M.A. Degree Courses

M.A. in Economics

ECON 6900. Statistical Problems (3 s.h.)

A survey of the fundamental statistical techniques used in business with special emphasis on interpreting the results generated by statistical software.  Techniques covered: hypothesis tests of means and proportions, estimation, chi-square tests, analysis of variance, correlation, and regression.  NOTE: For MBA students only - does not count towards M.A. in Economics.

ECON 6901. Basic Economic Analysis (3 s.h.)

An introduction to micro- and macroeconomics with emphasis on the use of economic theory in business decision making.  This course is designed for professionals in business and other related areas with no previous background in economics.  NOTE: For MBA students only - does not count towards M.A. in Economics.

ECON 6904. Quantitative Methods for Economics (3 s.h.)

A course designed to provide graduate students in economics with an opportunity to acquire the necessary skills in using the quantitative methods that are required to complete graduate-level economic theory and econometrics courses successfully. The course introduces the basic concepts and procedures of differential and integral calculus that are used in economic analysis, as well as the fundamental probability and statistics which are needed in the study of econometrics.

ECON 6912. Microeconomic Theory ( 3 s.h.)

Study of demand and supply, consumer theory, the theory of the firm, various market structures, and Pareto efficiency.

ECON 6915.  Health Policy (3 s.h.)

A theoretical and empirical analysis of the heath care sector. Topics include the demand for health care and health insurance, the perverse incentives of health insurance, moral hazard, physician and hospital behavior, and the role of competitive markets in the delivery of health care. Special emphasis is placed on the analysis of public policy, including financing and regulating the health care industry. Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro).

ECON 6922 Macroeconomic Theory (3 s.h.)

Examines models used to determine the value of various aggregate economic variables, such as the price level, national income, employment, interest rates, and wage rates. 

ECON 6939. The Economics of Financial Markets and Institutions(3 s.h.)

Study of the institutions, instruments, and markets that facilitate the distribution of financial resources throughout the economy. The course discusses the money, capital, and commodity markets. Also, the topics of accessing default risk and hedging against market risk are discussed. Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro).

ECON 6940. Financial Economics (3 s.h.)

Study of various topics including risk and the selection of the optimal monetary control tool, politics and monetary control, the financial firm as an optimizing institution and portfolio theory.  Prereq. Economics 6939 or permission of the instructor.

ECON 6941. Monetary Economics (3 s.h.)

Study of the empirical analysis using multivariate time-series methods, including the topics of distributed lag models, selection of the appropriate lag structures, causation versus correlation, and cointegration.  Prereq. Economics 6922 or permission of the instructor.

ECON 6945. Public Finance (3 s.h.)

Study of the role of the government in the economy. The topics covered will include expenditure analysis, theories of taxation, provision of public goods, fiscal federalism, and public choice theory. Prereq. Economics 6912.
(Required for the MA in Economics program only)

ECON 6950. Labor Market Theory (3 s.h)

A theoretical analysis of the operation of the labor market. The topics covered will include the demand for labor, supply of labor, household production, labor market discrimination, the effects of transfer programs and the role of unions in the labor market. Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro).

ECON 6946. State and Local Public Finance (3 s.h.)

Study of the special problems of financing sub national governments. Topics include: The optimal level of local government spending, public choice through voting, public choice through migration, the combination of taxes used by state and local governments, the theory of tax incidence, the effect of intergovernmental grants, and expenditure patterns of local governments. Special attention will be given to local government's role in financing education and transfer payments. Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro).

ECON 6952. Transfer Programs and Poverty (3 s.h.)

A study of poverty and the effectiveness of antipoverty programs. Topics include: Defining and measuring poverty, trends in the rate of poverty and the distribution of income, causes of poverty, models of discrimination, effectiveness of government training programs, transfer programs and their effect on labor supply, and the financial stability of the Social Security retirement program.  Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro)

ECON 6955. Antitrust and Market Structure (3 s.h.)

