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BA/MA in Economics

Department of Economics BA+MA Program

The Department of Economics is now offering an Accelerated Bachelor's + Master's Degree in Managerial Economics with a Big Data Emphasis. This program is designed to be completed in 1-2 years, depending on full-time/part-time status, courses taken, prerequisites, and scheduling. 

This track provides rigorous training in economics and data analytics and is designed for students seeking jobs in either the private or public sectors. Please note that there is a 2-semester sequence of core classes that start in Fall, but it may be possible to join the program in the Spring semester.  

Students are encouraged to apply to the program by March 1st or as early as possible in the junior year.  

This track requires:

  1. Successful completion of 33 credit hours of coursework as described below
  2. A 3.0 GPA in all undergraduate and graduate courses.

The 33 hours include 9 hours of core Economics courses, 9 hours of graduate Economics electives, 3 hours of ECON 5940, and 12 hours of data analyitcs graduate electives. Students may double count up to 9 hours of approved 4000-level Econ major courses towards both the BA and MA totals, with approval.

Previous Coursework

Applicants must be in the junior or senior year of an economics degree in the College of Arts and Sciences to qualify.  Some course work in economics including both intermediate micro (ECON 3113) and macroeconomics (ECON 3133) is required prior to starting the program. All applicants need a good working knowledge of mathematics and basic statistics. At least two semesters of calculus and one semester of basic statistics (ECON 2843) or their equivalents are required. For Data Elective courses, some knowledge of programming or advanced math/stats is helpful but not required.  

Coursework

The main body of coursework consists of core courses in Economics, supplemented with Economics graduate electives and approved Data Analytics courses. Here is a sample schedule:

Sample Fall Semester

ECON 5023 – Statistics for Decision Making 
ECON 5033 – Managerial Economics I
ECON Elective – Any 4000/5000-level Economics course that carries graduate credit*
Big Data Elective - choose 1-2 graduate electives from courses in MIT / GIS / ISE**

Sample Spring Semester

ECON 5043 – Managerial Economics II 
ECON 4223 – Econometric Analysis OR Any 4000/5000-level Economics course that carries graduate credit*
ECON Elective – Any 4000/5000-level Economics course that carries graduate credit*
Data Elective - choose 1-2 graduate electives from courses in LIS / GIS / ISE** 

*with approval of graduate director
**with approval of graduate director and departmental permission

Sample Big Data Electives

ISE 5103 Intelligent Data Analysis
GIS 5013 Fundamentals of GIS
GIS 5253 Applied GIS
LIS 5033 Info Technology Management
PSC 5923 Analysis of Political Data

GIS = Geographic Information Systems            
ISE = Industrial/Systems Engineering               
LIS = Library/Information Science
PSC = Political Science

Research Component

Students will enroll in ECON 5940 - Research in Economic Problems (3 hours) in their final semester, for which they may write and present a research paper. A faculty supervisor and committee for the paper must be arranged before a student can enroll in ECON 5940.

Advising

All BA/MA students in the Accelerated Managerial Economics + Big Data Emphasis program will be advised by the undergraduate advisor, Corey Quiett, in conjunction with the Graduate Program Director (GPD). In no circumstances will a student will be allowed to alter their course curriculum without the permission of the GPD and all elective course selections are to be approved by the GPD. Students can reach the undergraduate advisor at cquiett@ou.edu or 405-325-4307.

Application Requirements

The Department of Economics evaluates each applicant individually in order to select for admission those applicants who have the aptitude, scholarship, and analytical skill necessary to successfully complete an advanced degree.  View complete application details here or contact the undergraduate advisor for more information.

Prior to the final semester, students will formally apply to the Graduate College of the University of Oklahoma , which has specific admission requirements of:

  1. Minimum B average over the last 60 hrs of undergraduate study or the last 12 hours of graduate study
  2. (for non-native English speaking applicants) a TOEFL score of 550 or higher.

The Department of Economics does not have specific admission requirements (e.g. minimum GRE scores). Rather, an admissions committee recommends admission on the basis of several factors. All sources of information are helpful in the evaluation of an applicant's ability to pursue an advance degree. 

NAMEPOSITIONCONTACT
Firat DemirGraduate Directorfdemir@ou.edu
Kelli Broome Administrative Support Specialistkellibroome@ou.edu