PROGRAM - About Academics...
 
Requirements

The requirements for the Master of Arts degree in the Graduate Program in Economic Development are as follows:

1. Core Courses. Participants must pass the following four "core" courses or their equivalent:

Economics 301 Microeconomic Theory
Economics 302 Macroeconomic Theory
Economics 306 Statistical Analysis
Economics 308 Econometrics

2. Electives. Participants must pass four additional courses carrying graduate credit.

3. Thesis. Participants must pass two research seminar courses (Economics 355A and 355B) by writing an acceptable thesis.

4. Grades. Participants must achieve a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better in coursework Completed at Vanderbilt.

The Graduate Program in Economic Development also offers a non-thesis Certificate in Economic Development for the successful completion of requirements of 1 and 2 above.

 

Elective Course of Study

The Program offers great flexibility in selecting electives to fit the goals of the individual participant. There are basically three types of courses available. First, there are courses targeted exclusively to GPED students:

Economics 358A Policy Issues: Development Economics (Macro)
Economics 358B Policy Issues: Development Economics (Micro)

Second, there are courses (numbered 250 through 299) offered jointly to graduate and upper level undergraduate students. Third, there are courses offered by other departments (such as Sociology) and schools (such as the Owen School of Management or the Engineering School) which are pertinent to the interests of our students. Note, though, that courses in the latter two categories may be oversubscribed in a given term, and consequently students may have to be flexible in the choice and timing of these courses.

The available courses naturally group themselves into the following four areas of emphasis:

1. Finance and Banking

Economics 259 Financial Instruments and Markets
Economics 264 Open Economy Macroeconomics
Financial Economics 261 Investment Analysis
Financial Economics 275 Financial Management
Management 411 Financial Accounting
Management 431 Securities and Portfolios
Management 433A International Financial Markets and Instruments
Management 436 Financial Institutions

2. International Development

Economics 259 Financial Instruments and Markets
Economics 264 Open Economy Macroeconomics
Financial Economics 261 Investment Analysis
Financial Economics 275 Financial Management
Management 411 Financial Accounting
Management 431 Securities and Portfolios
Management 433A International Financial Markets and Instruments
Management 436 Financial Institutions

3. Poverty and Inequality

Economics 288 Development Economics
Economics 267 Economics of Poverty and Discrimination

4. Development of Institutions

Economics 266 Problems in United States Economic History
Economics 269A Selected Topics (e.g. Transition Economies, etc.)
Economics 287 European Economic Integration

There are many other electives that are presented from a traditional developed economy perspective, but have relevance for developing and newly developed economies:

5. Other Electives

Economics 252 Antitrust Economics
Economics 251 Wages, Employment and Labor Markets
Economics 254 Public Finance
Economics 262 History of Economic Thought
Economics 268 Health Economics
Economics 269B Selected Topics: (e.g. Monetary Policy, etc.)
Economics 273 Game Theory Economic Applications
Economics 274 Industrial Organization
Economics 279 Urban Economics
Economics 280 Seminar in Sports Economics
Economics 286 Economics of Human Resources
Mgmt of Technology 310 Theory and Practice of Managing Technology
Mgmt of Technology 311 Theory and Practice of Managing Technological Change
Mgmt of Technology 322 Quality Management

Finally, several students each year are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. degree in economics at some later date. The Graduate Program in Economic Development allows participants to replace core requirements by their corresponding Ph.D. courses, or to take Ph.D. courses as electives in order to get a sense of what Ph.D. study entails. Success in one or two Ph.D. level courses can offer great benefits when applying to Ph.D. programs.

Pre-Doctorate Program

Economics 300 Selected Topics in Mathematics for Economists
Economics 304A Microeconomic Theory I
Economics 304B Microeconomic Theory II
Economics 304C Microeconomic Theory III
Economics 305A Macroeconomic Theory I
Economics 305B Macroeconomic Theory II
Economics 305C Macroeconomic Theory III
Economics 307 Statistical Analysis
Economics 309 Econometrics

 

 

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