Masters in Economics

Our Economics Master's program is offered in three different pathways: Master of Arts, Master of Science and Accelerated option. It provides invaluable skills for those seeking leadership positions in industry and government that apply quantitative analysis to economic issues. The master’s degree in economics prepares students for positions in government, business and teaching at the junior college level.

You will learn high-powered data analysis and gain research experience with real data. Our Economics Computer Lab provides our students with opportunities to carry out research with state-of-the-art economics-related software, including Stata, EViews, Matlab, R and Python.

3 Master's Programs Available

Check out the full course requirements and program courses for our three master degree options.

  • Master of Arts

    A master of arts will be awarded upon completion of a research paper and the course and hour requirements. The research paper is counted as three semester hours of credit as ECON 598.

  • Master of Science

    A master of science degree will be awarded upon completion of a master’s thesis and the course and hour requirements. The thesis will be supervised by a committee of at least three members of the graduate faculty and counted for six hours of credit as ECON 599.

  • Accelerated Master’s Program

    Undergraduate economics majors at SIU can also apply for the accelerated master’s program. Students can apply during their junior year and will need to have at least a 3.25 GPA in all coursework. Before the end of their senior year, students will need to take:

    • ECON 465 (Mathematical Economics) 
    • ECON 463 (Applied Econometrics)
    • One other 400-level Economics course
    • MATH 150 (Calculus I)  

    This course sequence can be completed in just one year.

Course Requirements

Those students who plan to receive the Master’s degree in Economics as a terminal degree are required to have the following courses:

  • ECON 465: Mathematical Economics I
  • ECON 463: Applied Econometrics
  • ECON 540A: Microeconomic Theory I
  • ECON 541A: Macroeconomic Theory I

Research requirements for each degree type can be found in our catalog. 

The M.S. is a STEM degree and so allows international students to remain in the U.S. for three years after graduation without needing the H1B Visa.

Financial Assistance

A number of fellowships, scholarships, and assistantships, for both teaching and research, are available to our graduate students. Assistantships, however, sometimes become available later in the year.

The Graduate School offers several types of awards to students nominated by the Economics program. These awards include:

pulliam hall

Admission Info

We do not have a formal deadline. However, to receive full consideration for an assistantship, please submit a complete application by February 14th for fall admission.

To receive full consideration for a first-year master's fellowship, please submit a complete application by December 15th for fall admission.

View application materials and admissions details

Economic Student Association

One of the top student clubs on campus, which is open to all economics majors (and non-majors as well), meets during the fall and spring semesters. Students exchange economic ideas, share resources, and have fun. In addition to its regular meetings, the club has organized some special events, including meetings with economist visitors from the Federal Reserve.

Contact Information
Alison Watts (Program Director)   |   (618) 453-4143  |   wattsa@siu.edu
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