Economics

Master’s Degree Program

Graduate opportunities

By pursuing a graduate degree in the Department of Economics at the University of North Texas, you’ll be part of a program that prepares you for the rigors of a doctoral program in economics as well as hones your analytical skills for a rewarding career.

We offer course work leading to a Master of Science degree in Economics, which explores:

• Macroeconomic theory
• Microeconomic theory
• Mathematical approaches to economic theory
• Econometrics
• Multivariate Regression Analysis

You’ll learn from faculty members who are recognized professors as well as active researchers. They have earned prestigious teaching awards, and their scholarly works have been published in the field’s top journals.

UNT graduates who enroll in doctoral programs are admitted to the country’s best schools, often with full funding. Graduates who directly enter the job market are in high demand and often can pick from the most prestigious and rewarding positions available. They qualify for careers in financial institutions, government agencies, large manufacturing organizations and public utilities, among others. Recent graduates work for:

• Allstate Insurance Company
• AT&T
• Bank of America
• Citicorp
• Citigroup
• The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
• Fidelity Investments
• GM Financial
• Goldman Sachs
• Merrill Lynch
• RAPP
• Texaco
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Verizon

Our job placement officer works with employers in the region and beyond to help you find employment. The officer can provide advice on job search techniques, résumé writing and job interviewing skills and maintains a current database of job openings. These services are in addition to what the university provides.

Research centers and resources

The Center for Economic Education makes formal instruction of economics more accessible. It 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 for Environmental Economic Studies and Research promotes, conducts and coordinates environmental economics research and complementary activities on our campus. The center addresses economic solutions that weigh the cost and benefits to maximize society’s welfare. The goals are to investigate economic solutions to environmental problems and to disseminate this research. Research has focused on water, garbage, biodiversity and property rights.

The Center for International Economic Studies and Research promotes research on the 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.

Attending UNT

Admission requirements

You must meet the admission requirements for the Toulouse Graduate School® in addition to the following program requirements:

• Overall 3.0 GPA (Provisional admission may be possible if you have a 3.0 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work.)
• GRE or GMAT scores (Applicants with a low GPA can offset this with a strong performance on the GRE or GMAT. The GRE is strongly preferred in this case.)
• Two letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with your academic potential
• A personal essay
• A current résumé

Although no specific undergraduate major is required, an appropriate background is desirable, including a strong foundation in economics course work and a working knowledge of statistics and mathematics. International students are required to score at least 213 on the computer-based TOEFL exam or 79 on the internet-based TOEFL exam.

Degree requirements

• 12 semester hours of required courses
• 9 semester hours of economics electives
• 6 semester hours of a thesis course or additional economics courses
• 6 semester hours in a minor
• Pass three written comprehensive exit exams

Financial assistance

The majority of our graduate students receive financial support through research assistantships, teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships and hourly employment in the Economics Help Center. The assistantship positions provide medical insurance and in-state tuition rates for out-of-state students.

Our department offers the Tom Preston Scholarship, Lewis M. Abernathy Scholarship in Economics, Rising Eagle Scholarship, Verizon Scholarship, Catherine and Virgil Rogers Economics Scholarship, Department of Economics Graduate Scholarship for Academic Excellence, Friends of the Department of Economics Scholarship, Faculty of the Department of Economics Scholarship, and Aaron Wuensch Memorial Scholarship. The number and availability of scholarships depends on funding.

Applications for departmental scholarships and work positions can be obtained from the Department of Economics. The scholarship application deadline is usually the last day of February. Scholarships are awarded in April for the next academic year at the department’s annual awards banquet. Information about other financial assistance programs is available at the Financial Aid website or the Graduate School site.