Professors Bagheri, Biederman (Graduate Director), Blackwell , Chen, da Silva, Flynn, Goenner, Mialon and O’Neill

Program Description

The Master of Science in Applied Economics (MSAE) reflects the current state of knowledge and skills used by professional economists. It is characterized by strong foundational courses in economic theory, mathematical economics and advanced statistical methods. It is focused on specialized areas of study serving, but not limited to, North Dakota and the North Central Region.

The MSAE is about preparing graduates to do real-world economic research. Their formal studies will broadly prepare them in research methods applied to at least one specialized area such as economic development or business economics. Additionally, they will actively participate in research projects, both in their classes and through the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) and all will have the opportunity to participate in a research internship.

Admission Requirements

1. Completion of Econ 201, 202, 210, 303, 308, and 309; Math 146, or equivalents, with grades of “B” or better in each course.
2. An overall undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or greater.
3. Qualified applicants for the combined program must have completed at least 90 semester hours in a bachelor’s program (the combined option allows outstanding undergraduates to enter the MSAE prior to receiving their bachelor’s degrees, making it possible to complete both a bachelor’s degree and the MSAE in five years.)
4. Applicants who already hold bachelor’s degrees are required to submit official scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test taken within the last three years.
5. All MSAE applications must be completed through the Graduate School of the University of North Dakota. The MSAE Committee will select the most qualified applicants for admission.
6. Econ 410 and 411 are the two courses that students in the combined program are permitted to count toward both a UND bachelor’s degree and the MSAE degree, but only if these courses are declared for graduate credit. All other courses taken for credit in the combined program must satisfy only bachelor’s program requirements, or only MSAE program requirements.
7. A minimum TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 550 for the paper-based or 213 for the computer-based test  for all applicants whose native language is not English. International applicants who have received their bachelor’s or master’s degree in the United States or English-speaking Canada are not required to submit the TOEFL.

Degree Requirements

The MSAE curriculum varies according to whether the student chooses a thesis option or a non-thesis option (see below). The thesis option is available for students who want to produce an original contribution to knowledge. Thesis topics must be approved by the student’s faculty advisory committee, conducted under the guidance of the student’s faculty advisor and then completed to the satisfaction of the faculty advisory committee.

The non-thesis option requires the Economics Research Internship (Econ 597) and the student completes an independent study as opposed to a thesis. The independent study must demonstrate the student’s ability to do independent research, but does not demand an original contribution to knowledge. Independent study topics must be approved by and completed to the satisfaction of the student’s faculty advisor.