Program Director
Professor Ebenge Usip
306 DeBartolo Hall
(330)941-1682
eeusip@ysu.edu
YSU School of Graduate Studies
Degree Programs
The department offers an M.A. in Economics and an M.A. in
Financial Economics. Both programs are primarily designed for
students who intend to seek employment after the completion of the
degree. However, if supplemented by upper level courses in
mathematics, the programs can also help prepare students for
doctoral programs.
M.A. in Economics
The M.A. in Economics program is designed to provide students
with a background in applied economics which would lead to
professional employment in business, government, or education.
Special emphasis is placed on the use of data analysis to
investigate public policy issues and business decisions. A well prepared student may complete the MA degree in a single academic year by taking an additional course each semester and writing a thesis during the summer.
For the M.A. in economics students must complete 30 semester hours of graduate credit with a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. The requirements for the degree include the following core courses plus three electives (3 s.h.). A thesis (6 s.h.) may be substituted for the research seminar and one three semester hour elective.
The core courses in the program include:
Economics 6904. Quantitative Methods (3 s.h.)
Economics 6912. Microeconomic Theory (3 s.h.)
Economics 6922. Macroeconomic Theory (3 s.h.)
Economics 6939. The Economics of Financial Markets and Institutions (3 s.h.)
Economics 6945. Public Finance (3 s.h.)
Economics 6976. Econometrics (3 s.h.)
Economics 6998. Research Seminar (3 s.h.) or
Economics 6999. Master's Thesis (6 s.h.)
Electives are 6900-level graduate courses offered by the department that are included in the M.A. program. One of the electives may be either a 5800-level economics swing course or a graduate level course taught outside the department that has been approved by the graduate director.
M.A. in Financial Economics
This program is designed to provide students with a background in
applied economics and financial markets. The course-work covers
micro and macro theory, econometrics, financial markets,
management of financial capital and analysis of valuation of
stocks. Graduates of the program will be prepared to work in
banking, insurance, and financial advising.
For the
M.A. in Financial Economics you must complete 30 to 37 semester
hours of graduate credit with a grade point average of 3.0 or
higher. Depending on the student's background, it is possible to
waive FIN 6900 (Financial Accounting and Finance for Decision
Making) and ECON 6904 (Quantitative Methods for Economics).
Students can choose between writing a thesis and or taking a
research seminar. Students who write a thesis must take one
elective, students taking the research seminar must take two
electives.
Core courses in the program include:
FIN 6900
Financial Accounting and Finance for Decision Making (4 sh)*
ECON 6904 Quantitative Methods for Economics (3 sh)*
ECON 6912 Microeconomic Theory (3 sh)
ECON 6922
Macroeconomic Theory (3 sh)
ECON 6939 The
Economics of Financial Markets and Institutions (3 sh)
ECON 6976
Econometrics (3 sh)
FIN 6921
Financial Management (3 sh)
FIN 6924
Securities Analysis (3 sh)
FIN 6953
Advanced Financial Analysis (3 sh) or
FIN 6939
Multinational Accounting and Finance (3 sh)
*FIN 6900 may be waived for students with undergraduate coursework
in finance and accounting, ECON 6904 may be waived for students
with a strong background in both statistics and calculus. The
chair of the Department of Economics will determine whether the
courses can be waived.
Nonthesis Option:
ECON 6998, Research Seminar or FIN 6996, Research Problems (3 sh)
and 6 sh of electives
Thesis Option
ECON 6999, Master's Thesis (6 sh) and 3 sh of electives
Students should
register for ECON 6999, but graduate faculty from either economics
or finance may serve as the major advisor for the thesis. The
thesis, which will be a maximum of six semester hours of credit,
must be submitted according to the general requirements of the
School of Graduate Studies. The student will defend the thesis in
an oral examination before a committee of three or more faculty
members from finance and economics. Students wishing to write a
thesis must submit a proposal and the names of three faculty
members who are willing to serve on the thesis committee to the
graduate coordinator prior to registering for thesis hours.
Electives can include:
MATH 6945
Stochastic Processes
ECON 5824 Applied
Time Series
ECON 6940
Financial Economics
ECON 6941 Monetary
Economics
ECON 6945 Public
Finance
ECON 6970
Internship
ECON 6981
International Finance
ECON 6990 Special
Topics in Economics
Any 6900-level
finance class except FIN 6936
Graduate Assistantships
The department has a limited number of graduate assistantships, which are allocated to students with the strongest undergraduate records. Graduate assistantships pay a yearly stipend of $7500 and allow for remission of instructional fees and the nonresident tuition surcharge, if applicable. Students are responsible for the general fee and any other fees. Students usually work approximately 20 hours per week for the department. The duties of graduate assistantships vary and include tutoring for undergraduate courses, helping a professor with his or her research, or teaching a statistics lab. Students seeking assistantships for the fall semester should apply by mid-February of the preceding academic year. The graduate assistant application and the required recommendation form are downloadable in PDF format from the School of Graduate Studies web site under "forms for student use". You must include 3 letters of recommendation in your graduate assistant application. The department and School of Graduate Studies have some additional requirements for International Students.
Job Placement
Most of our graduates decide to enter the job market after completing the program. The following list includes job descriptions and locations of some of our graduates from the past five years.
Accounting and Financial Management Specialist, American Community Bankers, Washington, DC
Actuarial Assistant, Insurance Service Office, Inc., Jersey City, NJ
Economist, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Washington, DC
Economist, Department of Commerce, Bureau Of Economic Analysis, Washington, DC
Commercial Underwriter, Sky Bank, Youngstown, OH
Consultant, Roadway Express, Akron, OH
Financial Analyst, The Mills Corporation, Washington, DC
Loan Officer, Mahoning Valley Economic Development
Corporation, Youngstown, OH
Market Intelligence Manager, Wella Cosmetics and Hair Products, Thessaloniki, Greece
Project Manager for Economic Development, Northwoods Business Development Center, Palm Beach, FL
Senior Market Lead Analyst Entergy, Houston, TX
Teaching Assistant, Department of Statistics, University of Massachusetts.
Graduate Faculty
Oh Hu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Dennis Petruska, Ph.D., Professor
Joseph Palardy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Tod Porter, Ph.D., Professor
Teresa Riley, Ph.D., Professor
Albert Sumell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Ebenge Usip, Ph.D., Professor, Graduate Director
Yaqin Wang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
Additional information about Economics Faculty members and their research
interests.
Admissions Requirements
Applications must be sent first to the School of Graduate Studies. After the Graduate School has determined that you meet the minimum requirements for admission, they will send the application to the department. U.S. students may apply online or download a PDF version of the application. International students are not able to apply online at this time, but are able to download PDF application files. Both domestic and international applications can be downloaded from the
School of Graduate Studies.
In order to be admitted into the MA in Economics program, applicants must have completed at least one course in each of the following areas: principles of microeconomics, principles of macroeconomics, statistics, and calculus. Students who do not meet the requirements may be admitted on a provisional basis. Students admitted provisionally do not qualify for graduate assistantships.
When you complete your application, it would be helpful to notify the Economics graduate director so the department can follow the progress of your application.