Hi all,

I have been debating a masters in economics since I’m quite passionate about the subject and feel like the bachelors did me well in terms of ROI. I currently work as a pricing analyst primarily doing excel based work but im getting trained in SQL soon and can use AI pretty well to vibe code pricing platforms. (Unsure if the vibe coding is really a “skill” but ive have built things that higher ups gawk over compared to other ppls vibe coded products/platforms)I had a 3.3 GPA, which isnt very high but it seems ok? I did work full time during my bachelors and had to deal with providing end of life care while doing both to a sick family member. Goes to say i could likely write a killer personal essay.

I would have to take calc courses and linear algebra prior to applying since I was a B.A. in econ and didnt do those courses. Predominately focused on theory / philosophical side of things.

Overall, was the masters in Econ specifically worth it? I’m honestly not interested in the MBA personally, I’ve had too many coworkers with an MBA but literally not a single manager with one so the value seems to be hit or miss. A masters in econ doesn’t appear to be as saturated as MBA’s. I was planning on teaching some juco classes part-time since they only require a masters (in some cases). To my fellow econ nerds did you masters generate the ROI you hoped for? Also what kind of roles did you all go into?

What is up with all those top-10 or bust mentality lately? This sub is slowly approaching EJMR toxicity level.

Although I do appreciate the great comments and advice from faculties time to time.

Also, genuinely curious, why don’t school’s undergrad Econ department turn students away to the math and physics department at this point?

Didn’t we all end up in this community because our love for economics? Or has this always been PhD application maxxing from day one?

I am doing a master's, and after the first year, we must take a research methods course with a professor.

While this choice was not without doubts, I went for the applied micro professor eventually. So this summer is basically the beginning of seeing papers and developing ideas for my research.

1- What general advice (academic and non-academic) do you have for this transition?

2- At this stage I think gender and development econ excite me the most. What do you think is good for me to practice to do good in this specific field?

My question is intentionally general, because I think even seemingly irrelevant experiences can be useful.

Hi all,

I was fortunate enough to land a Research assistant position (full time) for my freshman summer. I find myself using AI for things like formatting, best practices, sanity checks on my approach etc.

I also have to use many tools that I haven’t ever used such as Geocoding APIs etc., in such cases, I get started with AI and focus on learning on the go.

Now in a sense, I believe, this is AI assisted coding, but I usually try to make sure I understand the code, and I debug most things on my own (instead of screaming at the AI like a baboon). Is this a bad approach? Is there something I should tweak? My goal is a PhD, and I’m trying to build good practices right from the start.

Just some more info: I use python mainly, and my undergrad is in econ (so all my coding knowledge is self taught).

Thank you in advance :)

I recently graduated from a small liberal arts college with majors in Economics and Data Analytics. I finished with a 3.8 GPA, a few months of research, and over a year of tutoring experience. In addition, I completed two data-focused internships during undergrad and spent three years working in management roles. These experiences allowed me to build strong relationships with supervisors, professors, and mentors, and I believe I will have solid letters of recommendation when I eventually apply to PhD programs.

This fall, I'll be starting a funded one-year master's program at a T50 university with TA/RA responsibilities. My long-term goal is to apply to Economics PhD programs in Fall 2027.

One issue is that I didn't fully understand the math expectations for academic economics until relatively late in my undergraduate career. Rather than delay graduation or spend part of my master's program catching up on prerequisites, I decided to take several math courses this summer before starting graduate school.

The problem is that these have been accelerated online courses, and I've been taking them while working a full-time internship. This is also my first experience with online classes. My grades so far are:

• Calculus II: C
• Calculus III: B
• Linear Algebra: C
• Differential Equations: In Progress

These grades are much lower than my normal academic performance. I think the combination of the accelerated pace, limited access to instructors, balancing coursework with a full-time internship, and trying to prepare for graduate school has really hurt my performance.

I'm also concerned about the GRE. I'll be starting my master's coursework soon, and I'm struggling to figure out how to fit GRE preparation into my schedule. If I don't perform as well as I'd like on the GRE, I'm wondering whether strong performance in my master's program could help compensate for that when applying to PhD programs.

At this point, I'm worried that these math courses may have done more harm than good from an admissions perspective. Without them, my transcript would look stronger overall, but I also know that the math background is important for both graduate coursework and PhD admissions.

