I am a CFA Level 2 candidate and aspiring to take up Masters in Economics. I am aiming to gain some opening as an entry level economist. I possess around 12 yrs of experience as an IT Business Analyst. I have done some research and found that BU (Boston University) and NYU offer good Masters courses (Part Time of course) in Economics. Some questions for you guys to help me out.
Does anybody in this forum with economics major throw light on what are the prospects of an economist?
I am sure there are plenty of options available in US universities on economics, is there a good reference as a starting point?
If you want a master’s in economics, go into a PhD program and leave with your master’s, that way you get funding. Most good schools don’t offer a stand-alone master’s program.
I’ve got this (Econ honours (which in australia is roughly equiv to masters) and CFA).
What are the prospects of an economist? On the one hand they are good, but on the other, not so good.
Isn’t MIT meant to be #1? I think it really depends on what area you’re interested in. Go on the econ dept websites of your potential schools and check out the faculty. If they are publishing papers in areas you think are interesting - this would be a good sign. If you are serious about doing a higher level econ degree - consider getting a economics maths book (there’s a good one by Alpha Chang and Kevin Wainwrite called “Fundamental methods of mathematical economics”). This will give you a good idea of what you’ll be doing. Have fun.
^ I think by completing the first 2 years of a phD program, this entitles you to a masters degree (at least it does at some universities). Basically a masters degree is the first 2 years of a phD program. But the funding arrangements are different. I think karelite was suggesting to attempt to game the system by getting funding to do the prep years (ie, masters level courses) and then bailing on the research component… Not very ethical.
That’s actually a great tip. I earned a MS in Applied Economics from a less-prestigious state flagship school. The text was featured in a “Mathematics for Economists” class during my first semester. For more prestigious econ programs, this text is often used as a math primer for incoming students. In terms of difficulty, I’d rate it 4 out of 10. It may be a good way for you to gauge your chops!