Economics

Master's Degree Program

Opportunities for graduate studies

The University of North Texas' Department of Economics is actively involved in educational and research activities related to all aspects of economics. The department offers graduate degree programs at the master's level. In our programs, you benefit from the personal attention of faculty members and our active learning approach in developing technical skills to compete in today's labor market.

In addition to the master of arts and master of science degrees with a major in economics, designed to prepare you for the rigors of a Ph.D., the department offers an M.S. with a major in economic research and an M.S. with a major in labor and industrial relations. Graduates in economic research may have careers in financial institutions, public utilities, large manufacturing organizations or government agencies. Labor and industrial relations is designed for students interested in labor-related careers in private industry, labor or governmental organizations.

Admission requirements

You must meet the admission requirements of the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies, in addition to the following program requirements. Call 940-565-2383 or toll free 888-868-4723 for more information.

Although no specific undergraduate major is required, an appropriate background is desirable. This includes a strong foundation in course work focused on statistics and mathematics. An overall 3.0 GPA is required for admission. Provisional admission may be possible with permission of the graduate adviser if you have a 3.0 GPA for the last 60 hours of undergraduate work. You need to submit your GRE or GMAT scores, although no specific GRE or GMAT minimum scores must be met. Applicants with a low GPA can offset this shortcoming with a strong performance on the GRE or GMAT (the GRE is strongly preferred in this case). International students are required to score at least 213 on the TOEFL exam. In addition, you are required to submit a personal essay and two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with your academic potential.

Degree requirements

M.A. and M.S. degrees

A total of 36 semester hours is required, which includes 24 hours of economics course work, a 6-hour minor and a 6-hour thesis. Candidates for the M.A. must also meet the UNT foreign language requirement.

M.S. with a major in economic research

A total of 36 semester hours is required, including an optional 6-hour minor, 24 hours of economics and 6 hours of supervised research problems in lieu of thesis or 6 additional hours in advanced economics.

M.S. with a major in labor and industrial relations

interdisciplinary program requires a total of 36 hours including at least a 6-hour minor and up to 24 hours of economics, plus 6 hours of supervised research problems in lieu of thesis or 6 additional hours of advanced labor economics.

You must pass a written comprehensive exit exam to graduate with a master's degree.

Financial assistance

Teaching fellowships and teaching assistantships funded by the department support more than half of the department's graduate students. Nine-month salaries range from $8,590 for assistantships to $10,458 for fellowships and include medical insurance benefits and in-state tuition rates for out-of-state students. Hourly positions are available for tutoring and grading for Principles of Economics classes. Department scholarships available to graduate students are the Tom Preston Economics Scholarship, the Sam Barton Labor and Industrial Relations Economics Scholarship, the Catherine and Virgil Rogers Economics Scholarship, the Verizon Graduate Scholarship, Friends of the Classes 2000-2005 Scholarship and the Friends of the Department of Economics Scholarship. The number and availability of scholarships depend on funding. Applications for departmental scholarships and work positions can be obtained from the economics department at 940-565-2573. The scholarship application deadline is usually the last day of February. Scholarships are awarded in April for the next academic year at the annual Department Awards Banquet. Student loan information may be obtained by calling the UNT financial aid office at 940-565-2302.

Job placement

The economics department has increased its emphasis on job placement by designating one faculty member as a placement officer. The placement officer locates job openings, helps prepare you for interviews and develops internships for economics majors with private and public institutions in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

Graduates work in the private and public sector. Some of our recent graduates are employed by A llstate Insurance Company, AmeriCredit, AT&T, Bank of America, Blockbuster, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Citicorp, Citigroup, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, North American Foreign Trade Association, Rapp Collins Worldwide, SAS software, Texaco and Verizon.

Computer technology

The office suite for graduate students in the Department of Economics is equipped with eight state-of-the-art Pentium machines for student use. These computers offer a variety of services and contain the most up-to-date economics software, including Stata, Limdep, SAS, SPSS, WinRATz and EViews. In addition, the computers have a range of general-purpose software such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat. These computers are also connected to a LAN 24x7 with a dedicated T3 connection to the Internet.

UNT has hardware and software for a wide range of instruction and research. Computer networks are installed in all academic departments, providing connections to a variety of general-purpose and specialized computing equipment.

The university offers you the ability to schedule classes, check accounts and pay tuition via the Internet. With the use of WebCT software, UNT electronically enhances curriculum in more than 500 classes and offers graduate programs and certifications through video conferences and the web, with more on the way.

The central resources for academic computing consist of several UNIX multiuser computers, including a cluster of systems that support high-performance computing.

You can use UNT's considerable computing resources through an extensive wireless network on campus. Fourteen general-access student microcomputer laboratories provide PC and Macintosh formats as well as laser printing, and one lab is open 24 hours a day. Some labs are reserved for use exclusively by graduate students.

Library system

The UNT libraries contain printed books, periodicals, electronic databases, maps, documents, microforms and audiovisual materials, as well as a large and growing number of electronic journals and books.

The Music Library is one of the top music research libraries in the country and contains tens of thousands of sound recordings and an extensive collection of musical scores, as well as books. The Science and Technology Library holdings emphasize biology, chemistry, computer sciences, library science and physics and include an outstanding collection in mathematics. Catalogs for other major research libraries throughout the world can be searched electronically and documents ordered through UNT's Interlibrary Loan department.

Through the Tex-Share program, administered by the Texas State Library, UNT has borrowing privileges with academic and public libraries throughout the state. UNT libraries also hold membership in the Center for Research Libraries, giving patrons access to unique materials no longer available in other libraries around the country.

Research centers in economics

Center for economic education

The center is committed to making formal instruction in economics more accessible. The center maintains an in-service teacher-training program, develops instructional materials, conducts research in economic education and provides technical assistance in matters pertaining to instruction in economics. The center received the 2005 Albert Beekhuis Award as the top center in economic education from the National Council on Economic Education.

Center for environmental economic studies and research

The center's primary objective is to promote, conduct and coordinate environmental economics research and complementary activities on the UNT campus. To accomplish this mission, the center focuses on research and education. The center concentrates on economic solutions that weigh the cost and benefits in order to maximize society's welfare. The center's goals are to investigate economic solutions to environmental problems and to disseminate this research within and outside the discipline of economics. The center's research has been focused on the areas of water, garbage, biodiversity and property rights.

Center for international economic studies and research

The center promotes research on economic problems of Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. The center develops relationships with other public and private institutions for the exchange of scholars and students as well as research, joint conferences and other activities.