College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha

The University of Nebraska at Omaha is an urban university surrounded by parks and residential neighborhoods in West Central Omaha. Approximately 14,000 students attend the University, with over 2000 of them in graduate programs. Founded as the University of Omaha in 1908, the school awarded its first Master's degree in 1919. Since UNO joined the University of Nebraska system in 1967, all graduate degrees have been awarded by the University of Nebraska, with each campus of the University having responsibility for standards and requirements in its own degree programs.

The Economics Graduate Degree Program
The UNO Department of Economics Graduate Program offers the Master of Science and the Master of Arts degrees. The Economics Department consists of 12 faculty members, most of whom are members or fellows of the University of Nebraska Graduate College. The graduate program in Economics is designed to provide a solid background in theory, quantitative methods, and applications appropriate to the needs of economists involved in private and public sector policy planning, analysis, and forecasting. Graduates have also been very successful in pursuing the Ph.D. degree at other Universities. A limited number of scholarships and graduate research assistantships are available to economics graduate students. Graduate courses in economics are offered in the evenings, allowing students to attend on a full or part time basis. Application materials for graduate admission are available from the Economics Department, or from the Admissions Office, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182. Application forms for graduate assistantships should be requested from the Economics Department or the College of Business Administration. Further questions should be directed to the Economics Graduate Advisor and Department Chair Donald Baum.

Admission
Admission to the UNO Graduate College requires the Bachelors Degree, with admission of seniors contingent upon receipt of the degree. Undergraduate record as measured by the Grade Point Average (GPA) is the primary evidence used for admission. A GPA of 3.00 or higher over the Junior-Senior year, or in economics courses if the undergraduate major is economics, is normally required for admittance. If the GPA is below 3.00, other records, such as Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, letters of recommendation, and grades in specific undergraduate courses, may be used as additional evidence of ability to do graduate work. The GRE is not required for admission. Applicants with non-English backgrounds are required to take the TOEFL, and must normally score at least 530 to be admitted to the program. Applications must be approved by the Economics Department and the UNO Dean for Graduate Studies. At a minimum, undergraduate courses required for unconditional admittance are Statistics (UNO DS 2130), Intermediate Microeconomic Theory (UNO Econ 3200), and Intermediate Macroeconomic Theory (UNO Econ 3220). Otherwise qualified applicants who do not have these courses will be admitted provisionally, and must take them in the first semester at UNO. With permission, provisional students may take graduate Managerial Economics (UNO Econ 8210) rather than Intermediate Microeconomic Theory. Some knowledge of calculus and matrix algebra is essential. Applicants without this background may be required to take a mathematics course at the beginning of their program or otherwise demonstrate adequate mathematical preparation. Unless students have extensive mathematics background, they must take Quantitative Applications in Economics (Econ 8306) early in the program.

General Information About the MS & MA Programs
New economics graduate students will be admitted only to the MS in Economics (non thesis) Program. After completing nine hours of course work in the Master's in Economics Program, a student may submit a written request to the Economics Graduate Program Committee (GPC) to transfer from the MS Program to the MA (thesis) Program. The student's request should state the field of economics s(he) is interested in writing a thesis on and the thesis topic. The student should attach an unofficial graduate transcript, a writing sample, and any other relevant information to the request. The GPC based on its evaluation of the student's potential to complete a quality master's thesis will approve or deny this request. If the GPC denies the student's request to transfer to the MA program, the student may submit a second written request to transfer to the MA program with supporting material to the GPC after s(he) has completed 18 credit hours of course work in the Master's in Economics Degree Program.

New graduate students working towards the MS or MA degree will be assigned to the Economics Graduate Advisor for program planning. After all deficiencies have been cleared, and at least 9 hours of course work successfully completed with a 3.00 GPA or better, students should file a plan of study with the UNO Graduate College and apply for admission to candidacy for the degree. This must in all cases be done prior to the semester of graduation. The MS program comprises 36 hours of coursework with a written comprehensive examination over microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics. The MA program requires 30 hours, including 6 hours of thesis, and an oral comprehensive examination. At the time of application for candidacy, the MA student will be assigned a Master's Thesis Committee and an advisor who will direct the thesis. Students are responsible for seeing that all forms, program plans, thesis, and comprehensive examinations are completed on time for graduation in the desired semester. Details about the program are also available.

Economics Activities
Numerous opportunities are available in the University and Omaha area for professional contact and activities for economics graduate students. The Economics Honorary (Omicron Delta Epsilon)/Economics Club plans programs of special interest for economics undergraduate majors and graduate students. The Economics Department Advisory Board meets regularly to plan events for students. The members of this board are community economists, plus two students selected by the board and department. The Nebraska Association of Business and Economics is a statewide organization with an annual conference devoted to a wide range of economics topics from current issues of local, regional, or national concern to theoretical issues in all areas of economic thought. Participation in these meetings also provides students valuable contacts with Omaha area professional economists working in business, government, and education.

Employment
The employment prospects for economists are excellent according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of the U.S. Department of Labor. Economic analysts are employed in a wide variety of businesses and private institutions. Economists in private sector jobs are involved in such activities as analyzing the impact of national and international economic activity on a business, forecasting cost and demand environment, advising on financial and capital investments, employment and collective bargaining policy, and analyzing the market for new products. The internationalization of business activities has and will continue to create a vigorous demand for economists with international expertise. Also, financial institutions and health service institutions traditionally have a strong need for economic analysts. Government at all levels employs about a fourth of all economists. In public sector jobs, economists are concerned with economic development planning, monetary and fiscal policy, employment and labor force policy, tax and public spending policy at all levels of government, and urban and regional planning. In addition to familiar Federal agencies such as the Federal Reserve Board and Department of Agriculture, other public policy agencies hire economists in a myriad of other areas such as urban and regional planning, health administration, state and local government fiscal analysis, economic development planning, and environmental impact analysis. Finally, demand for economists by educational institutions is projected to remain strong. Economics is also an excellent background for the study of law. UNO graduates have found employment in all of these important areas. For additional information, see our "Why Major in Economics" web page.