Master's Candidacy

To earn a master’s degree at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; fulfill all academic and residence requirements; and apply to graduate via Workday Student. For a general layout of master’s degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Master’s Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.

• Students are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in courses that count toward their credit units. Note that plus and minus marks alter the numerical value of a letter grade.

Program Requirements

• Total Units Required: 30 credits of graduate-level coursework
  • ​This program requires the completion of 30 credits of graduate-level coursework, which is equivalent to two to three semesters of enrollment, depending on course load.
• Degree Length: One-year minimum (consecutive fall and spring semesters)
  • Students normally take five required courses and five elective courses. Students can potentially substitute required courses with more advanced PhD-level courses with prior approval from a director of the MA program.
  • Students must complete a capstone experience consisting of either a capstone exam, a capstone project (3 units of credit), or a Master's thesis (up to 6 units of credit).
  • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their course work, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with a director of the MA program to ensure proper enrollment prior to the Add/Drop deadline.
• Grade Requirement: A grade point average of B (3.0) or better must be maintained in graduate course work. The minimum residence requirement is one full academic year of graduate study.

Information about required and elective courses is available on the Master's Degree Program Structure page of the Department of Economics website.

Required Courses

Students must complete the following 15 units:

Elective Courses

Most students will complete five economics electives (15 units) drawn from economics courses at the 6000-level or higher.

• With preapproval from a director of the MA program, up to three electives (9 units) may be drawn from other departments or schools.
• Up to 3 units of elective credit may come from the completion of a capstone project or up to 6 units of elective credit may come from the completion of a thesis. 

Additional Information

• With preapproval from a director of the MA program, students may complete ECON 8010 Microeconomics I in lieu of ECON 6001 Microeconomics (MA), ECON 8020 Macroeconomics I in lieu of ECON 6002 Macroeconomics (MA), and/or ECON 8110 Applied Econometrics in lieu of ECON 6110 Econometrics (MA).
• Students interested in ECON 8010 Microeconomics I, ECON 8020 Macroeconomics I, and/or ECON 8110 Applied Econometrics are welcome to attend the math/statistics “boot camps” for first-year PhD students. The “boot camps” occur in late July-mid August, and they meet in person. Please contact a director of the MA program or the undergraduate Academic Coordinator in the Department of Economics for further information.
• Students must complete a capstone experience consisting of either a capstone exam, a (3-unit, semester-based) capstone project, or a Master’s thesis. (Refer to further details about the master’s thesis in the next section.)
  • The capstone project is a directed, independent-study project, supervised by a faculty member. A student may earn three units of elective credit that can be applied to the 30 units required for the MA degree. An application is required, and approval must be granted, in the semester prior to enrollment in the capstone-project course. Interested students should consult with a director of the MA program. Students who do not satisfactorily complete the capstone project must complete the capstone exam.   
  • The capstone exam is a comprehensive examination reflecting the core, required classes in the MA program. The exam will be administered during the final exam period in the semester of graduation. Scheduling details will be provided by a director of the MA program. As with course grades, the exam must be passed with a grade of B or better to count towards the degree.  
• Students are expected not to carry, at one time, any more than 9 units for which an I (incomplete), X (final examination missed), or N (grade not yet submitted) is recorded. The Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, may deny a student permission to register for the subsequent semester when there are more than 9 unfinished units.

Thesis Requirements/Details

Students are required to have a capstone experience, and this may (optionally) take the form of an MA thesis. Three units of credit can be awarded each semester, for a maximum of 6 units toward degree requirements, for students writing a thesis. The thesis must satisfy the following requirements:

1. Students writing an MA thesis must work with a faculty advisor. Ideally, finding an advisor and beginning research should begin during the first semester of the degree program.
2. The thesis topic is subject to approval by the master's student's faculty advisor and by a director of the MA program. As soon as the thesis topic has been approved (but no later than six months before the thesis defense is likely to occur), students should submit the Title, Scope and Procedure form to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.
3. A Master's Thesis Guide and a template that provide instructions regarding the format of the thesis are available on the website of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Both should be read carefully at every stage of thesis preparation.
4. MA students must defend their thesis before a group of selected faculty. The defense date and the selected faculty committee will be arranged between the student and that student’s advisor. Students are required to make the full text of the thesis available to the committee members for their review at least one week before the defense. Most degree programs require two or more weeks for the review period; students should check with their faculty for further guidelines.
5. After the defense, the student must submit an electronic copy of the thesis online to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences via BePress at the university library. The degree program is responsible for delivering the Master's Thesis Approval form, signed by the committee members at the defense and then by the program chair, to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Students who defend their theses successfully have not yet completed their master's requirements; they finish earning the degree only when their thesis submission has been accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.