Economics (M.S.)

Paul College’s STEM designated Master of Science in Economics is a breed apart. The program offers an academic track and an industry track. Students also have the flexibility of pursuing a mixed track that combines courses from the academic and industry tracks.

The academic track provides a full year of doctoral-level economic theory, econometric analysis, and research seminar. It is designed for students whose goal is to become a research economist and possibly a Ph.D. economist. 

The industry track’s curriculum is unlike any other Master’s program in the country. It is interdisciplinary, weaving together economic theory, data analytics, statistical methods, and data modeling. The program’s mix of doctoral-level and applied classes is also distinctive. Students learn economic theory and statistical methods at the doctoral level. They also use economic theory and data to understand a range of business decision problems. Innovative applied classes include Macroeconomic Consulting and Strategy Analysis: Games and Auctions.

Few other Master’s programs in the country provide a toolkit with comparable interdisciplinary range or rigor. Students learn economic theory and econometrics, code in R and STATA, and learn SQL, PowerBI, and Tableau all in one year. Graduates are uniquely trained to help businesses understand the market context, formulate decision problems, and manage the data analysis. People with this training are in high demand by organizations in all sectors. 

The program can be completed in 12 months. It starts with an intensive Mathematical Economics course that is taught in a concentrated manner over the first two weeks of the Fall semester. It is followed by two semesters of coursework. Some of the industry-track courses are scheduled on the 8-week term calendar. These term classes entail 3-credit hours and meet 3.5 hours a week. A capstone experience completes the degree requirements. Industry track students’ capstone entails a corporate consulting project in the spring, while academic track students take a comprehensive exam in microeconomic or macroeconomic theory in early summer.

The program requires a minimum of 32 credit hours of coursework and a capstone experience. All students must complete four core classes.

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Course is offered in the first two weeks of the Fall semester and involves in-class and online learning. It provides the mathematical foundation needed for the fall theory and econometrics classes.

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Course is scheduled on an 8-week term calendar and entails 32 hours of contact time.

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Electives include ECON 928 Econometrics III, Time Series Econometrics, DS 809 Time Series Analysis, DS 807 Modeling Unstructured Data, MATH 838 Data Mining and Predictive Analytics, ACFI 810 Big Data in Finance, ADMN 863 Marketing Analytics, and other approved classes. The number of credit hours will vary depending on the choice of the elective.

Our Accelerated Master of Science in Economics (MSE) option provides an opportunity for UNH undergraduate students to begin graduate study while completing a bachelor's degree—making you stand out among other job applicants with advanced skills and increasing your earning potential. Qualified students can begin earning graduate credit during their undergraduate programs, allowing them to maximize their time on campus and return on their educational investment.

Eligibility:

• Current UNH undergraduate student with a GPA of 3.2 or higher.
• Apply before completing 90 undergraduate credits.
• Acceptance into the Accelerated Master’s Program before taking 800-level courses.

Accelerated MSE Requirements:

• Qualified students may complete up to 12 credits at the 800-level during their undergraduate studies, earning dual credit toward their B.S. and M.S. degrees.
• Once a qualified student matriculates into the MSE program (after completing undergraduate degree), the student will take a minimum of 20 additional credits to complete the 32 credit MSE program requirement.
• Students will be required to earn a B- or better in graduate courses to earn credits toward their degree.

Approved Dual Credit Electives 

To earn graduate credits, students need to enroll in the 800-level sections of approved dual credit courses. The 800-level sections require additional work beyond the requirements for the undergraduate versions.  The following is the list of approved dual credit courses for the accelerated path in the MSE program:   

Core Competencies

• Utilize economic theory to formulate and solve optimization problems for consumer and firm decision making (e.g., marginal analysis).
• Apply statistical and econometric methods using programming languages to analyze and draw valid conclusions from data.
• Demonstrate an ability to formulate well-designed research projects.

Industry Track

• Apply principles of data analytics to store, manage, and visualize large datasets.
• Identify and demonstrate how economic theory, econometrics, and data analytics can be applied to decision making at an enterprise level.

Academic Track

• Apply advanced graduate-level microeconomic and macroeconomic theory to understand markets and the economy.
• Demonstrate an ability to comprehend and critique current scholarly research in macroeconomics and microeconomics.

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Deadlines

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

• Fall: June 1
• Spring: N/A
• Summer: N/A
• Special: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Durham

New England Regional: RI VT

Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Test Scores: GRE Required

GRE required. Request official test scores to be sent directly to the Graduate School by the testing service. Test scores more than five years old are not acceptable. Student copies and photo copies of scores are not considered official. Our CEEB code is 3918.

For general information about test scores, including waiver requests and current COVID related impacts, please visit our Test Scores webpage.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:

1. Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
2. Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.

Resume

A current resume is required with your submitted application.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

Enrollment Deposit

This program requires an enrollment deposit of $500. If admitted the deposit will be due by the deadline specified in your admit letter. The enrollment deposit secures a seat in the program for an applicant and can be used towards tuition once the applicant starts the program. For more information please see our enrollment deposits help page.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.