Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics
The Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics is designed for academically outstanding undergraduate students. It provides a strong base of economics knowledge and skills, while accelerating completion of the master’s degree. This program is limited to the Master of Science in Quantitative Economics and does not apply to other Master’s degrees awarded by the department.
Admission
Admission to the Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics program requires individual application for each student, and evaluation of each application by the Master’s Admissions Committee. Applicants must already be majors in Economics, and making good progress on satisfying the requirements listed below. The Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics program can be combined with undergraduate minors.
The earliest students may apply is the 4th semester of academic year enrollment at BU for admission into the program at the start of the 5th semester of enrollment. The latest students may apply is the 6th semester of academic year enrollment at BU for admission into the program at the start of the 7th semester of enrollment. It is desired that candidates have an overall GPA of 3.5. Students MUST complete ALL BA requirements before starting master’s degree program requirements.
Additional information on application requirements and deadlines is available on the CAS Bachelor’s to Master’s Programs page.
Program Requirements
A minimum of 152 units are required. All required courses are 4 unit hours.
Students must complete all requirements for the BA in Economics and all requirements for the MS in Quantitative Economics.
Course Requirements for the BA Degree
(For full BA requirements, refer to the BA in Economics Bulletin)
- CAS EC 101
- CAS EC 102
- CAS EC 201
- CAS EC 202
- CAS EC 203
- CAS EC 204
CAS EC 201, EC 202, EC 203, and EC 204 should be taken before the senior year. Students with a strong background in mathematics may substitute any of the courses in the sequence CAS EC 221/222/223/224 for the corresponding CAS EC 201/202/203/204 courses. Students must fulfill the calculus requirement for the major, as described below, prior to enrolling in CAS EC 201 or CAS EC 202.
*QST QM 221 Probabilistic and Statistical Decision Making for Management, or CAS MA 115, or CAS MA 213 are acceptable substitutes for CAS EC 203.
- The remaining five 4-unit principal courses are to be chosen from CAS EC 320 through EC 599
Notes:
- All 500-level and above economics courses are graduate-level courses. Special permission from the instructor is required for undergraduates wishing to take these courses.
- Petitions for approval of transfer courses must be submitted to your Economics Academic Advisor. Students must submit a Transfer Course Equivalency Form along with a copy of the course syllabus.
- A maximum of four courses at the 200 level or higher (i.e., this does not include transfer courses to fulfill CAS EC 101 and/or CAS EC 102) may be transferred toward your economics major from other schools after matriculation to Boston University.
Required Calculus Course
Students choosing economics as their major are required to demonstrate a proficiency in calculus by completing any of the following with a grade of C or higher: CAS MA 121, 122, 123, 124, 127, or 129 or by achieving at least a 4 on the appropriate calculus Advanced Placement examinations.
Course Requirements for the MSQE Degree
Candidates must complete a minimum of eight semester courses (32 units). The following courses in micro- and macroeconomic theory and quantitative methods are required:
- CAS EC 501
- CAS EC 502
- CAS EC 507
- CAS EC 508
CAS EC 505 Elementary Mathematical Economics. Provides the essential mathematical background needed for the core and other elective courses. A mathematical placement exam is administered to all incoming master’s students to offer guidance whether they should take EC505. If a student does not place out, CAS EC 505 will count as one of the MS electives.
In addition, candidates must complete four master’s elective courses (16 units) selected from CAS EC 509 through EC 599, or their approved equivalents.
Students may apply any two master’s-level (500 or above) courses toward their BA elective requirements—including courses required for the MS degree—with the exception of CAS EC 507 and CAS EC 508. Students who complete either of these courses as part of the undergraduate degree will not be required to repeat these courses for the MS degree. Instead, they will substitute an additional EC 500-level elective for each of them.
Students who take CAS EC 221, CAS EC 222, CAS EC 223, or CAS EC 224 while enrolled as undergraduates may request an exemption from taking the corresponding EC 500-level core courses (CAS EC 501, CAS EC 502, CAS EC 507, or CAS EC 508, respectively) for the MS and instead take an additional EC 500-level elective for each one taken. However, such requests will only be considered after a student has been admitted to the BA to MSQE program and they are normally granted only when the student has demonstrated superior mastery of a core subject area in the corresponding undergraduate course. All applicants to the BA in Economics to MSQE and BA in Economics & Mathematics to MSQE program should therefore plan to take CAS EC 501, EC 502, EC 507 and EC 508 in order to fulfill the Core Competency Requirement for the MSQE.
Core Competency Requirement
In addition to passing the necessary number of eligible course credits, students in all five master’s programs (MSQE, MSEPP, MAGDE, Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics and MBA/MS in Quantitative Economics) must demonstrate core competence in Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Statistics and Econometrics. Prior to academic year 2024-2025, they are required to do so by passing the MA Comprehensive Exam. For students who start the master’s programs in or after the spring semester of 2024, the core competency requirement will be satisfied by taking and earning passing grades in all four master’s core courses — EC501, EC502, EC507 and EC508.
Master’s Grade Requirements
To be eligible for the MSQE degree, all eight courses counted towards the MS degree must be passed with grades of B- or better. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the MS portion of the Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics program.
Effective June 1, 2025
- Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Programs are established with distinct undergraduate and graduate degree programs and must be approved through the University governance process.
- Bachelor’s and master’s degrees must be conferred sequentially.
- Students must submit a master’s application to the graduate admissions office of the school or college offering the master’s program before the conferral of the bachelor’s degree. Typically, students apply to the Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program during their junior year.
- Students must complete all bachelor’s degree requirements before enrolling as a master’s student, although they may take graduate courses while enrolled as an undergraduate student.
- Students must register for and earn a minimum of 24 units while enrolled as a master’s student.
- Master’s programs may apply up to 8 units from the undergraduate degree toward the master’s degree. Courses must be 500 level or above.
- As a reminder, during the period of time the student is enrolled as an undergraduate, financial aid cannot be used toward graduate-level courses, unless they also count toward their undergraduate degree requirements. Financial aid can only be used for coursework meeting degree requirements, and once those requirements are met, regardless of the student’s status, financial aid cannot be granted. For example, if a student only has 4 units required for their undergraduate degree completion but they enroll in 12 units, financial aid can only be applied toward the 4 units.
- Upon written approval from the relevant graduate admissions office, students may defer entry to the master’s portion of the program for up to three academic years. After this time, students must reapply as a master’s degree student. If admitted to the standalone master’s program, they may not count toward the master’s degree any courses that were counted toward the undergraduate degree.
BA in Economics & Mathematics to MS in Quantitative Economics
The BA in Economics & Mathematics to MS in Quantitative Economics dual degree allows academically outstanding undergraduate students to complete an MS in Quantitative Economics at the same time as the joint BA in Economics & Mathematics.
Program Requirements
This BA in Economics & Mathematics to MS in Quantitative Economics program is identical to the Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics, except that the candidate must satisfy:
and
- all requirements for the MS in Quantitative Economics.
For this program, EC 505 may not be counted as an elective.
Students interested in applying to this Bachelor of Arts to Master of Science in Quantitative Economics program are advised first to contact their Undergraduate Academic Advisor in the Economics Department.