Implementation Date: 2012
Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.
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Concentrations
1) Economics
The Economics Concentration provides students with the opportunity to acquire specialized skills related to their areas of interest and expertise. Two options are available in this concentration: (A.) the Quantitative Methods in Economics Option and (B.) the Individualized Study Option.
A. Quantitative Methods in Economics Option
The Quantitative Methods in Economics Option is designed for students who want to study quantitative methods in detail. It is an ideal option for those students interested in applying quantitative modeling and methods for economic analysis in their chosen field or pursuing an Economics Ph.D. after completion of the M.S. in Economics program. This option can be completed in one and a half years of study.
Students in this option must complete the core curriculum for the M.S. in Economics and the thesis or research project. In addition, they must complete:
ECON 6217: Advanced Microeconometrics
ECON 6219: Financial Econometrics
And two of the following:
ECON 6203: Financial Economic Theory
ECON 6206: Game Theory and Experiments
ECON 6235: Monetary and Financial Theory
ECON 6257: Applied Computational Economics
OR a combination of the above courses and approved electives that total 6 credit hours
B. Individualized Study Option
The Individualized Study Option is designed for students who wish to pursue a specialized course of study. This option can be completed in one full year of study if the student chooses the thesis option.
Students in this option must complete the core curriculum for the M.S. in Economics and the thesis or research project. In addition, they must complete 12 hours of electives chosen from the fields of macroeconomics and monetary policy, finance and banking, environmental economics, international trade and international finance, economic modeling and simulation, urban economics, public finance and cost/benefit analysis, or economic and business forecasting. The program also permits the development of individualized specializations in areas that are complementary to economic theory and analysis.
Proposed New Courses
ECON 6217. Advanced Microeconometrics. (3) Prerequisite: ECON 6112 or ECON 6113. Underlying assumptions regarding the population, specification, estimation, and testing of microeconometric models. Students become acquainted with a variety of extensions of conventional linear models for cross-sectional and panel data, including but not limited to the following: panel data models, instrumental variables models, and qualitative response models. (Yearly)
ECON 6256. Public Economics. (3) Prerequisite: MATH 1241 or equivalent, and permission of the program coordinator. Public economics is the study of the way governments choose spending, taxation, and regulatory policy; the ways such policies may affect economic welfare; and mechanisms to evaluate the economic effects of such policies. (Yearly)
ECON 6257. Applied Computational Economics. (3) Prerequisites: ECON 6201 and ECON 6202, or permission of the program coordinator. Introduction to computational approaches for solving economic models. Topics include: interpolation and approximation techniques, numerical optimization, numerical solutions to systems of nonlinear equations, quadrature formulas for numerical integration, Monte Carlo simulation, and basic solution algorithms for economic dynamics. (On demand)
ECON 6260. Economics of Health and Health Care. (3) Cross-listed as PPOL 8667 and HSRD 8004. Prerequisite: Admission to graduate program or permission of the instructor. Uses economic theory and econometrics to analyze the functioning of the health care sector and appropriate public policy. Topics include: how markets for medical care differ from other markets, the demand for medical care, the demand and supply of health insurance, the role of competition in medical markets, managed care, managed competition, and the role of the public sector in regulating and financing health care. The topic list is flexible, and student input will be solicited and welcomed. (Alternate Fall)