For those familiar with economics PhD admissions:

1. How concerning are these math grades in the context of a 3.8 GPA, research experience, internships, and a funded master's program?
2. Will admissions committees view these grades differently given that they were earned in accelerated online summer courses while working full-time?
3. Would it be worth retaking any of these courses later?
4. How much can strong master's grades offset weaker undergraduate math performance?
5. If my GRE quantitative score ends up being mediocre, can strong master's grades, research experience, and letters of recommendation compensate?
6. Given that I plan to apply in Fall 2027, what would you prioritize over the next year: master's grades, GRE prep, additional math coursework, or research experience?

I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed trying to juggle the internship, math coursework, master's preparation, and GRE planning. I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through the economics PhD admissions process or has experience evaluating applicants.

Edit: A few people have asked about my overall academic record. My cumulative GPA was a 3.8, but my GPA within my majors was stronger: approximately a 3.9 in Economics coursework and 4.0 in Data Analytics coursework. Most of the B's on my transcript came from electives and general education requirements rather than classes in my majors.

Thanks in advance.

I had a really bad time with game theory and mechanism design in undergrad. In contrast I had a really good time with real analysis and measure theory. I will be taking the microeconomics year 1 PhD sequence (that I assume is mostly standardized across the world?) and want to know if the questions will be similar to the stuff like this. My interests do not lie in game theory or mechanism design I only want to do well in the year 1 PhD sequence.

I have a question about the math classes offered and/or required through undergraduate economics majors.

From my understanding, schools describe their curriculums differently at the undergraduate level in terms of the mathematical side of things. How would a graduate admissions officer evaluate someone who takes a Math for Economists class with Introductory Econometrics and Applied Econometrics rather than someone taking Calculus I-III, Linear Algebra, and Real Analysis separately?

I understand that a less math heavy candidate can just go through a masters program, but doesn’t Math for Economists cover Calculus I-III while the two Econometrics classes cover the rest of the PhD pre-requirements? Or are they viewed differently?

I’ve searched for this type of comparison here and the only thread I found was in the r/NYU where it was said that Math for Economists covers Calculus I-III.

I am entering my third year as a double major in Economics and Mathematics at a top uni in Canada, and I am considering applying to Economics PhD programs in the US (possibly after a pre-doc), with interests in Applied Micro and Applied Econometrics.

My current course portfolio:

• Completed Intermediate Micro, Intermediate Macro, and Econometrics; planning to take Advanced Micro, Advanced Macro, and Applied Econometrics in third year
• Completed Linear Algebra I, Calculus I–III, and proof-based math courses. Doing/will do ODE, PDE, and Probability

My main concern is my analysis background. At my university, there are two levels of Analysis courses: an intermediate Real Analysis course and a more advanced Analysis track that can lead to Measure Theory. I am trying to decide between these two options for my remaining coursework. There are two main considerations:

1. I realized my goal of pursuing an Economics PhD relatively late, so completing the advanced mathematics track may require delaying graduation.
2. I am concerned that taking the more advanced track could negatively affect my GPA. However, if it provides meaningful preparation for PhD-level research, I would be willing to take it and put in the effort.

My questions are:

1. For Economics PhD admissions, how much does the distinction between a standard Real Analysis course and a more advanced Analysis sequence (possibly including Measure Theory) matter?
2. More importantly, for those currently doing Economics PhDs, does having a stronger Analysis background from undergraduate studies actually help during PhD coursework and research? In particular, for fields like Applied Micro and Applied Econometrics, how does mathematical analysis appear in actual research? Are the concepts from advanced Analysis courses (e.g., convergence, topology) something you regularly use, or are they mainly useful as preparation for theory courses?

Thank you so much in advance!

The majority of my training has been in applied micro. That said, I do remember going through the work of Walter Enders and Harvey, where time series models like ARIMA, transfer functions, and VAR were used to study non-macro policy changes.

And recently at work, I've found myself coming back to these methods when there are simply no good controls or the data is limited.

I could just search causal inference + time series on google scholar, but I figured that instead of an Nth post asking "is my application solid enough for a top 20?", we could talk about recent developments in time series and causal inference. :)

I'm all ears.

Hi all

Writing this with an alt account, hence the low level of karma

Currently, I'm at a bit of an impasse in which direction I want to take my future. I've graduated from an okay university in Economics, with around 68% avg (though higher marks in quantitative subjects), and have an offer to do an MSc in Economics at UCL. The masters is mostly funded, with a small backdrop which I have an arrangement to borrow for at a low interest rate.

