Degree Requirements    

Prerequisites

Students preparing to enter the program are encouraged to complete the following:

• one course in intermediate microeconomic theory.with minimum grade of B
• one course in intermediate macroeconomic theory with a minimum grade of B;
• one course in college-level calculus; and
• one course in statistics, including simple regression

Those students not having completed these courses may be admitted with the requirement that the deficiencies be completed at the beginning of the graduate program.

Required Coursework

All students in the program must successfully complete the following core courses:

To view course descriptions click here.

Traditional Master of Arts in Economics

Students enroll in traditional courses that prepare them for work as economists. This alternative also best suits the needs of students intending to pursue the Ph.D. or to enter a profession such as accounting or law that requires a deeper understanding of graduate -level economics. The student will have to complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework.

Regulatory Economics Option

This option within the traditional M.A. in Economics program includes specific courses aimed at an understanding of public utilities and regulatory economics. Course work emphasizes revenue requirements, cost allocation, and pricing in the energy and telecommunications industries, as well as the procedures of utility regulation and current challenges to the regulatory process. NMSU is one of only six universities nationwide offering this graduate option. Students in this option benefit from an association with the Economics Department's Center for Public Utilities, which assist graduates in securing employment. Graduates are currently employed with major electric, natural gas, and telecommunication companies, as well as with state and federal regulatory commissions throughout the country.

Policy and Analysis Option (offered under M.A. and M.S. Programs)

Increasingly, economists in the public and private sectors are called upon to render analyses of public policies, including consequences of alternative economic strategies. This option seeks to train master's-level students in the area of policy analysis using economic principles. Students select areas of concentration such as taxation, natural resources and the environment, agricultural and food policy, human resource policy, and regulatory policy. The program is ideally suited to those desiring policy analysis positions in major firms in the private sector and to those who seek careers as members of legislative staff and congressional committees.

Applied Econometrics Option

This option is specifically designed for those students who have an interest in quantitative aspects of economics. Using statistical tools, calculus, computers, and economic theory, econometricians measure and test economic relationships. The skills acquired in this option should be useful for those students who desire to go on for a Ph. D or who wish to have a career involving data analysis.