Study of the pivotal court decisions that have determined the direction of antitrust law. Concentration is on the economic analysis of court decisions and the impact of the court's decision on market structure. Topics covered include price fixing, mergers, monopolization, and exclusionary practices.  Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro)

ECON 6970. Economics Internship (1-3 s.h.)

The practical application of economic knowledge and statistical skills in the workplace.  Students assist participating professionals in various kinds of industrial, financial, and public service organizations.  Prereq:  Economics 6904, 6912, and 6922.  By permit only.

ECON 6976. Econometrics (3 s.h.)

Study of the fundamentals of econometric techniques that are useful for estimating causal economic relationships. The objectives include (1) analysis of the effects of exogenous factors on the variable whose behavior we seek to explain, (2) testing of hypotheses about new and existing economic theories, and (3) forecasting estimated economic relationships beyond the sample period for the purpose of planning and control. The course will focus on the practice of econometrics with extensive applications to a variety of real world problems in many areas of economics. Prereq. Economics 6904. 

ECON 6981. International Finance (3 s.h.)

Study of the foreign exchange market, the business and economic consequences of changes in domestic and foreign banking, central banking, and financial market policies. The development of various exchange rate standards, foreign currency markets, and the Eurocurrency and Eurobond markets. Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro).

ECON 6985. International Trade and Development (3 s.h.)

Study the determination of a country's exports and imports, the social welfare consequence of trade, free trade versus restricted trade, preferential trading agreements, and the current composition and direction of US trade. Prereq. Economics 6901 or equivalent (Principles of Micro and Principles of Macro).

ECON 6988. Modeling in Financial Economics (3 s.h.)

A study of modeling and evaluation of of derivatives and bonds and risk management using derivatives.  topics cover various models in asset evaluation, such as bond price models, the Black-Sholes model, diffusion processes, and risk management.  Also listed as STAT 6988.  Prereq: STAT 5843 or STAT 6943 or ECON 6976.

ECON 6990. Special Topics in Economics (1 - 3 s.h.)

Special interest topics selected by the staff in the following areas: economic education, economic theory, and applied economics analysis. May be repeated to a maximum of six hours toward a graduate degree.
Students choose either the research seminar or the thesis:

ECON 6998. Research Seminar (3 s.h.)

Applied quantitative research techniques will be discussed. Students are required to undertake an original quantitative research project in a field of economics and write a paper summarizing their results. The paper produced in the research course will be reviewed by a committee of three graduate faculty from the department.   Prereq. Economics 6912 and 6922. Course may be taken concurrently with ECON 6976.

ECON 6999. Master's Thesis (1-6 s.h.)

A research project undertaken under the supervision of a member of the department on the graduate faculty.   The thesis, which will count for up to six semester hours of credit, must be submitted according to the general requirements established by the School of Graduate Studies. The student is required to defend the thesis in an oral examination before a committee of three or more faculty members of the department. Students wishing to write a thesis must submit a thesis proposal and the names of three faculty members who are willing to serve on a thesis committee to the department chair prior to registering for thesis credit hours.  Students writing a thesis are not required to take Economics 6998 (Research Seminar)  Prereq. Economics 6912, 6922, and 6976.  

M.A. in Financial Economics (These courses count toward M.A. in Financial Economics and, with permission, may be applied towards the M.A. in Economics)

FIN 6900.* Financial Accounting and Finance for Decision Making (4 s.h.)

A survey of the fundamental concepts of financial accounting employed by general managers. Additionally, a survey of the concepts, principles, and practices of financial management used by general managers and the links between the two types of information.

FIN 6921.* Financial Management (3 s.h.)

A study of business finance through the use of case study analysis, including relevant articles and text material. Major topics deal with working capital management, net present value . Internal Rate of Return, lease vs. buy, and the cost of capital. Case analysis is used to integrate financial theory into an applied managerial decision-making context. Prereq.: ACCTG/FIN 6900 or equivalent.

FIN 6924 Securities Analysis (3 s.h.)

The major emphasis will be an in-depth fundamental analysis of the investment merits of the common stock of a firm. This study will be accomplished by applying the appropriate analytical principles and valuation techniques to the firm.s financial statements. A research paper will be required. Prereq.: FIN 6921.

