greenhorse Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 So Columbia finally gets its first generation econ masters, not MFE, not stats, but pure economics ran by the department of economics. You can easily tell by name this MA in econ has really nothing to do with the prestigious doctoral program, but nevertheless it's Columbia and it seems to be a serious and rigorous PHD-stepping program. Given no previous thread really induced any in-depth discussion over the new master program at Columbia, let's talk about it here: how serious do you think it is, how good/bad it can go, will it further Columbia-masters' reputation as money machine, and how it compares to other U.S/non-U.S masters out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeefan Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 The fact that you have to pay the full sticker price with practically zero chance of funding of any sort, it makes it a rather uninteresting program for someone who's goal is primarily a PhD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pch Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 There does not seem to be much information on this program. No course syllabi. No info on whether you can take PhD classes. You cannot take course outside econ department, which does not sound good. No financing what-so-ever. I can't see how this is a serious competition for the already established programs. Maybe if you want to go to industry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purlea Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 The fact that they have 3 classes in Micro/Macro/Metrics make me feel that they want to offer intensive theory training to their students. I think it is going to be a pretty solid program if you already have a solid math background but lack exposure to economics theory. Finishing 10 courses in a year makes it impossible for student to take extra classes in other departments. There are only very limited number of things you could do in a year. So for those who want to build up math background significantly during master program, I would recommend you to take a look at those two-year programs. Duke and UWmadison offer pretty decent program but you have to deal with the competition within the program (same thing applies to all the master programs almost surely). My only concern is that their courses might not be taught by the faculty members in the department given the way they arrange their stat program. So it is very likely that people cannot find a decent letter writer there (=death in phd application). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenhorse Posted April 30, 2015 Author Share Posted April 30, 2015 Some updates here 1) this year (first) the MA at C received over 600 applications, with an incoming cohort less than 30. 2) students aren't restricted from or encouraged to taking courses other than the compulsory ten curriculums. 3) courses will be taught by both faculties and adjunct professors. and bump... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purlea Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 ^1) really beyond my wildest imagination... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PUBRY Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 I reckon it a money machine, the courses are not well-designed, and some of the teachers are from Barnard, which sounds bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macrojunkie Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 One big positive for the program is that the course listing is very similar to the one offered by Barcelona GSE for its advanced track in MSc Economics. Even BGSE offers taking micro, macro and metrics in each trimester; also Columbia provides the opportunity to write a research paper which BGSE does not. This paper would be an excellent opportunity to showcase research skills for PhD applications. Of course the program at Columbia is damn expensive, but everything at the end depends on who is teaching the course and whether they are at the same level as PhD courses. From what I know, the material being covered in the Mathematics for Economists course is the same as the PhD course and is taught by the same faculty member. Hope other courses are at the same level as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taytorenne Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Any further info, course content or stories on the acceptance? Is this now the premier Masters Econ prog in the US? Knocked anyone other than NYU from top spot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strategyproof Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Master's programs are either prep for PhD admission or for some sort of applied econ job. In the first case, the brand doesn't really matter, so why shell out enormous amounts of money? What you'd want is a low-cost degree from a department whose faculty are competent, and motivated, to write good letters. In the second case, you should do the master's where the jobs are. (Columbia might make sense, but you could get something similar from CUNY for less.) Columbia's target market are probably wealthy foreign students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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