Program Faculty
Department Chair
Linda Loubert, Ph.D
Graduate Program Coordinator, Economics
Program Coordinator
Linda Loubert, Ph.D
Graduate Program Coordinator, Economics
226 G Jenkins Hall
Telephone (443)-885-1885
E-mail: linda.loubert@morgan.edu
Program Faculty
Randall Reed, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Muhammad Quibria, Ph.D.
Professor
Faridul Islam, Ph.D.
Professor
Program Description
The Master of Arts degree program in Economics is a graduate program available for students who seek to advance their analytical skills and quantitative analysis for work in the policy arena as well as a stepping stone for an advance degree in economics.
Program Objectives
The Master of Arts degree program in Economics is designed to enable students to develop competency in the areas of economic analysis and research, to prepare them for a wide variety of positions as economists and other related occupations in the public and private sectors including education, and to provide the academic and research training necessary for study beyond the Master’s level.
General Requirements
Following their admission to the program, all students will prepare a program of study with the graduate program coordinator and submit a copy to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies. Changes will be made only with departmental and Graduate School approval.
All candidates for the degree must complete a minimum of 30 semester credit hours and pass a written departmental comprehensive examination. In addition, students must submit an approved thesis and pass an oral examination. Candidates should follow advice of the coordinator for cycling of the courses.
Students may not earn “C “grades totaling more than 20 percent of the credits needed to satisfy degree requirements; or receiving more than two grades of “F” (even F grades that have been retaken count)
Admission
In addition to meeting admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, applicants for the master’s degree in Economics must show an aptitude in mathematics and economics. Intermediate level economics courses are strongly suggested as well as college algebra and basic calculus.
To be eligible for admission to the Masters of Arts Program in Economics, an applicant must:
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Have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, preferably in Economics or related area.
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Possess an undergraduate cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) of 3.0 or better to be considered for regular admission. Students who possess a cumulative undergraduate G.P.A. of between a 2.7 and <3.0 may be considered for conditional admission. Post-bachelor’s undergraduate credits will not be used to enhance G.P.A. requirements for admission to graduate study.
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Submit an application for admission to the School of Graduate Studies. All required documents must be submitted as directed by the School of Graduate Studies prior to program review and admission decision.
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Use the application system to arrange for three letters of recommendation to be placed with the application. These letters must be from officials or faculty members of institutions previously attended who are acquainted with the applicant’s ability for graduate study or from employment supervisors where applicable.
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Submit a typed exposition regarding the candidate’s personal academic and professional plans and the reasons for selecting Morgan State University.
Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and submitting all the required documents does not guarantee that an offer of admission will be made to the applicant. The decision of the Program Admissions Committee involves a review and analysis of all the elements of the application as well as the availability of positions in the program. The committee then recommends to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies that an offer admission should be made based on that review.
Candidacy
Students achieve candidacy by successfully passing the qualifying examination (or Comprehensive Examination; Proposal Defense; etc.—to be decided by the program). Prior to achieving Candidacy, the student must enroll in GRAD 793: Pre-Candidacy or GRAD 993: Pre-Candidacy. Programs must also identify any other requirement, such as language or internship that must be completed prior to candidacy.
Once a student achieves candidacy, enrollment in any course other than 799, 797, 998, or 997 is generally prohibited. Students seeking additional skills, knowledge, or a certificate must seek approval through the program up to the School of Graduate Studies. The request must be accompanied with a revised Plan of Study.
Thesis/Dissertation Completion
Students may choose a thesis chair based on their area of interest within the Economics program. Out of a total of 3 committee members for a defense, a minimum of 2 must come from the department of Economics.
Additional Requirements
General rules and regulations, expectation of professional ethics and behavior, etc. that may affect the eligibility of the student for continued study must be articulated. A reference to appeals and due process must be included.
Program Course Requirements
MA Master of Arts in Economics (30 credit hours)
Core Program (Required of all students)
Credits
ECON 515: Probability and Statistics I 3
ECON 520: Micro Economic Theory 3
ECON 521: Macro Economic Theory 3
ECON 522: Econometrics 3
ECON 797/799: Thesis Guidance / Thesis Defense 3/9*
* Note: The student will continuously register in Fall and Spring terms for ECON 797 (Thesis Guidance) until the Master’s Thesis is completed and submitted to the School of Graduate Studies for review. The course is used only when the curriculum has been completed, and the student is completing the research and writing of the thesis. The course registration maintains the student status as a matriculated, full-time student (student registers for 3 credit hours each semester, but is acknowledged as having a 9 credit hour load). After the Intent to Defend the Master’s Thesis form has been accepted by the School of Graduate Studies, this course registration will be changed to ECON 799 (Thesis Defense) for the given semester and count for 3 credit hours of curricular coursework (ECON 799 will also count for 9 credit hours of load). Other courses cannot be substituted for ECON 797 (Thesis Guidance). The only eligible grade for ECON 797 (Thesis Guidance) is the grade of “S” and the only acceptable grade for ECON 799 (Thesis Defense) is “P/F” (Pass/Fail).
15 Credit Hours in Electives (Required of all students)
Credits
ECON 501: Survey of Macro and Micro Economics 3
ECON 507: Economics of Education 3
ECON 512: Business Cycles and Forecasting 3
ECON 513: Statistical Analysis 3
ECON 514: Economic Development 3
ECON 523: Development of economic Thought 3
ECON 531: Monetary and Fiscal Theory and Policy 3
ECON 536: Statistical Methods 3
ECON 541: International Trade Theory 3
ECON 542: Multi-National Business and Economic Policy 3
ECON 545: Industrial Organization 3
ECON 555: Economics of transportation 3
ECON 611: Managerial Economics 3
ECON 622: Advanced Econometrics 3
ECON 788: Supervised Research 3
Elective courses from all Economics department courses at the 500 and 600 level. In some circumstances a limited number of credit hours from outside the Economics Department may be approved as counting toward the degree. Approval for such credit must be obtained prior to taking the courses.
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