COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
Department of Economics
Economics Fastrack Five-Year Dual Degree Program
B.S./M.S. in Economics
Texas A&M University Department of Economics
Description
This is a joint BS/MS program that allows students to complete both a B.S. and M.S degree in five years. We
outline below the individual degree requirements, and the recommended undergraduate course of study for
meeting M.S. prerequisites and preparing for the more rigorous, professional MS courses. In total, the student
completes 150 credit hours of course work for the combined program; 6 credit hours of coursework will be
“double-counted” for both degrees the B.S. and M.S.
Students in the Fastrack pay undergraduate tuition rates for their first four years, and then pay graduate rates,
including the MS program fee of $3,000 both semesters, in their fifth year.
Program Requirements
Eligibility and Application Requirements
Economics majors interested in the five-year dual degree Economics Fastrack program should:
1. Be a B.S. in Economics major with junior standing,
2. Have a minimum GPA of 3.25,
3. Be within reach of earning at least 96 credit hours by the end of their third year, and
4. Have completed specific required mathematics and economics courses to prepare for quantitative
graduate-level analytical work including:
a. MATH 151 and MATH 152 – Calculus Sequence
b. MATH 323 – Linear Algebra,
c. ECMT 461 – Economic Data Analysis, or its equivalent, and
d. ECMT 463 - Introduction to Econometrics, or its equivalent.
Eligible students apply to the five year BS/MS program during their junior year, and submit the following materials:
1. An Application Checklist form,
2. An official GRE or GMAT score (Note: the GRE/GMAT test submission requirement will be waived for
joint degree applicants with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or higher at the time of application.)
3. A letter of recommendation from an economics department faculty member who has been an instructor in
one of your courses (Note: if you intend to apply for the PhD program later you will need three letters, a
personal statement and a writing sample at that time,)
4. A copy of your current unofficial Texas A&M University transcript, and
5. A copy of your up-to-date Undergraduate degree plan.
Students must also schedule an interview with the Program Director, Dr. Doug Eckel, once their application is
complete and before the application deadline.
There are no defined GRE score thresholds; however, the average GRE scores of admitted students in fall, 2014
were 150 in verbal and 158 in quantitative. Together these translate to a score of approximately 560 on the
GMAT.
Students may open their application file anytime by submitting material to program administrators, 3102 Allen
Building, or by email at: doug.eckel@tamu.edu . Applications must be completed, with all supporting materials, by
February 1st. Students will be notified of the admissions decision by March 1st to allow ample time for fall course
planning and registration.
3035 Allen Building
4228 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843-4228
Tel. 979.845.7351 Fax 979.847.8757
http://econweb.tamu.edu
Combined Course of Study
Admitted students begin taking Masters-level courses in the fall of their fourth year with an undergraduate
classification (U4). They are re-classified as degree seeking master’s students (G7) upon completion of
120 credit hours. This usually occurs after the spring semester of their fourth year.
Students complete the 36 hours of graduate-level courses required of all students admitted to the Masters
of Science in Economics program. Many students in the MS in Economics program complete their degree
in 4 consecutive semesters (fall/spring/summer/fall), although others often extend their course of study to
an additional spring semester. BS-MS students take the required graduate courses in a modified order
over two years to complete both degrees simultaneously.
BS-MS students double count 6 hours of graduate coursework in both their 36-hour graduate degree and
33 hour undergraduate Economics major. Students typically use ECON 607 and ECMT 674 for this
purpose, but the 6 hours can be chosen from any ECON or ECMT courses taken at the graduate level.
(Please see: Appendix 1 at the end of this program description for the standard course requirements for
both the B.S. and M.S. in Economics.)
The Bachelor of Science requirements for BS-MS joint degree students include:
Bachelor of Science requirements for BS-MS joint degree students
Major Coursework
Credits
Course
3
ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics
3
ECON 203 Principles of Macroeconomics
3
ECON 323 Microeconomic Theory
3
ECON 410 Macroeconomic Theory
3
ECON 460 Introduction to Mathematical Analysis (counts as economics elective)
12
Economics electives
3
ECON 607 Foundations of Microeconomic Theory*
3
ECMT 674 Economic Forecasting*
*Masters-level
course double-counts as a BS elective and core MS course.
Supporting Coursework
3
ACCT 209 Survey of Accounting Principles
3
ACCT 210 Managerial & Cost Accounting Principles
University and College of Liberal Arts Requirements
6
English writing and speech
6
English literature
12
Mathematics (See note below):
Joint degree students must take MATH 151: Engineering Mathematics I, MATH 152:
Engineering Mathematics II, ECMT 461: Economic Data Analysis & ECMT 463:
Introduction to Econometrics prior to starting the BS-MS program. (1 hour from
MATH 151 & 1 hour from MATH 152 will count toward general electives)
6
American History
6
Political Science and Government
6
Social and Behavioral Science
9
Language, Philosophy and Culture and Creative Arts
6
International and Cultural Diversity
9
Life and Physical Sciences
18
General Electives
Joint Program MS Course of Study (Undergraduate Year 4):
Credits
Fall I
Spring I
Course
3
ECON 607: Foundations of Microeconomic Theory*
3
ECMT 674: Economic Forecasting*
3
ECON XXX (UG upper level elective)
3
UG General Elective course
3
ECON 611: Foundations in Macroeconomic Theory
3
ECON 689: Economic Analytics
3
ECON XXX (UG upper level elective)
3
UG General Elective course
At the end of their fourth year, students will choose their MS concentration area. They will select either
Financial Economics or Financial Econometrics and take one of the subsequent course plans:
Financial Economics Track
Credits
Summer I
Fall II
Spring II
1-6
Course
ECON 684: Internship (1-6 Credit Hours; Not required)
3
ECON 675: Capstone
3
ECON 618: Behavioral Economics of Financial Markets
3
FINC 629: Financial Management
3
FINC 632: Investment Management
3
ECON 617: Strategies of Multinational Corporations
3
ECON 6XX (elective)
Financial Econometrics Track
Credits
Summer I
Fall II
Spring II
1-6
Course
ECON 684: Internship (1-6 Credit Hours; Not required)
3
ECON 675: Capstone
3
FINC 629: Financial Management
3
FINC 632: Investment Management
3
ECMT 681: Econometric Analysis of Financial Data
3
ECMT 680: Financial Econometrics
3
ECON 6XX (elective)
*Masters-level
course double-counts as a core Masters course and as an Undergraduate Economics
elective.
