Program Guidelines
ECON M.A. Program Guidelines
COURSE SELECTION:
Required and Elective Courses: M.A. Students must take 9 courses* (27 Credits) in the course of the M.A Program: 7 required and 2 electives.
Required Courses:
| Year I | |
| Fall | Spring |
| ECON 501: Mathematics for Economists | ECON 504: Microeconomics II |
| ECON 503: Microeconomics I | ECON 508: Macroeconomics II |
| ECON 507: Macroeconomics I | ECON 512: Econometrics II |
| ECON 511: Econometrics I | |
Additionally, students are required to take the following 6 non-credit courses:
MATH-CAMP: A 3-week intensive math review before the beginning of the 1st semester. Although this is a non-credit course, it is graded and counts towards 10% of the grade in ECON 501.
ENGL 500: Academic Writing (Required to be completed in the 3rd Semester)
TEACH 500: Teaching Experience (Required to be completed in the 2nd semester)
ECON 595: Thesis Course (Required every semester after completing all the course requirements and starting the Thesis)
ECON 591: Seminar Course (Non-Credit)
ECON 550: Research Methods
Elective courses are subject to the approval of the thesis advisor and the graduate program coordinator.
Students must complete all the course requirements by the end of 4th semester. See degree requirements for details.
Students must have a minimum of 3.00 GPA to graduate.
Taking Courses from different departments: M.A. students may take relevant graduate courses offered at KU and other universities with the approval of the thesis advisor and program coordinator.
Independent Study: Students may conduct independent readings and research on an academic topic of interest under the supervision of a faculty member for course credit. (Must be approved by the program coordinator.)
Undergraduate Courses: Students may take up to 2 undergraduate level courses if approved by the program coordinator.
Transferring Courses from previous studies: Please consult with the office of GSSSH and then the program coordinator.
ADVISOR ASSIGNMENTS:
Apointing an advisor: Students are required to assign a thesis advisor, notify the program coordinator and turn in the advisor appointment form to GSSSH office latest by July 1st of their first academic year.
Changing an advisor: Students may change their advisor subject to the consent of the new advisor and the program coordinator. They should notify the GSSSH office about the change as soon as it takes place.
Withdrawal of an advisor: If the advisor decides to discontinue monitoring the student’s thesis, then the student must immediately notify the program coordinator.
Secondary Advisor: Students may appoint more than one advisor. Second advisor may be from another university.
Forms Required: can be found in this link:
THESIS PROPOSAL:
All MA students must submit a thesis proposal latest by the first week of their 3rd semester. Please click here for a proposal template.
FORMAT OF THE THESIS:
The thesis can be structured as a book with chapters or a journal article that can be submitted for publication to an academic journal in the field.
COMPOSITION OF THE THESIS JURY:
Thesis jury is composed of 3 Faculty members. 1 Member must be from another university. The Jury must be appointed by The Department and approved by the Graduate School. Members of this committee must be affiliated with a University or an Academic Institution and must hold at least an Assistant Professor title.
FINALIZING THE THESIS:
Final draft of the thesis must be sent to all the appointed Jury members at least 3 weeks before the defense date.
Students must notify the Graduate School of their defense date and provide announcement information at least 2 weeks before the defense date.
LEAVE OF ABSENCES: Except for official holidays when the University is closed, graduate students are expected to be on campus fulfilling their degree requirements. During summer months graduate students who are on scholarships can take paid vacation (maximum two weeks) upon the recommendation of their advisors and the program coordinator. Otherwise they all have to be on campus.
Long-Term Leave of Absence: Students may hold their studies up to two consecutive semesters with the approval of their advisor, program coordinator and the graduate office. Their stipends will also be on hold during these terms. Students who would like to expand their hold beyond two consecutive semesters will have to consult with the program coordinator and the graduate school and students may lose their stipends and benefits and may be subject to pay registration fee.
TA / RA DUTIES:
All students are appointed as teaching assistants at the beginning of each semester. Faculty members may also seek research assistance from students. Please find the TA/RA regulations set by the graduate school in this link. Please note that the task found in the enclosed is not exhaustive.
PROCTORING:
All GSSSH students are expected to be present for proctoring exams (including make-up and amnesty exams) of the courses they are assigned to. They may also be asked to proctor exams for courses which they are not assigned to as TAs. These extra proctoring assignments would not exceed 4 per academic year. Proctoring assignments will be done centrally by the graduate office. Proctoring may be necessary on weekends, late evenings, or times outside of regular hours.
GRIEVANCE:
All grievances should be first communicated to the program coordinators.