The Master of Arts in Economic Policy

Objective of the Program

The program is designed to develop economists with a solid knowledge of economics, skill in using economic ideas and methods, and a strong policy orientation. Students who graduate from public policy programs often lack the economics training needed for policy evaluation. Students who enroll in traditional economics programs tend to receive rigorous but abstract technical training, but are often unable to apply this training to “real world” policy problems. Our objective is to provide students with graduate-level technical training that has direct policy implications. Our intention is that this program will differ from a typical “masters in economics” program in that it will provide:

• Experience in applying analytical tools to policy problems.
• Knowledge of the institutional features and policies of relevant sectors of the Canadian economy.
• An understanding of the strengths and weakness of alternative policy evaluation methods.
• Greater opportunity to interact with policy-makers.
• More interaction in interdisciplinary settings.
• More emphasis on writing and presenting policy analyses.

Our program leads to policy-analyst jobs or further graduate study in economics. The interdisciplinary public policy programs lead to policy-administrator jobs.

Program Design

• Economics 727      Microeconomic Theory for Public Policy
• Economics 728      Macroeconomic Theory for Public Policy
• Economics 761      Econometrics I
• Economics 773      Economic Policy Analysis I
• Economics 774      Economic Policy Analysis II

Students complete a series of short projects throughout the two-course sequence that focuses on Policy Analysis. In addition, students can arrange to take a Directed Research course in which a more extensive project can be completed. Some students find that a project is the best way of consolidating the knowledge they have gained in the Theory for Public Policy Courses.

Other students prefer to take more applied field courses in economics. Historically, students in the program have gravitated to three fields of particular strength in the Department: Health Economics, Human Resource Economics, and Public Economics, but there are other options. Students can also take a course offered by another department (with permission). Whatever is chosen by each student, three option courses must be taken, so that the total eight-course requirement of the degree is satisfied.

There are two short "camps" during the first term of the program - one in basic mathematical methods and the other focusing on STATA. These sessions ensure that students benefit from the core courses in micro, macro, and econometrics, and that students are in a position to complete the applied projects in the other courses.

Financial Support

Each student will receive a teaching assistantship, which involves 65-130 hours of work in each of the fall and winter term. The work is primarily marking, but could include tutorial work. The value of the teaching assistantship for 2011-12 is between $5,122 and $10,244. As well, students will generally receive some scholarship support.