The Economics Discipline at Morris offers a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, while the Applied Economics Department at the Twin Cities campus provides a Master of Science in Applied Economics. The integrated ECON-BA/APEC-MS program allows students to earn both degrees in just five years. This integrated degree program emphasizes applied economics education, equipping students with the skills and knowledge needed for careers in the field. Students can choose between two options: Plan A, which balances coursework and research development, or Plan B, which places greater emphasis on coursework.
Benefits
These programs offer several benefits, including streamlined admission from the undergraduate to the graduate program (with no GRE requirement), flexibility to concurrently enroll in undergraduate- and graduate-level courses during the senior year (allowing for at least 9 graduate-level credits to be transferred to the graduate program), and eligibility for teaching and research assistantships.
Admission
Application to the IDP is open to ECON undergraduates at Morris who:
● Have 90 credits completed or in progress.
● Have the ability to complete at least 9 graduate level credits during their senior year in addition to their remaining bachelor’s degree requirements.
● Hold a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
● The following prerequisite courses must be completed by the end of the Spring semester of their Junior Year with a minimum grade of a C: ECON 3201 (Microeconomic Theory), ECON 3202 (Macroeconomic Theory), ECON 3501 (Introduction to Econometrics), MATH 1101 (Calculus I) and Math 1102 (Calculus II).
For the online graduate school application, you will need the following items:
● Statement of Purpose (500 word limit): Please describe your research and career interests and clearly state you are applying for the IDP.
● Diversity Statement (500 word limit): The Applied Economics Graduate Program and the University of Minnesota embrace the principle that diversity promotes excellence. Diversity, broadly defined, comes from many sources: backgrounds, identities, life experiences, abilities, and intellectual orientation. Our goal is to promote academic excellence supported by respect for others and enhanced by cultural and intellectual diversity in our workplace, classrooms, and research. Please share how you might contribute to and/or benefit from diversity in our community of scholars.
● Resume
● Unofficial transcripts
● Three letters of recommendation, of which one letter is from an APEC graduate faculty member who has agreed to be your advisor during your MS program
Degree Progress
Students admitted to the Integrated ECON-BA/APEC-MS program will complete and be awarded an undergraduate degree within 4 years for New High School (NHS) and 3 years for New Admitted (NAS) students, upon meeting the requirements for their undergraduate degree.
Students will complete a minimum of two semesters as a graduate student and a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours before completing master’s program requirements.
Appendix 1. includes a sample academic plan demonstrating how a student can complete an Integrated ECON-BA/APEC-MS in 5 years. (PDF)
Appendix 2. includes a description of the admissions timeline, transition between BA and MS degrees, selection of faculty member academic advisor for the M.S. program, process for nominating Morris faculty to the Applied Economics Graduate Faculty so they can serve as MS advisors and teach courses in the Applied Economics MS Program. (PDF)
Suggested Electives
A list of suggested electives include but are not limited to:
● APEC 5321 (3 cr.) Regional Economic Analysis
● APEC 5411 (3 cr.) Commodity Marketing (no credit if credit was received for APEC 3411)
● APEC 5451 (3 cr.) Food Marketing Economics (no credit if credit was received for APEC 4451W)
● APEC 5481 (3 cr.) Futures and Options Markets (no credit if credit was received for APEC 3481)
● APEC 5711 (3 cr.) U.S. Agricultural and Environmental Policy
● APEC 5751 (3 cr.) Global Trade and Policy
● APEC 5821 (3 cr.) Business Economics and Strategy
● APEC 5831 (2 cr.) Food and Agribusiness Marketplace
● APEC 5832 (1 cr.) The Business of Food Systems
● APEC 5841 (3 cr.) Agricultural Cooperatives and Mutuals
● APS 5103 (3 cr) Integration of Sustainable Ag Concepts
● FSCN 5131 (3 cr) Food Quality for Graduate Credit
● FSCN 8318 (2 cr) Current Issues in Food Science
● MKTG 6090 (2 cr) Food Fight: Contemporary Challenges in Ag
● PA 5035 (1.5 cr.) Survey Research and Data Collection
● PA 5043 (2 cr.) Economic and Demographic Data Analysis
● PA 5113 (3 cr.) State and Local Public Finance
● PA 5204 (3 cr.) Urban Spatial and Social Dynamics
● PA 5722 (3 cr.) Economics of Natural Resource and Environmental Policy
● PA 8302: (4 cr.) Applied Policy AnalysisPA 8312 (3 cr.) Analysis of Discrimination
PUBH 6034 (3 cr.) Evaluation
PUBH 6154 (3 cr.) Climate Change and Global Health
PUBH 6832 (3 cr.) Economics of the Health Care System
STAT 5101 (4 cr.) Theory of Statistics I
STAT 5102 (4 cr.) Theory of Statistics II
STAT 5201 (3 cr.) Sampling Methodology in Finite Populations