Economics

M.A, Ph.D

Queen’s offers what we believe are the finest graduate programs in Economics in Canada. Our programs are rigorous and demanding, but are also challenging and exciting, and are noted for being highly collegial and congenial. Also, because of our low student-tofaculty ratio, and our ability to provide office space within the department you will have ample opportunity to interact with faculty members, in both the M.A. and Ph.D. programs.

Our programs are held in very high esteem by our graduates, by our current students, and by professional economists in Canada and throughout the world. They prepare students for both applied and theoretical research, and, especially in the case of the M.A. program, for non-academic careers in both the private and public sectors. Both programs involve a core of courses in economic theory and quantitative methods, together with a range of specialized electives chosen according to each student’s interest.

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"There is a reason that the Ph.D. program is among the highest ranked in the country: The entire experience is amazing. It's a great atmosphere and a great place to study. The libraries are superb. The professors are easy to talk to. You really feel like you're part of a community and not just a number. And even though it's a smaller school, the conferences attract some of the top economists from around the world."

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Degrees Offered / Length of Program

• M.A: 1 year
• Ph.D.: 4 years

Method of Completion

• M.A.: Course work, independent research project/essay, oral exam. Master’s students have the opportunity to engage a research project supervisor. All faculty members are available as supervisors of these projects
  
• Ph.D.: Course work (includes preparation in economic theory and areas of specialization), comprehensive written exams in micro and macro theory, doctoral thesis
  

Degree Level Expectations & Learning Outcomes

M.A - view this information as a pdf(297KB)

PhD - view this information as a pdf (296KB)

Fields of Study

Applied Microeconomics: Applied microeconomics includes a range of specialized areas of study, which can draw on methods from other fields of economics. However applied work, utilizes the basic principles of price theory, and supply & demand.

 

Econometric Theory: Econometric theory applies the tools of statistics to economic problems. It develops methods for testing and quantifying economic theories and relationships in data.

 

Applied Econometrics: Applied econometrics focuses on using techniques to analyze data and uses statistical methods to produce empirical evidence to test opinions and theories.

 

Economic History: Using contemporary methodological and empirical techniques in an effort to understand fundamental economic relationships that have been operable in the long run. While economic history does help us to understand the past, its primary focus involves the use of past experience to illuminate current and future economic interactions.

 

Employment Opportunities

M.A. Job Placements: The Bank of Canada, the Department of Finance, Statistics Canada, Industry Canada, Health Canada, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Bank of Montreal, Toronto Dominion Bank, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and Goldman Sachs. As well as placements to do a PhD at various universities in North America and the UK.

Ph.D. Job Placements: the Universities of Toronto, Wisconsin, Hong Kong, Indiana, University College London, Vanderbilt University, HEC (Montreal), and the International Monetary Fund.

Funding Information

• Basic Funding Package:consists of scholarships and teaching assistantships
• Guaranteed Minimum Annual Stipend: $18,000 for Ph.D. students (most students receive more than this minimum)

All applicants will be considered for financial assistance if they so stipulate on the application. We strongly encourage applicants to apply for all possible sources of external funding, including SSHRC, OGS and others. Entering graduate students who win federal government tri-council awards are automatically provided a $5,000 top-up award by Queen’s. Internal funding includes the C.A. Curtis Prize, the Richard S. Malone Graduate Fellowship in Economics, and the Scarthingmoor Prize which awards $8,000 to the author of the best M.A. essay.

Academic Prerequisites

Please note that in the academic background section we require a list of your five most recent courses and marks in economics, math, or statistics.

M.A.:

• Honours Bachelor’s degree with a major in economics or a related field, minimum upper second-class standing (Most students have first-class averages.)
• Most successful applicants have undergraduate credits in statistics and quantitative methods for economics, intermediate and advanced micro- and macroeconomic theory, and two or three further upper-year courses in economics, plus courses in linear algebra and differential and integral calculus. Applicants from other Departments may need to complete a preparatory or qualifying year.

Ph.D.:

• Honours Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in economics or a related field.
• If you are applying for the Ph.D. program, you should submit marks from at least one term of your M.A. program.

Test Requirements

Any applicant whose previous degree is not from a Canadian or U.S. university must submit GRE scores. For international students if applicable, must submit one of the following:

• TOEFL score of 600 paper based or TOEFL iBT minimum overall score of 88/120 (see web for breakdown)
• MELAB score of 80
• IELTS score of 7