;

Applied Economics and Finance M.S.

Introduction

The M.S. program in applied economics and finance is a one-year program that provides analytical graduate training designed to prepare students for careers in business, international and domestic banking, consulting firms, government, and nonprofit organizations. The program combines core training in economic theory with meaningful applications that students are likely to face in their professional careers. The program has a more applied orientation than a typical M.A. program in economics and provides more training in economics, statistics, and econometrics than most M.B.A. programs. The curriculum stresses mastery of core principles in micro and macroeconomics and finance. In addition, each student learns how to solve practical problems and to communicate the results clearly. The emphasis of the program, and perhaps its greatest strength, is exposing students to advanced econometric techniques, statistical software packages (R, Stata, etc.), and large-scale financial and microeconomic datasets throughout their coursework.

International students in the M.S. program are eligible to apply for optional practical training (OPT) through the Office of International Education. Our M.S. program in applied economics and finance is also eligible for the OPT Stem Extension. For more information please visit the International Scholar and Student Services website.

Past graduates of this program have gone on to successful careers in the private and public sectors with placements at a diverse range of companies and institutions, including ADM Associates, Inc., Anderson Tax, SoFi, Cisco Systems, Seagate Technology, Google, Sony Computer Entertainment, Plantronics, Wells Fargo, Securities and Exchange Commission, all of the big four accounting firms, McKesson Corp., Pepsi Corp., Visa, Square Trade, the California Franchise Tax Board, Guardian News (UK), Blue Cross, the World Bank, Stanford University, and the Bank of Japan. Other graduates have gone on to earn Ph.D.s in economics. 

Requirements

Course Requirements

M.S. students are required to take the following classes starting in the fall quarter of the academic year they enroll in the program. Students may also take additional classes if they desire.

Courses and Program Requirements

Fall
ECON200Microeconomic Analysis

5

ECON216Applied Econometric Analysis I

5

ECON233Finance I

5

ECON294AApplied Economics and Finance Laboratory

2

ECON186Mathematical Methods for Economic Analysis

5

ECON 186 Note: M.S. students are strongly encouraged to enroll in ECON 186, a three-week pre-fall mathematics course, which is highly beneficial to students’ success in the program. ECON 186 is offered as an accelerated short course before the start of fall quarter.

Winter
ECON202Macroeconomic Analysis

5

ECON217Applied Econometric Analysis II

5

Master's elective

ECON294AApplied Economics and Finance Laboratory

2

ECON294BApplied Economics and Finance Seminar

2

Spring
ECON201Applications in Microeconomics

5

ECON236Financial Engineering

5

Master's elective

ECON294BApplied Economics and Finance Seminar

2

Electives

Students may satisfy the elective requirements by taking approved courses within the Economics Department or from another discipline. The department has assembled a list of pre-approved master's electives (curricular offerings are subject to change annually). Students will need to file a departmental petition for review and approval of courses that are not on the pre-approved elective list.

Pre-Approved M.S. Electives (please note courses are not offered every quarter or every year)

Economics
ECON111AIntermediate Accounting I

5

ECON111BIntermediate Accounting II

5

ECON111CIntermediate Accounting III

5

ECON188Management in the Global Economy

5

ECON211CAdvanced Econometrics III

5

ECON220ADevelopment Economics I

5

ECON231International Financial Management

5

ECON235Corporate Finance

5

ECON238Market Design: Theory and Pragmatics

5

ECON250AApplied Microeconomics I

5

ECON259BPublic Policy Analysis

5

Enrollment in these ECON courses requires permission of instructor: ECON 111A, ECON 111B,ECON 111C, ECON 211C, ECON 220A, ECON 250A.

Applied Mathematics
AM216Stochastic Differential Equations

5

Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
CSE20Beginning Programming in Python

5

CSE101Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms

5

CSE102Introduction to Analysis of Algorithms

5

CSE182Introduction to Database Management Systems

5

CSE 20 Note: As it is a lower-division course, CSE 20 does not count toward the 35 credits required by the university to obtain a master's degree. However, since it broadens the skill-set of students in the program, we allow for it as a master's elective to satisfy department requirements. Before enrolling in this course, students should take care to ensure that they will have 35 eligible credits for graduation.

CSE Pre-Approved course electives (require permission of instructor)
CSE111Advanced Programming

5

CSE142Machine Learning

5

CSE201Analysis of Algorithms

5

CSE202Combinatorial Algorithms

5

CSE243Data Mining

5

CSE270BManagement of Technology II

5

CSE271E-Business Technology and Strategy

5

CSE272Information Retrieval

5

CSE277Random Process Models in Engineering

5

Enrollment in these computer science and engineering courses requires permission of instructor: CSE 111, CSE 142, CSE 201, CSE 202, CSE 243, CSE 270B, CSE 271, CSE 272, CSE 277.

Environmental Studies
ENVS140National Environmental Policy

5

Statistics
STAT206Applied Bayesian Statistics

5

STAT206BIntermediate Bayesian Inference

5

STAT207Intermediate Bayesian Statistical Modeling

5

STAT208Linear Statistical Models

5

STAT226Spatial Statistics

5

Other Requirements

Students must pass a comprehensive capstone requirement to receive their degree. This capstone requirement consists of a comprehensive examination, which will take place within two weeks of spring graduation. Students who do not pass the June examination may take it again in August at a date scheduled by the department. Further attempts at passing the comprehensive examination will be approved by the master's committee on an appeal-only basis, with appeals only given for extraordinary or extenuating circumstances.

Students may choose an emphasis in their comprehensive exam requirement based on their academic and professional interests, as reflected in their choices. For the 2019-20 cohort, the applied microeconomics and finance exams, respectively, will consist of one section each from the following courses:

Applied Microeconomics

Finance

To complete the capstone exam requirement, students must declare an intended emphasis for the capstone from the following three options prior to June 1 of their spring quarter:

1. Applied Microeconomics: Students must pass the applied microeconomics exam in full

2. Finance Emphasis: Students must pass the finance exam in full

3. General Emphasis: Students must pass the core components of both exams (see courses designated by *).

For those students who have specific research interests and have distinguished themselves in their coursework, a faculty-sponsored research project and thesis may replace the comprehensive examination requirement. This track requires approval of a faculty adviser and the master's degree committee prior to Feb. 1 of the student’s initial winter quarter.

Academic Progress

Along with enrolling in the necessary number of units, students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic standing during their time at UCSC. Students not making satisfactory progress will be placed on academic probation, and students will be dismissed from the program if they do not remove their probationary status within one quarter. For example, if a student is placed on probation starting in the winter quarter, they must improve to the extent that their probationary status is removed by the beginning of the spring quarter.

Specifically, a student will be placed on academic probation if they fail any of the non-elective, 5-credit courses in the program. Students will be dismissed from the program if they fail core courses in consecutive quarters within any field in the program. There are two fields in the program:  applied economics and finance. The applied economics field includes ECON 200, ECON 216, ECON 217, and ECON 201. The finance field includes ECON 233, ECON 202, and ECON 236.

Note that probation and dismissal can only be formally issued by the Graduate Division (under recommendation from the Economics Department). More details on these procedures, as well as student’s right to appeal such decisions, can be found in the Graduate Division Handbook

Applying for Graduation

By the end of the second week of instruction in the quarter you intend to graduate, you must file an "Application for Degree" form with the Division of Graduate Studies.