Conversely, there's a decent career opportunity open to be within investment management (moreso wealth management) which sounds pretty interesting, but it pays £30k as a starting salary with a 10%+ bonus dependant on performance in a good case scenario. How much pay increases year on year is up in the air. Within it there's also may be some options with Corp Acquisitions as the company loves to engage in inorganic growth while advising itself on the matter. It sounds great, but I'm just unsure, especially compared with what can be done after a master's.

I don't know which path to take. The idea of doing the Masters, and then working for an Economic Consultancy or the BoE is super exciting tbh, maybe moreso than the job, but I'm unsure. I was wondering if anyone had similar experiences, or any advice.

I'm heading into my final year of undergrad majoring in Economics, Data Science and minoring in Political Science with a GPA of 3.95. I'm interested long-term in either higher academia or the Federal Reserve system, so I feel that a PhD program is most likely in my future.

My main question is mostly how/when I should apply to predoc programs. My current school has a very rigorous senior capstone program that I think will make very good writing/coding samples, but obviously that won't be done until early spring. For people with senior capstone projects, how/when did you go about applying for these types of programs? Do you have any other useful tips? I really appreciate it.

Looking for economics podcasts not freakonomics on Spotify
Your favorites?

I am planning on studying in France for my masters (2027 intake) and I narrowed down my options. No matter how many backup options I explore somehow PSE still maintains the top spot. I am really relying on it working out.

I am an Indian student with an undergrad degree in Economics with a minor in Statistics.

- 9.64 GPA.

- Multiple research projects

- An A graded research paper presented at the uni level

- Courses in pure maths/stats cleared with high grades

- Three internships in fintech, market research, finance etc

- 1 year work experience (full time) as research and investments analyst

- Multiple on ground field work projects (Rural studies, commmunity engagement, policy evaluation among other aspects)

I really need help from someone who has some experience with PSE or knows about the admission process to determine whether or not I genuinely have a chance at their masters programs since I'm really banking on it as my first option. Thanks!!

I have a first from LSE in Maths and Econ. I'd like to start a Masters in Econ for the 27/28 academic year but I'm conscious about the tuition fees. I've been working in Economic Analysis since graduating and have saved a fair bit. I want to self fund (an extra SFE loan isn't appealing) and my manager says he's happy for me to work part time once I start studying. I'm willing to pay the 30K for the Cambridge MPhil, but very reluctant to spend more than 20K otherwise.

LSE MSc is extortionate on price (even with the 10% alum discount the fees would still be 35K+) - it also feels somewhat of a waste to drain my savings to get a degree from a uni I've already got a degree from. That leaves UCL (£30K fees, worth considering but still not sure if it's worth it) and Warwick (nicer fees) as similar tier unis. Beyond that, the price factor has me considering unis that are in 'lower tiers' but still well respected for Economics. Nottingham, Bristol, Exeter, St Andrew and Edinburgh come to mind.

I shared that I was okay with going to Nottingham to a friend and they responded with a categorical NO, as to imply that it would be embarrassing and 'below me' if I went to Notts - their exact words were that I should only consider Oxbridge and LSE. I asked another friend and although they weren't as categorical, they said anything lower than Warwick wouldn't be worth it. Does anyone here agree with them? My thoughts were that it'd be fine.

Hi everybody!! I am a second year Econ Hons Undergrad student with avid interest in Development Economics and Macroeconomics. I regularly read Economic Journals and Newspapers,

but lately I've been feeling these aren't enough resources to gain all the knowledge I need, I want to dive deeper into the subject, hence I urge you to list your favourite resources to gain knowledge over different Economics matters and fields, (they don't have to be related to Development or Macro Economics alone)

Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I am going into my senior year in George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
I’ll be graduating this December with a B.S. in Economics. I also have minors in Data Science, Finance, and Global Systems.

Long-term, I’d love to work at places like the Federal Reserve, the World Bank, IMF, or similar economic policy institutions. Because of that, I’m assuming a Ph.D. may eventually be necessary.

I’ve been thinking a lot about grad school and have a few questions:

1. Is graduate school still worth it in today’s job market?
   
2. If I want to pursue a Ph.D., is it better to get a master’s first or apply directly to Ph.D. programs?
   
3. How difficult is it to do or get into a Ph.D. program without having a master’s degree?
   
4. Should I just get a job first and then think about Ph.D later?

Here are my stats:
GPA: 3.99/4.00
Major: Economics
Minors: Data Science, Finance, Global Systems

Currently studying for the GRE and planning to take it next semester.

My biggest weakness is that I don’t have any economics-related internships or professional experience yet. I’m applying for internships this fall, but of course there’s no guarantee I’ll get one.

Outside of academics, I’ve been involved in leadership and campus jobs:
- Resident Assistant for the past 2+ years
- Korean tutor for the past 2 years
- College of Humanities and Social Sciences Ambassador for about 1.5 years
- Chi Omega Treasurer for one year, and now serving as Vice President

For research, I don’t have formal research assistant experience or publications. I’ve written three research papers (about 14–18 pages each) for economics courses, but that’s about it.

Given this profile, how competitive would I be for graduate programs like Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, George Washington University, Columbia, or even Harvard?

Am I aiming too high? If not, what would you recommend I do over the next year to become a stronger applicant for top economics graduate programs?

I’d really appreciate any honest advice, especially from people who have gone through the economics Ph.D. admissions process. Thanks!

I got an offer letter for bachelors in economics of tourism and cities at University of bologna. I'm being advised by someone I know as well as my parents to not go for it because the subject is too niche for bachelors.

Though the curriculum (in the pictures) looks fairly quantitative I'm still unsure how the degree would turn out because of its nomenclature.

My goals are still unclear to me for now but I want to pursue a career related to economics and business. But I don't want to be stuck in a niche forever. Should I just go with a finance and economics course from any other university?

I am looking for advice on choosing between two Master's tracks in Nepal to maximize my chances for a funded Economics PhD in the West (US/Europe/UK). Due to personal and family circumstances, I must stay in Nepal for the next two years before I can move abroad.

My long-term goal is to do a PhD in Economics. I want to study core economic theory, but I am worried about the math screening process of Western admissions committees.

I have a bachelor of science in math with Straight As in Real Analysis I & II, Number Theory, Modern Algebra (Abstract Algebra), Mathematical Modelling, Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA) etc, A- minus in Calculus I and II, Computational Statistics, Linear Algebra, Discrete Math and B+ grades: Advanced Calculus, ODEs, PDEs, Statistics & Probability(B-).

My Dilemma (The Two Options in Nepal):

1. Option A: MA in Economics at Tribhuvan University (CEDECON). This is what I actually to study. It covers core economic theory (Micro, Macro, Econometrics) and offers a 6-credit thesis option. However, the curriculum lacks intense mathematical rigor (it uses math broadly but doesn't focus on deep, proof-based mathematical economics). I can self-study the advanced math, but I am worried admissions committees won't value self-study.
2. Option B: MSc in Mathematics at Tribhuvan University (CDM). I would choose this purely out of fear. It would give me a highly rigorous, proof-heavy math degree, but I would completely lose out on learning economic theory, writing an econ thesis, or getting letters of recommendation from economists.

My Questions for the Community:

1. Will a Western committee penalize me if my Master's degree is a standard MA in Economics from a developing country that lacks deep mathematical proofs, provided my undergrad math grades are strong?
2. Should I choose the MA in Econ to build economic intuition/letters of recommendation, or will the MSc in Math make me a significantly stronger candidate despite having zero formal economics training?

I appreciate any insights, especially from anyone familiar with admissions for international students with non-traditional/math backgrounds.

Okay, so I'm well aware that this is a life decision and it is me that has to make the final choice. However, i would be grateful for any insight that I can get.

I applied to two master's programs in econ this year: the University of Bonn in Germany, and one in Pakistan (home country).

Here's the thing: I want to use my MsC as a stepping stone to a PhD in the US. Master's programs in the US aren't an option due to cost.

I got into Bonn and might get into the Pakistani one. The issue is that my visa delays may prevent me from going to Bonn this year - now I'm thinking that I might skip a master's this year altogether and apply for Fall 2027 instead. I also graduated with BS in mathematical econ in 2024; no school since then.

What would you do if you were me? I need to maximize my chances for a US PhD.

Thanks :)

Is it gonna push the normal 5-6 year PhD program duration back or gonna cause exit of International applicants all together? Is there some workaround that's being done like getting visa re-issued at end of 4th year?