Master of Science in Applied Economics

The application program code depends on whether you want to enroll in our 10-course Master of Science degree program, or our 5-course graduate certificate program. It also depends on whether you want to enroll in our downtown Washington, D.C. location, on our main campus in College Park (also within the Washington, D.C. metro area), or in our online program. Choose your program below to view the application program code.

Online M.S.

10-course online STEM-designated Master of Science degree.

The online version of our program can be completed by students almost entirely remotely. Proctored in-person final exams are required in each of the first 4 core courses (ECON 641, 642, 643, and 644). All other requirements in these four courses can be satisfied remotely. All other courses in the program are fully online and do not have any in-person requirements. So students in the online version of our program are required to come to Washington, DC or College Park for the final exams in 4 of the 10 courses they take with us.

Many students take 2 courses per quarter and complete the entire 10-course program in 15 months (5 quarters). Students who take 2 courses per quarter need to come to College Park or Washington, DC for final exams at the end of their first 2 quarters. But there are no more in-person requirements in the final 3 quarters (9 months).  

Our online courses have synchronous online class meetings one evening per week (Washington, DC time zone).  While there is some asynchronous online content in all of our courses, students are expected to participate in the weekly synchronous class meetings and to engage with the course instructors and the other students during those meetings.  Students seeking fully asynchronous and self-paced instruction should not enroll in our program. 

We recognize that requiring students to take their first four final exams in person will reduce the number of students willing to enroll in the program.  We believe that the academic integrity of the program requires a significant portion of the grade for these foundational courses to depend on individual student performance in a time-constrained and proctored environment.  We also view this as a valuable selling point for students and graduates on the job market.  If our program’s students and graduates note in their cover letters and job interviews that the student assessments in certain key courses included proctored in-person exams, it will increase employer confidence in the quality of their degree relative to other programs that rely on fuzzier assessments of student mastery.

Spring and Fall admissions. Cannot sponsor international student visas.

Program Start DateApplicant TypeApplication Deadline
Spring 2025Domestic / Non-F-1 Visa12/11/2024
Fall 2025Domestic / Non-F-1 Visa6/11/2025

Program Code: ECAE

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