The Duke MA Program in Economics is highly select program that expects to enroll 20-30 full-time students (plus a small number of JD/MA students) each fall, for either a three or four semester program. An additional 3 to 6 students may be admitted for the spring term. Fall classes normally start around the third week of August; spring semester classes start around the second week of January; AEA Summer Program classes start around the first week of June. Please consult the Duke website for exact dates at www.registrar.duke.edu.
Equilibrium program size is thus approximately 70. The first year class forms a closely-knit group, with the vast majority taking core theory and econometrics courses together, before diverging to pursue specializations. In recent years, the student body has been divided fairly evenly between US and international students.
As of October 2007, the program has 69 students from 12 countries, including Canada, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Honduras, Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and the USA. The largest groups are preparing for doctoral study, focusing in financial economics as a technical field, or aiming to do research in applied economics. The group includes several Fulbright scholars, and several participants with support from their own countries’ scholarship agencies, or from their employers or universities.
As is stated in the Graduate School description of M.A. programs, Duke University does not typically provide tuition or fee waivers of fellowships to M.A. students (see http://www.gradschool.duke.edu/Admissions/faq.htm#aid). The academic funding for the department of Economics is primarily reserved for the doctoral program. Although occasionally there is an extra fully funded TA job available, those positions are given to doctoral students first and upper level M.A. students second. A limited amount of outright financial aid is offered by the Economics Department. This aid consists of partial (25% to 50%) tuition waivers, either without restriction or contingent on serving as a part-time research assistant. These awards are made based on academic merit, apparent need, and the department’s desire to have a diverse, heterogeneous student body. Awards of more than 50% of tuition are not made, and aid is not provided for continuation fees or living expenses. In addition to partial tuition waivers, it is usually possible for students who are performing well to secure part-time employment after the first semester as a grader or doing other support work (in computer labs, the library …). Second year students also are likely to be invited to work as teaching assistants, and many MA students work as research assistants – some in Economics, but especially in the Fuqua School of Business, the Sanford Institute of Public Policy, and the Nicholas School of the Environment. As required in the M.A. application, a M.A. applicant must demonstrate sufficient funding to pay for all expenses related to the Master's education at the university, either in the form of promissory notes from external funding sources, such as banks or scholarship agencies, or in personal savings. While the Economics department understands a Master's student's desire to defray the amount of loans or personal savings one would need to pay for your graduate schooling at Duke, financial aid for tuition or fees in the form of waivers or scholarships is not generally offered to Master's students. Many M.A. students can, however, find work on campus while at school to help with their financial obligations and personal support.
History of Political Economy (Professor Roy Weintraub, Director): Required courses: Econ 205; 206; 210 or Growth Theory (MA level; number TBA); at least one econometrics course at the 200+ level. Completion exercise: approved written research project.
Law & Economics joint JD/MA program: Required courses: Econ 205; 206; 210, 266, or Growth Theory (MA level; number TBA); at least one econometrics course at the 200+ level. Completion exercise: (a) 6 additional hours at the 250+ level approved by the MA academic coordinator, with an oral examination based on this material, or (b) approved research project.
More information
Financial Economics: Requirements: Econ 205; 210; at least two econometrics courses at the 200+ level. Growth Theory (MA level; number TBA) is also recommended. Completion exercise: (a) minimum of 24 graded credits and approved research project OR (b) 6 hours at the 201+ level, in addition to 257, in either Econ in related subject, approved by the MA academic coordinator, with an oral examination based on this material and minimum 30 graded credits. Expected classes: 257, 258, and Math 215.
Economic Analysis/PhD Preparation: Econ 205; 206; 210; at least two econometrics courses at the 200+ level. Growth Theory (MA level; number TBA) is also recommended. Completion exercise: (a) 9 hours of Mathematics courses at the 120+ level approved by the MA academic coordinator, with an oral examination based on this material and minimum 30 graded credits OR (b) approved research project and minimum 24 graded credits. More Information
Applied Economics: Required courses: Econ 205; 206; 210 or Growth Theory (MA level; number TBA); at least two econometrics courses at the 200+ level. Completion exercise: (a) minimum 24 graded credits and approved research project OR (b) 6 hours at the 250+ level approved by the MA academic coordinator, with an oral examination based on this material and 30 graded credits.
