Admissions for MAPSS-Econ

When will the official admissions letter with the financial aid information be sent?
The official admissions letter with financial aid information is sent by the Dean of Students’ office in early March. Applicants who submit materials after the January 4th priority deadline are contacted on a rolling basis after mid-March and through the final application deadline on May 2nd.

What’s the expected cohort size of MAPSS-Econ?
Each year, we welcome 36 students to the MAPSS-Econ program. As part of our advising program, members of the cohort are assigned to one of two sections of 18 students each.

Additional Sources of Funding and Income

What other funding opportunities do I have?
More information is available here, including a details on database for external funding, fellowships for international students, and tips for on-campus employment and subsidized housing.

Your undergraduate institution may offer scholarships for alumni pursuing graduate study elsewhere. Your Dean of Students  Office, advisor, or Office of Career Services may be able to advise on whether those funds are available.

Finally, international students can also check the website of the U.S. Consulate or Embassy for their home countries. Often, they provide a list of resources for students studying in the United States.

What other sources of income could I have while enrolled in the program?
Many MAPSS students work 5 to 10 hours per week as RAs or in one of the 140 Centers and Institutes on campus. Working more than 10 hours is not recommended, given the reading and course requirements for your graduate seminars. MAPSS-Econ concentrators are also eligible for teaching assistantships throughout the academic year.

TOEFL Requirement

What are your TOEFL requirements?
Please see this page for a discussion of the Division’s TOEFL policy.

Course Selection

How will I organize my plan of study?
At the start of the academic year, MAPSS-Econ students are assigned to an Assistant Instructional Professor adviser based on research interests. This adviser will help you organize a course of study that constitutes a suitable path for your professional aspirations, whether those include a doctoral program, research positions, or consulting, among others.

What are ECMA courses?
A dedicated set of MA level courses designed with the needs of MAPSS-ECON students in mind has been developed. MAPSS-ECON students are expected to take these courses, which include including other courses in the department of mathematics and statistics, during their program year.

Can I take doctoral-level economic courses?
Students who believe they qualify for doctoral level coursework are welcome to request an evaluation of their prior background. If their prior training is deemed adequate, they can register for doctoral level coursework in the department. Those students approved for doctoral level coursework may continue to take these courses provided they earn a B+ or better.

Can I register for 3 graduate economic courses in winter quarter
Yes, noting that continuing with the first year PhD sequence in Price Theory, Theory of Income or Empirical Analysis in January, you must have earned a B+ or above in the same sequence in the fall.

MA Thesis Requirement

Does MAPSS-Econ require an MA thesis?
Yes. All MAPSS-Econ students are required to complete an article-length MA thesis. As preparation for developing your these, we strongly recommend that at least two of the 9 required courses have a paper writing requirement. This will provide critical professional training and will provide a key foundation for the academic writing quality of your thesis.

Options after MAPSS-Econ

What do MAPSS-Econ students do after graduation?
MAPSS-Econ provides the opportunity to evaluate the prospect of continued doctoral study in Economics as well as the government, agency, private sector, and other career opportunities that are possible with the completion of MA training.

Will most of the students apply for a PhD program after they graduate?
In a typical cohort, roughly 30% of our MAPSS-Econ graduates pursue doctoral study, at UChicago and elsewhere. The remainder pursue professional careers, which are detailed here.

What schools have admitted MAPSS-Econ graduates?
In recent years, our graduates have been admitted for the PhD in Economics at UChicago, LSE, Duke, Maryland, UPenn, Columbia, UCLA, Brown, Minnesota, Stanford, Northwestern, Texas-Austin, Erasmus University Rotterdam, UC-Davis, Simon Fraser, Boston University, Wisconsin-Madison, Princeton, Caltech, Cornell, and University College London.

Graduates have also been admitted for Business School PhDs at UChicago-Booth, London, Yale, Stanford, UCLA, INSEAD, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, Illinois-Urbana Champaign, and UIC.

They have gone on for PhD work in Public Policy at UChicago-Harris, Ohio State, Harvard, the University of Southern California, Colorado-Denver, and Duke.

They have been admitted for Marketing/Behavioral Science PhDs at Toronto, Northwestern, UCLA, Hong Kong, NYU, UC-San Diego, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Colorado-Boulder, and Hong Kong Polytechnic.

Finally, many of our graduates have taken full-time research assistantships after graduating, at UChicago-Econ, UChicago-Booth, Duke-NUS, Yale, MIT, NYU, Princeton, Stanford, Wharton, UCLA, Columbia, and UC-Berkeley.

What options do MAPSS-ECON students have to pursue their PhD at the University of Chicago?
The Kenneth C. Griffin Department of Economics has recently established a March 15th deadline for current MAPSS-Econ students to apply for the PhD program. This allows students to submit application materials that include their performance in the first two quarters of the MAPSS-Econ year. If admitted to the PhD program, students continue their doctoral training during the subsequent academic year.

Do students apply for a PhD program during the fall quarter?
MAPSS-ECON students receive substantial guidance in making this decision from their preceptors. We recommend that students apply to PhD programs when their application portfolio is complete and maximally competitive. Some students are ready to apply with only their first quarter grades while other students need to document further research experience, a writing sample, or substantial additional coursework.

Work Authorization in the United States

Is work authorization, like OPT, available when I complete the program?
International students admitted to MAPSS-ECON are eligible for up to 3 years of work authorization in the U.S., since MAPSS-Econ is a STEM program.