronto

Type of Undergrad: BA from flagship state school with top-ten grad program (only in Environmental, the rest isnt even top 50) Undergrad GPA: 4.02/4.4 overall...4.2/4.4 Econ....4.0/4.4 Math Type of Grad: NA Grad GPA: NA GRE: Yet to take.... expecting ~750Q/600V (thats what my practice tests have been) Math Courses: Statistics (A+), Calc I (A), Calc II (A), Linear Algebra (A-), Mathematical Economics (A) Econ Courses (grad-level): Micro (A) Mathmatical Econ (A) Development Econ (A) Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Micro I and II (As) Macro I and II (As) Econometrics I and II (A+ and A) Environmental (A) Latin American Econ (A+) Econ Policy (A) International Finance (A) Other Courses: Letters of Recommendation: 1. Thesis Advisor with Phd from UT-Austin. Very enthusiatic letter. Also took grad course with him. 2. Int'l Finance Prof. Phd from Brown. 3. Grad Micro Prof. Phd from Colorado School of Mines. All know me pretty well, especially 1 and 2. Research Experience: RA for 1 year cleaning big data set. Also working for Economic Research Institute as a survey tech. Teaching Experience: Academic Advisor for 2 years, not sure if that counts. Research Interests: Poverty, Development, Applied Micro SOP: Standard. Should be decent. Concerns: Lack of Math (no RA, Calc 3) Potentially low GRE (im shooting for 800Q, but who knows...these Kaplan CATs might be sandbagging my score) Other: Also worked as the Director of a Non-Profit in Latin America for 1.5 years Applying to: UBC (MA), LSE (Econ and LED), TSE (M2), Vanderbilt (GPED), Tufts (MS), USF (MA), Tinbergen Institute (Phd), Oxford (MA in development). MAYBE's: Berkeley ARE, BostonU, UC Davis ARE Im trying to be as realistic as possible and want to know my chances for these schools. I want to get my masters to work for a year or two and then get my Phd. Also, I would greatly appreciate anyone who knows details about: -LSE's Local Economic Development program -UBC masters placements -Vandys GPED -The quality of USFs masters program I REALLY appreciate ANY feedback here!

Points on UBC and its strengths have already been discussed in my other thread here: http://www.www.urch.com/forums/phd-economics/117779-ubc-vs-bgse-masters.html I'm grateful for those helpful comments, but noting that they need not be made again here, as this is a different sort of question - the importance of faculty research strengths vs funding when considering masters offers. My dilemma is between a funded offer at a good program which poorly matches my interests (UC3M) vs an unfunded offer at a good program which almost perfectly matches my interests (UBC). My research interests (in no particular order): international trade international finance/macro macro China/Asia (for empirical work) My goals in pursuing the masters (in no particular order): confirm my level of interest in making another stab at PhD admissions, with some recent/rigorous coursework as a taste-test; improve my profile with some MA/PhD coursework; kind of a nerd and look forward to the academic rigor of coursework/masters thesis on a topic of interest career related - glass ceiling would be hit this or next year without the masters UBC + Top 20/30 department, good reputation (?) in North America and Asia (preference to working in China/Asia if I go private sector after) + Strong in international economics fields + Vancouver + Would be a good department for my PhD studies, based on research interests - Expensive relative to UC3M (but not terrible by MA/MSc standards) +/- 1 year program - I figure this is a plus if I decide not to pursue the PhD, as it means I'm back on the market, developing my career sooner. Minus if I decide I really am in it for the PhD, as I'll just have 1 year to demonstrate competence and get LORs +/- MA level coursework, not PhD - same reasons as above, except concerning stress level and relevance of studies to ultimate career choice UC3M + Top 50 department, apparently a really strong reputation in Spain and maybe Europe (my Spanish friends couldn't stop saying good things about its reputation in Spain) + Very strong in econometrics + Madrid + Tuition waiver and living stipend guaranteed as long as I maintain good standing + Supposedly good placements of PhD students - Would not be a good department to continue my PhD studies at, based on research interests - MEA program is relatively new, limited information on placement of students into other PhD programs - Attrition rate is 50% +/- 2 year program - see UBC for opposite reasons +/- PhD level coursework, not MA - ditto To be clear, since this weighs into my decision process also, I have been working for several years so funding is not my top concern, although I obviously don't want to spend my savings unnecessarily. Currently I'm leaning towards UBC, despite the costs, because their faculty research strengths are so closely in line with mine. My concern is that if I'm after a MA that includes coursework in several fields as opposed to the dissertation of a PhD does it make sense to place such a strong preference on faculty research strengths over financial considerations? FWIW, UBC is possibly making a second round of TA offers in the next week or so. In the event I get one my decision would be made. I appreciate anyone's :2cents: