Master economics in five intensive years.

Save time and enter the job market or apply to a Ph.D. program sooner. If you pursue a B.S. in economics or a B.S. in the mathematics-economics program, you can earn your master’s degree in economics as well, and complete both your undergraduate and graduate degree in five years.

Program Requirements

Apply to the program in the spring semester of your junior year. Only full-time students are eligible.

The program allows you to take some graduate courses in your senior year and reduces the required credits for your undergraduate degree by up to six. This allows both degrees to be earned within five years. All course requirements for your graduate degree must be fulfilled.

Up to two courses (6 credits) may be “dual-counted” toward the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Both dual-counted courses must be 800-level courses. The minimum grade for dual-counted courses is “B.”

Up to four courses (12 credits) of graduate work may be taken while you are an undergraduate and count toward the graduate degree (two courses shared and two courses distinctly graduate).

Economics Majors

The economics major requires six economics courses at the 300 and 400 level beyond ECON 101, 103, 301, 304, 306, and 422. For the accelerated degree program (4+1), you must take at least three of these six economics courses at the 400 level. Your two dual-counted courses may be used in place of two of the remaining three required courses at either the 300 or 400 level. The total undergraduate courses including dual-counted courses is 12 (36 credits).

Admission to the Accelerated Degree Program

You must meet the following requirements for admission. The GRE is waived.

  1. Minimum GPA 3.5 in economics courses
  2. A written statement of goals and objectives including a statement that clearly identifies your interest in the program
  3. Three letters of recommendation from UD faculty, at least one from economics faculty, which comment explicitly on your ability to do graduate-level work

The application deadline is April 15. You will be notified of the decision in the summer, after your junior year grades have been recorded.

Tuition and Fees

During your first four years in the economics program, you pay undergraduate tuition and fees. During the fifth year of study, and any additional time if it becomes necessary, applicable tuition and fees are those for graduate students.