MS in Applied and Resource
Economics | Requirements for Admission | The Program |Course
Syllabi | Financial Assistance | The
University and the Community | For More Information
The master
of science program in Economics at East Carolina
University combines the analytical framework of modern economic theory and
the quantitative methods of applied econometrics with special emphasis on the
following areas: coastal resources and environmental economics; economic
forecasting, financial economics; health care; and issues of poverty and
regional development. All students take a common core of courses in
neoclassical theory and analytical technique and then apply these tools in a
variety of field courses. The experience culminates in the completion of a
research project in which the student designs an analytical project, collects
that the required data, and then tests and reports the results of the model.
The program
is designed to be completed in two semesters and two summers. The program is
sufficiently flexible to include part-time students and "spring
starters."
The program
provides an ideal background for work in industry, government, and non-profit
positions requiring the combination of analytical skills and institutional
background. The degree was designed as a terminal one, rather than an
intermediate stage of a Ph.D. program. Although it is an excellent preparation
for further graduate work in economics, it was conceived specifically to
provide graduates with up-to-date and marketable skills. One of the strengths
of the program is in the small class sizes and a close working relationship
with the faculty. Faculty who are active contributors to the areas in which
they teach conducts all graduate field courses.
The
structure of the program reflects the research interests of the faculty. Some
of the faculty conduct research and teach in areas of macroeconomics, but the
preponderant emphasis within the department is on neoclassical microeconomics
applied to areas such as coastal and marine resources, environmental economics,
health care, labor economics, regional development, and income distribution.
The program
will admit students from a variety of undergraduate majors provided your
undergraduate preparation has included at least one course each in statistics
and differential calculus. Undergraduate courses in intermediate microeconomics
and intermediate macroeconomics are also strongly recommended.
Applicants
should submit the following:
Promising
applicants who do not currently meet all formal criteria may be granted
provisional admission.
The program
design includes a healthy measure of theory and econometric technique. The core
courses develop those aspects of neoclassical price and welfare theory that are
essential to deal with the policy issues encountered in resource and environmental
economics and in related fields of applied microeconomics. The structure of the
program reflects the conviction that people best learn economics by doing
economics: our elective courses are taught as applications of the theory and
technique courses and encourage students to define all research questions in a
manner that will permit empirical testing. A successful working economist must
not only master the statistical techniques of modern empirical research, but
must also be able to convey the results of this research in a persuasive and
articulate manner. Our program accordingly gives students ample opportunity to
develop necessary analytical and presentation skills. The Department also
conducts regular Economics
Seminars at which our faculty and invited external speakers present their
latest research.
Some useful links:
A limited
number of graduate assistantships are available that involve up to a twenty
hour per week time commitment. Graduate assistants typically become involved in
faculty research projects that may help them identify topics for their own
Research Seminar project. In addition to these Graduate School Assistantships,
there frequently are paid research assistantships available from faculty
external research grants. International Students are eligible for graduate
assistantships. The Office of Student
Financial Aid at East Carolina University is responsible for administering
and processing all Federal Title IV aid for students enrolled at ECU. The
website they maintain includes extended information on financial aids from both
ECU and off-campus sources.
East Carolina University is a constituent
institution of the University of North Carolina with a total enrollment of
24,000, including an enrollment of approximately 5,700 in graduate and MD
programs. The University is located adjacent to downtown, with restaurants and
shops within easy walking distance. The Medical Center campus is adjacent to
Pitt Memorial Hospital in west Greenville. It is located eighty miles from
Raleigh and is accessible by four-lane highways and nearby airports. It is also
within easy driving distance of coastal beach resorts and the Outer banks, as
well as Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The mountain areas of western
North Carolina are a bit farther--but still within an easy one-day drive--and
contain some of the most spectacular hiking and camping vistas in the land. The
adjacent states of Virginia and West Virginia offer convenient winter skiing.
The climate
in eastern North Carolina is pleasant, with an annual mean temperature of 60
degrees. The beautiful spring foliage of dogwood and azalea gives way to a warm
and humid summer. Falls are usually cool and dry and frequently last well into
November. Winters are brief and mild with snowfall being an unusual event.
All
applicants must complete a formal application available from the Graduate
School. More information about the MS Program in Applied and Resource Economics
is available from:
Dr. John A.
Bishop, Graduate Director
Department of Economics
Brewster A-436
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina 27858-4353
Phone: 252.328.6006 or 1082 or 6756
Fax: 252.328.6743
BishopJ@ecu.edu