Depending on the track chosen, students must complete 30 to 36 hours of approved graduate course work. Those credits include 12 credit hours of core courses. The required core courses are two in economic theory and two in econometrics. In addition, students take 18 to 24 credit hours of other required courses and electives, depending on their track. All courses must be taken for a letter grade (the pass/fail option is not permitted). No more than 3 credit hours of ECON-691 Internship may be taken. All courses must be approved by the advisor and fit into a coherent educational program developed by the student in consultation with the advisor.

ECON-300 Intermediate Microeconomics and
ECON-301 Intermediate Macroeconomics
or
ECON-603 Introduction to Economic Theory
MATH-211 Applied Calculus
STAT-202 Basic Statistics
Waiver of these prerequisites may be granted for qualified persons with comparable prior education or experience. Prerequisite credit (including ECON-603) does not count toward a degree.

Required Core Courses

ECON-500 Microeconomics
ECON-501 Macroeconomics
(ECON-500 and ECON-501 must be completed within the first 9 credit hours.)
ECON-523 Applied Econometrics I
ECON-524 Applied Econometrics II
(You are strongly advised to take ECON 523 within your first year of graduate work.)

ECON-523 and ECON-524 fulfill the university’s research requirement if you earn at least a B in both courses. The research requirement can also be fulfilled by writing a thesis, though MA students in Economics rarely choose to do so. You would need to recruit a supervising committee of professors, submit a formal proposal, and defend your thesis before your committee. For more information, see: http://www.american.edu/academics/provost/2/guidelines/index.htm

Overview of Required and Elective Courses For the Master of Arts in Economics
All Tracks	Required Core Courses (12 Credit Hours) ECON-500 Microeconomics ECON-501 Macroeconomics ECON-523 Applied Econometrics I ECON-524 Applied Econometrics II	Other Required and Elective Courses (18 to 24 Credit Hours)
General Track (18 credit hours)	Required Course (3 Credit Hours) ECON-505 Introduction to Mathematical Economics	Electives in Economics (15 Credit Hours) Choose from among graduate courses offered by the Department of Economics. Three credit hours may be taken outside the Department with the advisor ’s approval.
Development Economics Track (24 credit hours)	Required Courses (6 Credit Hours) ECON-662 Development Microeconomics ECON-663 Development Macroeconomics Electives (18 Credit hours)	Electives in Economics and SIS (18 Credit Hours) Choose from a list of graduate courses relevant to the field of development economics that are offered by the Department of Economics and the School of International Service. Students may elect between 0 and 12 credit hours of graduate course work from SIS.
Gender Analysis in Economics Track (24 credit hours)	Required Courses (9 credit hours) ECON-574 Gender Perspectives on Econ.: Microeconomics ECON-575 Gender Perspectives on Econ.: Macroeconomics WGST-600 Feminist and Gender Theory	Electives in Economics (9 credit hours) Choose from a list of graduate courses relevant to the field of gender economics that are offered by the Department of Economics.	Electives in Related Fields (6 credit hours) Choose from a list of graduate courses relevant to the field of gender economics that are offered by the Departments of Anthropology, Sociology, Government, Justice, and Philosophy.
Financial Economic Policy Track (24 credit hours)	Required Courses (15 credit hours) ACCT-607 Accounting Concepts and Applications ECON-505 Introduction to Mathematical Economics ECON-633 Financial Economics ECON-639 Policy Issues in Financial Economics FIN-614 Financial Management	Electives in Economics and Business (9 credit hours) Choose from a list of graduate courses relevant to financial economic policy that are offered by the Department of Economics and the Kogod School of Business.
Business Economics Track (24 credit hours)	Required Courses in Business (7.5 credit hours) FIN-630 Financial Analysis ITEC-618 Applied Production and Operations Mgt. MKTG-632 Marketing	Electives in Economics (12 credit hours) Choose from a list of graduate courses relevant to the field of business that are offered by the Department of Economics.	Electives in Business (4.5 credit hours) Choose from a list of graduate courses relevant to the field of economics that are offered by the Kogod School of Business.