+
Graduate Electives are chosen in consultation with advisor.
Administration and Application
Students who choose not to finish the MS-ECON degree after being admitted may withdraw from the
program at any time. Completed MS courses are applied to a student’s undergraduate degree as
appropriate. Failure to complete the MS-ECON program does not interfere with a student’s ability to
complete the BS in Economics once all requirements for that degree are met.
Advising for the joint-degree program is handled in a coordinated effort between the Undergraduates and
Graduate Advisors in the Department of Economics. Each counterpart ensures that requirements are
met for their respective degree. Departmental advisors coordinate to ensure timely completion of both
degrees.
Contact Information
Undergraduate curriculum information:
Dr. Jonathan Meer, Director of Undergraduate Studies
jmeer@econmail.tamu.edu
979.845.2059
Sarah Ura, Senior Academic Advisor II
sura@econmail.tamu.edu
979.845.9953
Graduate curriculum information, applications and interviews:
Doug Eckel, MS Program Director
doug.eckel@tamu.edu
979.845.7340
Dr. Li Gan, Director of Masters Program
gan@econmail.tamu.edu
979.862.1667
Updated November 26, 2014, by Doug Eckel
(based on Sarah Ura’s Original Program Proposal)
Appendix 1: Standard Course Requirements for both the B.S. and M.S. in Economics
University and College of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Requirements
Students can obtain information about the course options for the following requirements in the University
catalog (catalog.tamu.edu), the Undergraduate Student Services Office in the College of Liberal Arts, or
from an undergraduate advisor in the Department of Economics.
University and College of Liberal Arts General Requirements:
Credits Category
6
English writing and speech
6
English literature
12
Mathematics: MATH 141/166; MATH 131/142/151; or ECON course below.
6
6
(also: ECMT 461: Econ. Data Analysis; ECMT 463: Intro. to Econometrics)
American History
Political Science and Government
6
Social and Behavioral Science
9
Language, Philosophy and Culture and Creative Arts
6
International and Cultural Diversity
9
Life and Physical Sciences
21
General Electives
120
Departmental B.S. in Economics Major Requirements
The following courses are required for the Bachelor of Science degree. A grade of C or higher is required
for all courses.
Bachelor of Science in Economics Major Coursework
Credits
Course
3
ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics
3
ECON 203 Principles of Macroeconomics
3
ECON 323 Microeconomic Theory
3
ECON 410 Macroeconomic Theory
21
Economics Electives
Supporting Coursework
3
ACCT 209 Survey of Accounting Principles
3
ACCT 210 Managerial & Cost Accounting Principles
Master of Science in Economics Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Economics degree is a 1.5 year program requiring 36 hours of coursework. The
curriculum consists of 27 hours of required core courses that teach students analytical and quantitative
skills and their real-world applications. These skills are showcased during a capstone course (ECON
675) in their last semester of the program. Students will choose a concentration in either financial
economics or financial econometrics and take 9 additional hours of elective credit related to their
specialization.
Financial Economics Track
Credits
Fall I
Spring I
Summer I
Fall II
Course
3
ECON 607: Foundations of Microeconomic Theory
3
ECMT 674: Economic Forecasting
3
FINC 629: Financial Management
3
FINC 632: Investment Management
3
ECON 689: Economic Analytics
3
ECON 617: Strategies of Multinational Corporations
3
ECON 6XX (elective)
1-6
ECON 684: Internship (1-6 Credit Hours; Not required)
3
ECON 675: Capstone
3
ECON 618: Behavioral Economics of Financial Markets
3
ECON 6XX (elective)
3
ECON 6XX (elective, if necessary)
Spring II
3
ECON 6XX (elective, if necessary)
Total
36
Financial Econometrics Track
Credits
Fall I
Spring I
Summer I
Fall II
Course
3
ECON 607: Foundations of Microeconomic Theory
3
ECMT 674: Economic Forecasting
3
FINC 629: Financial Management
3
FINC 632: Investment Management
3
ECON 689: Economic Analytics
3
ECMT 680: Financial Econometrics
3
ECON 6XX (elective)
1-6
ECON 684: Internship (1-6 Credit Hours; Not required)
3
ECON 675: Capstone
3
ECMT 681: Econometric Analysis of Financial Data
3
ECON 6XX (elective)
3
ECON 6XX (elective, if necessary)
Spring II
3
ECON 6XX (elective, if necessary)
Total
36