Master of Economics Admissions

The Department of Economics advises all students enrolled in the master of arts or master of science programs majoring in economics.  Graduate students are also required to take one credit of ECON 794 in addition to the credits required below unless this requirement is waived by the graduate advisor.  ECON 794 is a one-credit, pass/fail course that consists of a math workshop that is offered the week before classes begin.  Students also participate in a student orientation, departmental seminars, and a job-skills workshop.  All students are required to participate.

The standards for admission into the Graduate Program in Economics are as follows:

  • A baccalaureate (or an advanced) degree from an accredited college or university, or its equivalent
  • An overall grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • International students must have a minimum TOEFL score of 500
  • Intermediate Microeconomics or comparable undergraduate course
  • Intermediate Macroeconomics or comparable undergraduate course
  • One semester of calculus
  • Official test scores

Applicants not meeting all of these requirements may enroll with Graduate Special status until they have completed a remedial course of study. Admission is competitive and meeting minimum qualifications is not a guarantee of admission.

Application Deadlines

To be considered for Fall semester, all materials must be received by April 15.
To be considered for Spring semester, application materials must be received by October 15.

Application Procedure

The Master of Arts and Master of Science in Economics programs are governed by University of Nevada, Reno Graduate School requirements. All material should be submitted online through the graduate school.

Applicants should submit the following:

  1. All required application materials as required by the Graduate School admissions requirements, including official transcripts from all previous educational institutions and GRE scores.
  2. A minimum of two and preferably three letters of recommendation.
  3. A letter of intent describing research interests, background preparation, and experience.
  4. Optional: Prospective students may elect to submit resumes and short examples of written work (articles published and/or working papers).

Candidates seeking assistantships should indicate their preference for teaching versus research assistantships in the University's application for graduate school admission.

International Students

For international student information, please consult the Office of International Students and Scholars.