Haslam College of Business MA in Economics

What You’ll Learn

Through a combination of theoretical models and empirical skills, professional economists are uniquely equipped to evaluate public programs and business strategies, study and understand human behavior and markets, and offer effective solutions to policy makers, businesses, and households.

Many degree programs teach quantitative skills and provide experience working with data. Training in economics helps you to simplify complex, real-world issues, which makes it more feasible to identify solutions. Our work is further grounded in assumptions about human behavior. This helps us ask the right questions, and understand the important tradeoffs. Economics also focuses on drawing causal inferences from data, rather than just uncovering correlations and associations.

The core curriculum delivers the theory and quantitative expertise expected of professionals working in economics and finance, with a focus on applications and computer skills development.

Students pursuing the Applied Economics Concentration are given flexibility to enhance their skillset in different ways. Most will take courses to acquire additional data, coding, and analysis skills. Others may elect to prepare for a career in public policy. Still others may take advanced coursework to prepare them for further graduate studies.

Students pursuing the Financial Economics concentration will develop skills in valuation, security pricing, risk analysis, and asset management.

Concentrations

Admissions

Applications

To be considered for admission to the MA in Economics program, candidates must submit a completed application through the online application portal administered by the Haslam College of Business.

As part of the application, candidates must include:

• Academic transcripts from all colleges and universities attended
• Professional resume or CV
• Three letters of recommendation*
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or Graduate Admission Test (GMAT) scores*
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International Language Testing System (IELTS) scores, if the native language is not English
• $60 application fee

*Requirement is waived for University of Tennessee-Knoxville undergraduate economics and finance majors provisionally admitted to the 4+1 program.

Graduate school admission requirements

The Graduate School sets admissions requirements that must be met before applicants can be considered for any degree program. These requirements are:

• Applicants must have obtained a bachelor’s degree from a college or university accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting agency, recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). A non-U.S. degree must be equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from the United States and must be granted by a recognized or accredited foreign institution.
• United States degree holders must have earned a minimum of 2.7 out of a possible 4.0 or a minimum of 3.0 during the senior year of undergraduate study. If you have completed previous graduate coursework, you must have earned a minimum of 3.0 out of a possible 4.0
• Applicants with non-U.S. degrees must have earned a minimum of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale or other equivalent to a ‘B’ average. If you have completed previous graduate coursework, you must have earned a minimum of 3.3 out of a possible 4.0 or other equivalent to a ‘B+’ average.
• For those requiring English certification, either a total score of 80 on the TOEFL or a 6.5 overall band score on the IELTS.

Program admission requirements

Although a bachelor’s degree in economics or finance is not required, students need to have taken appropriate coursework in preparation for the graduate program. It is strongly recommended that applicants have completed or plan to take the following courses (or their equivalent if coming from a different institution) prior to enrollment:

• Economic theory: Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (ECON 311) and Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (ECON 313)
• Data analysis: Introduction to Statistics (STAT 201) and Introduction to Econometrics (ECON 381). Students interested in the Applied Economic Analysis concentration are further encouraged to take one or more additional courses in data science or data analysis.
• Mathematics: Calculus I & II (MATH 141 & 142). Alternatively, a one-semester course in mathematical economics (ECON 482).
• Finance (Financial Economics Concentration only): Financial Management (FINC 306), Financial Statement Analysis (FINC 420), and Investment and Portfolio Management (FINC 425).
• Additional coursework in economics, statistics and mathematics is of course desirable.

Students may be admitted to the MA program and later be admitted into the PhD program. Such a change in admission status is at the discretion of the Department.