BA/MA in Economics

The Bachelor of Arts/Master of Arts in 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 Arts in Economics and does not apply to other MA degrees awarded by the department.

Admission

Admission to the BA/MA 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 BA/MA 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.

Additional information on application requirements and deadlines is available on the CAS Dual Degree Programs page.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 144 credits are required. All required courses are 4 credit hours.

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, EC 303, MA 213, or QST QM 221
  • CAS EC 204 or EC 304
  • Electives: five other courses selected from CAS EC 320 through EC 599, including EC 501 and 502, EC 507 and 508
Course Requirements for the MA Degree

Candidates must complete a minimum of eight semester courses (32 credits). 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

Additionally, candidates must complete four MA elective courses (16 credits) selected from CAS EC 509 through EC 599, or their approved equivalents, all of which can be used simultaneously to fulfill the BA elective requirement.

A determination is made whether it is appropriate to opt out of EC 505 by taking the mathematics placement exam. EC 505 will count as one of the MA electives.

MA Comprehensive Examination

Candidates must pass a written comprehensive examination that tests general knowledge of economic theory and quantitative methods.

MA Grade Requirements

To be eligible for the MA degree, all eight courses counted towards the MA degree and the comprehensive examination must be passed with grades of B- or better.

BA in Economics & Mathematics/MA in Economics

The BA in Economics & Mathematics/MA in Economics dual degree allows academically outstanding undergraduate students to complete an MA in Economics at the same time as the joint BA in Economics & Mathematics.

Program Requirements

This BA in Economics & Mathematics/MA in Economics program is identical to the BA/MA in Economics, except that the candidate must satisfy:

     and

For this program, EC 505 may not be counted as an elective.

Students interested in applying to this BA/MA program are advised first to contact their Undergraduate Academic Advisor in the Economics Department.