FIN 6939 Multinational Accounting and Finance (3 s.h.)

A cross-functional examination of selected topics in international accounting and finance with emphasis on developing research and problem-solving skills. Cases will be presented that teach the strategy and tactics of multinational corporate reporting and financial management. Prereq.: FIN 6921.

FIN 6953 Advanced Financial Analysis (3 s.h.)

Applications of financial analysis to business consulting. Includes case studies and practical implementation strategies. Prereq.: FIN 4853.

FIN 6996 Research Problems (1-3 s.h.)

Special research project under the supervision of a graduate faculty member. Credit will be determined in each case in light of the nature and extent of the project. Prereq.: 15 hours of Level II MBA course work or permission of MBA Director.

See additional Finance courses in the Graduate Bulletin

Swing Courses

The following undergraduate swing courses (5800 level courses offered by the Economics Department) can be taken as an elective in the MA program. Graduate students in Economics may take one swing course as an elective with the permission of the graduate coordinator.

ECON 5801. Economics of Industrial Organization (3 s.h.)

A systematic analysis of the structure, conduct, and performance of American industry. A quantitative analysis plus a comprehensive review of theoretical models of the market, firm behavior, and performance. Prereq.: ECON 2610 (Principles of Microeconomics).

ECON 5806. History of Economic Thought (3 s.h.)

Designed to provide students with an understanding of the development of economic ideas to include: Mercantilism, Phusiocrats, the English Classical School, Utilitarianism, early Social Thought, Karl Marx, the German Historical School, institutionalists and the Keynesian School.  Prereq: ECON 2630.

ECON 5809. Current Problems in Money, Banking, and Financial Markets (3 s.h.)

The financial market system, including money and capital markets. Current problems are associated with trends in theory and practice. Theories of the interest rate and monetarism. Prereq.: ECON 3701 (Money and Banking) or consent of the instructor.

ECON 5811. International Trade (3 s.h.)

Theories of international trade and specialization; free trade v. protectionism; tariff and non-tariff barriers to international trade; international balance of payments and its components; the role of multinational enterprises in contemporary trade pattern; regional economic integrations and world trade; U.S. commercial policies. Prereq.: ECON 2610 and 2630 (Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics).

ECON 5812. International Finance (3 s.h.)

Theories of foreign exchange and capital movements, international payments, analysis of spot and forward foreign exchange markets, foreign exchange market arbitrage, speculation, and risk hedging. The Bretton Woods agreement and the contemporary international monetary system. The rise of international organizations and multinational enterprises in the international economy. Prereq.: ECON 2610 and 2630 (Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics).

ECON 5822. Urban and Regional Economics (3 s.h.)

Economic analysis of the problems of urbanized areas and the causes of the growth or decline in economics activity in small-area economics.  Topics include benefit-cost analysis, economic base analysis, input-output applications, and the theory of location and agglomeration.  Prereq.:  ECON 2610 (Principles of Microeconomics). 

ECON 5824*. Applied Time Series Analysis of Economic and Business Data (3 s.h.)

An in-depth analysis of time series models and their applications to problems in economics and business. Emphasis on forecasting. Extensive use of standard computer programs. Prereq.: ECON 2610 (Principles of Microeconomics) and 3780  (Statistics).

ECON 5831. Labor Markets and the Economics of Unions (3 s.h.)

Economic Theory and analysis of labor as an input in the resource market; principles, labor problems, public policy; theories of the development of the labor movement; economic objectives of trade unions; problems in public control. Prereq.: ECON 2610 (Principles of Microeconomics).

ECON 5856.  Topics in Quantitative Economics (3 s.h.)

Application of different tools of mathematical economics, computational economics, and econometrics in conjunction with economic theory to model economic problems of firms, consumers, financial institutions, and public sectors.   Specific content of the course will vary with the instructor.  May be repeated once with a different topic.  Prereq.:  ECON 3780 or equivalent, or permission of instructor. 

Note: Asterisk (*) indicates that a computer lab fee is required.

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