Introduction | Program Description | Courses Offered | Requirements |

The M.A. degree requires 30 credits. This requirement can be fulfilled in two ways. One plan calls for 24 credits of course work and 6 credits for a master's thesis. The thesis topic is selected in consultation with a faculty member who guides the research. The thesis, which is expected to be a demonstration of the ability to do economic research, must be defended in an oral examination. The second plan calls for 30 credits of course work and no thesis. 

Courses for the M.A. must include: ECN 601 (microeconomics) and ECN 602 (macroeconomics), each with a grade of B- or better; 6 credits of statistics and econometrics and are normally satisfied by taking ECN 521 and ECN 522 but could include ECN 620, 621, 622, or other courses chosen in consultation with his or her academic advisor. Additional courses are taken to make up 24 hours if a thesis is written or 30 hours of a thesis is not written.

Students may take courses numbered between 500 and 599, but at least 15 credits must be at the 600 level or above. No more than 3 credits of independent study may count toward the degree program. A student's program may include 6 credits taken outside the Syracuse University Economics Department. This includes economics courses at the graduate level transferred from another institution or cognate courses taken in other departments at Syracuse University. The latter may be chosen only in consultation with the advisor. The cumulative grade point average for the courses taken toward credit for the M. A. degree must be 3.0 or better.