The MSAE program requires 30 credit hours of graduate course work, a research project, and a final oral examination. The MSAE curriculum is summarized below, is visualized through this flowchart, and available, with course descriptions, within the University Bulletin.
MSAE Core Courses (12 credits)
Applied Econometrics, ECON 6560
Applied Time-Series Economic Forecasting, ECON 6561
Microeconomic Theory and Applications, ECON 6503
Macroeconomic Theory and Applications, ECON 6504
Master's Professional Project & Comprehensive Exam, ECON 6998
Specializations & Electives (18 credits)
In addition to the core, students complete their remaining credits of coursework by choosing a specialization. The MSAE program offers five different specialty areas. Click below to see the different requirements of each.
Business Economics Specialization
The Business Economics Specialization is suitable for individuals seeking careers in the private sector in industries such as utilities, services and manufacturing. It combines economics courses with such business courses as managerial accounting, marketing management, and operations management.
CORE Plus:
ACCO 6200 Managerial Accounting for Decision Making
6 to 9 credit hours chosen from:♦
- BUAD 6160 Business Analytics using Spreadsheets
- BULA 6110 Legal Issues in Business and Technology
- FINA 6200 Advanced Financial Management
- MARK 6200 Marketing Management
- MARK 6160 Marketing Research
- OSCM 6200 Operations and Supply Chain Management
- OSCM 6110 Manufacturing Management
- OSCM 6115 Service Operations Management
- MBA 6140 Leading People & Change AND MBA 6160 Leadership Coaching & Development (1.5 credit hours each)
Skills courses, up to three 1-credit courses from the following:
- BUAD 6112 SAS
- BUAD 6113 SPSS
- ECON 6114 R Programming
- ECON 6118 Python
- ECON 6931B SQL
6‑9 elective hours in Economics
Applied Economic Analysis Specialization
Policy Focus
CORE Plus:
Choose four of the following courses:
- ECON 6506 Industrial organization and public policy
- ECON 6510 Economics of the public sector
- ECON 6512 Studies in urban and regional economics
- ECON 6520 Studies in labor market analysis
- ECON 6522 Studies in health economics
- ECON 5005 Sports economics
- ECON 5072 Behavioral economics
6 additional credits from business, economics, mathematics/computer science or social sciences
Self-directed option
CORE Plus:
18 additional credits, at least 12 credits must be in Economics and up to 6 credits in business, mathematics/computer science or social sciences.
Business and Managerial Analytics Specialization
CORE Plus:
MBA 6100 Business Analytics
Nine credits from the following, with no more than six credits in any area:
- INSY 6159 Design and Management of Database Systems
- MARK 6160/5931 Marketing Research
- MARK 6165 Marketing Analytics
- COSC 6510 Data Intelligence
- COSC 6820 Data Ethics
- COSC 5610 Data Mining
- Three 1-credit courses from the following: BUAD 6112 SAS, BUAD 6113 SPSS, ECON 6114 R Programming, ECON 6118 Python, ECON 6931b SQL
Financial Economics Specialization
The Financial Economics Specialization is appropriate for those interested in a career in the financial services sector including banks, insurance companies, and securities markets. It blends such economics courses as monetary theory and policy with courses in financial policy and an advanced seminar in finance.
Core Plus:
- ACCO 6200 - Managerial accounting
- ECON 6580 - Monetary theory and policy
- FINA 6200 - Financial management
One 3-credit graduate level finance course approved by MSAE director
AND Six elective credits in Economics
Note that these courses (excluding ECON) are standard courses in the MBA Program and in some cases prerequisite coursework may be required.
Marketing Research Specialization
The Marketing Research Specialization is designed for students interested in a career in marketing research and market analysis, working either for marketing research consulting companies, or in marketing research departments of companies in the service, manufacturing or financial sector. It combines the applied econometric and forecasting courses taught in the economics core with courses in marketing management, marketing research, and other traditional marketing areas.
CORE Plus:
- MARK 6200 Marketing Management
- MARK 6160 Marketing Research
Choose 6 credits from MBA Marketing Courses
This also includes up to 3 credits of the following 1-credit courses
- BUAD 6112 SAS
- BUAD 6113 SPSS
- ECON 6114 R Programming
- ECON 6118 Python
- ECON 6931b SQL
6 credits in ECON courses
Earn the Business and Managerial Analytics Certificate with no additional credits.
Students who pursue the Applied Economic Analysis specialization can carefully select courses to earn the Business and Managerial Analytics (BMAN) Certificate without enrolling in credits beyond the 30 required for the MSAE. Students interested in earning the master’s and certificate should apply for both programs at the beginning of their MSAE studies.
Students pursuing the Business Economics specialization could pursue the BMAN Certificate with 3 additional credits. Students pursuing the Financial Economics and Marketing Research specializations can earn the specialization through enrollment in 6 additional credits. Students may not specialize and earn a certificate in the same area, so students pursuing the MSAE Business and Managerial Analytics specialization may not also earn the certificate.
Learning Outcomes
As one of many methods of assuring that the goals of our educational mission are successfully met, the college regularly and systematically engages in the assessment of a variety of competencies. As part of this assurance of learning, each program defines and collects data on learning outcomes; statements of the knowledge, skills and attitudes that we want our graduates to possess. We use them for continuous improvement and they are the criteria on which organizations such as AACSB evaluate our accreditation.
The following are the learning outcomes in our MSAE program.
Students who graduate from the MSAE program will be able to successfully design and complete an empirical research project that includes:
- identifying an original question with implications for public policy or that leads to business solutions that can be answered with available methods and data
- applying advanced empirical techniques to address causality
- defending and discussing the results
- providing an executive summary highlighting all important aspects of the project
